Sarasotas Crockpot Eggplant Mediterranean Food

EASY GREEK-STYLE EGGPLANT RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place eggplant cubes in a colander over a large bowl or directly over your sink, and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 20 minutes or so to allow eggplant to "sweat out" any bitterness. Rinse with water and pat dry.
• In a large braiser, heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions, peppers, and chopped carrot. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, then add garlic, bay leaf, spices, and a dash of salt. Cook another minute, stirring until fragrant.
• Now add eggplant, chopped tomato, chickpeas, and reserved chickpea liquid. Stir to combine.
• Bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes or so. Stir often. Remove from stove top, cover and transfer to oven.
• Cook in oven for 45 minutes until eggplant is fully cooked through to very tender. (While eggplant is braising, be sure to check once or twice to see if more liquid is needed. If so, remove from oven briefly and stir in about 1/2 cup of water at a time.)
• When eggplant is ready, remove from oven and add a generous drizzle of Private Reserve EVOO, garnish with fresh herbs (parsley or mint). Serve hot or at room temperature with a side of Greek yogurt or even Tzatziki sauce and pita bread.

MEDITERRANEAN-STYLE EGGPLANT PASTA

Steps:

• Arrange eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle with enough salt to lightly coat; drain for about 10 minutes. Rinse eggplant and pat dry with paper towels. Chop eggplant into cubes.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pappardelle at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 to 11 minutes; drain.
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir eggplant, adding more oil if eggplant gets dry, until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer eggplant to a bowl, reserving oil in the skillet.
• Heat remaining oil in the same skillet; cook and stir onion and garlic until golden, about 10 minutes. Return eggplant to skillet and season with oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute more.
• Mix tomatoes, vinegar, salt, sugar, and black pepper into eggplant mixture; cover skillet and simmer sauce until eggplant is softened, about 10 minutes. Mix sauce with pasta in a bowl; top with mozzarella cheese and basil.

SARASOTA'S CROCKPOT EGGPLANT MEDITERRANEAN

Steps:

• Crockpot -- Add the eggplant, onion, celery, olive oil, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, oregano, salt and pepper in the slow cooker and mix well. Top with the olives and squash but don't stir.Cover and cook on low for approximately 4 hours.
• Finish -- After 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 hours, when the eggplant is tender, stir to incorporate the squash and the olives into the mix. To finish, mix the sugar with the vinegar and add to the crockpot along with the capers and basil. Stir well and test for any additional seasoning, salt and pepper. Pepper is the only thing I find I need to add. Cook another 10-15 minutes, just to blend all the flavors. Perfect time to make your couscous, or maybe some grilled bread or rice. Any side dish you want.
• Serve -- As I mentioned, I prefer to serve this over couscous and garnish with feta cheese. ENJOY!

"THE EGGPLANT" - A MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EASTERN INSPIRED DISH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
• Remove the tough stem end of the eggplants and slice the eggplants in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Spray the cut sides with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt, then place cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the skins with more cooking spray. Bake until the skins and insides are very tender, 25 to 35 minutes.
• While the eggplant is baking, toast the pine nuts in a large cast-iron or stainless steel skillet over medium heat until evenly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• In the same skillet without washing, add the grapeseed oil and saute the onions over medium heat until almost tender and caramelized, about 9 minutes; do not overcrowd the skillet or the onions will not caramelize properly. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and salt to taste during the cooking time. Add the anisette and increase the heat to medium high for 30 to 40 seconds, allowing it to flambe if you can do so safely (see Cook's Note). Reduce the heat back to medium and continue to cook until the onions are tender and caramelized, another 2 to 3 minutes.
• Salt the chopped tomatoes generously.
• To serve: On a large platter, arrange the eggplants cut-side up, then cover each half evenly and generously with the onion mixture, followed by the chopped tomatoes, mint, pine nuts, oregano and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle evenly with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and white pepper to taste. Serve warm with crusty bread and olive oil with crushed red pepper for dipping. Pair with a full-bodied red or white wine.

SARASOTA'S SO-CALLED CROCKPOT BEER BRATWURST & VEGGIES

Steps:

• Chop -- Simply cut the brats in 3 pieces each on a angle. Carrots, peel, again chop on a angle (I just like how it looks) in about 2" pieces. Onion, I use 2 large onions, rough chopped. Potatoes, small ones I leave whole, if they are large I will cut in half. Not too small or they get mushy.
• Crockpot -- Brats on the bottom with the carrots, then onions and topped with potatoes. Top all that with the sauerkraut.
• Sauce -- In a small bowl or measuring cup, add the butter and melt in the microwave for 10 seconds, remove and then add in the beer, mustard, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon black pepper and garlic. Pour over the brats and vegetables. Lay 3 springs of thyme right on top of the sauerkraut.
• Cook -- Crockpot - low 6-8 hours. My crock pot takes 7 hours, but every crockpot is different. You just want the potatoes and carrots to be tender. The brats will easily be done. Right at the end of cooking, check for seasoning. No salt was added, but the sauerkraut even though it was rinsed can be salty, so go easy. Besides you are serving a sauce with this dish which also has seasoning.
• Sauce -- This is a great compliment to this dish. You can always just serve it with some mustard, but I love this sauce served on each persons plate in a small side bowl for dipping or for pouring over the vegetables. It is similar to the consistency of gravy.
• Remove the cooking liquid to let it cool slightly before you add it to the sour cream so it does not break the sour cream. It will cool in just a few minutes. In a small bowl add the sour cream, horseradish, mustard, salt and pepper. It is a nice creamy spicy sauce to serve with the brats and vegetables. My Mom always adds more mustard to her portion, so just go by taste. I happen to love my horseradish sauce, so -- each person is unique in their own taste.

SARASOTA'S GREEK CHICKEN STEW

Steps:

• Chicken -- Take the chicken out of the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Season and rub the chicken well with salt and pepper. Then in a large baggie, add the flour and add the chicken (a couple of pieces at a time) and shake until lightly coated. Make sure to shake off as much possible. Set to the side.
• Sear -- In a large (non-stick which is what I prefer) pan, add the olive oil and bring to medium high heat. Sear the chicken on each side until lightly golden brown. You are not cooking it all the way through, just a light sear. Just a couple of minutes on each side is all it takes. Remove and let cool.
• Sauce -- As the chicken cooks, mix your sauce. In a large bowl, add the eggplant, mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Mix the broth and sherry (or wine) with the flour and stir well. Add the liquid to the bowl along with all the seasoning, Add a pinch of salt and pepper - you can always add more seasoning later, so go light and mix all the ingredients together.
• Crockpot -- Add the chicken to the bottom of the crockpot and top with the sauce. Don't mix once you add it to the crockpot. On top of the chicken and sauce - add the artichokes and capers. Don't mix the artichokes and capers inches.
• Cook -- Cover and cook on low heat for 6-7 hours. My crock pot takes 6 hours. We all know how different cooking times can be by using older vs. newer or round vs. oblong. Once the chicken is done, Mix everything together well and check for seasoning one last time. Pepper is usually the only seasoning I add. And now you can start your egg noodles.
• Serve -- I serve this family style and make sure to use a deep dish as the sauce is great. Add the butter noodles and top with the chicken breasts and eggplant sauce,.and garnish with fresh parsley. I love to cut each chicken breast in 2-3 pieces just so everyone can take what they want, but that is optional. A nice green salad or a tomato cucumber salad on the side goes great with this dish. ENJOY!

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN IN EGGPLANT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Add chicken; toss to coat. In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil in batches. Transfer to a 4-qt. slow cooker., Add wine to the skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in the eggplant, red peppers, onion, jalapeno, tomato paste, brown sugar and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer to a blender; cover and process until pureed. Pour over chicken., Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender, adding olives and parsley during the last 30 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve with naan.