Eggplant Tomato And Ramps Sauce Woods Gramercy Recipes

EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND RAMPS SAUCE (WOODS GRAMERCY)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. With fork, prick eggplant in several places to keep it from bursting; place it on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Let roast until it is thoroughly soft and skin is brown and shriveled, about 20 minutes. (Roasting the eggplant over a charcoal fire will lend a very pleasant smoky aroma to the finished sauce.) When cool enough to handle, peel eggplant, discard skin and chop flesh into rough chunks about 1/2 inch square.
• While eggplant is roasting, bring a pan of water to a rolling boil. Dip each tomato in boiling water for 15 seconds to loosen skin. Peel tomatoes, cut in half and squeeze out seeds. Finely chop tomato flesh and set aside.
• Add olive oil to skillet. Over medium heat, saute chopped ramps in the oil until softened. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In remaining oil, over medium-high heat, saute chopped eggplant, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, until it starts to brown.
• Add reserved ramps, chopped tomatoes, thyme and basil. Toss to mix well. Add white wine. Saute over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has amalgamated. Season with salt and pepper.
• When sauce is done, set aside but do not refrigerate. Just before serving, it may be reheated very briefly. Serve with grilled swordfish or halibut steaks or with fillets of snapper or tilefish. Garnish the sauce, if desired, with more fresh herbs, finely minced.

EGGPLANT AND TOMATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Roast the eggplant.
• Meanwhile, to make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy, preferably nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about a minute, and add the tomatoes, salt (1/2 to 1 teaspoon), pepper, sugar, and basil sprigs. Turn the heat up to medium-high and when the tomatoes are bubbling, stir well and turn the heat back to medium. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and are beginning to stick to the pan, about 25 minutes. Remove the basil sprigs, wiping any sauce that adheres to them back into the sauce.
• Put the sauce through the fine blade of a food mill if you have not peeled the tomatoes. Otherwise pulse in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until coarsely pureed. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Set aside 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and mix with the breadcrumbs. Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish with olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce over the bottom of the dish. Slice the roasted eggplant about 1/4 inch thick and set an even layer of the slices over the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon a layer of sauce over the eggplant and sprinkle with basil and Parmesan. Repeat the layers one or two more times, depending on the shape of your dish and the size of your eggplant slices, ending with a layer of sauce topped with the Parmesan/breadcrumb mixture you set aside. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbling and browned on the top and edges. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.

EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut eggplant into 1/2-in.-thick slices. Sprinkle with salt. Place in a deep dish; cover and let stand for 30 minutes. , Rinse with cold water; drain and dry on paper towels. In a 2-qt. saucepan, heat oil over medium heat Add the tomatoes, garlic, basil and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. , Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm while preparing eggplant. In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 cup oil; brown eggplant, a quarter at a time, adding more oil as needed. Place on a serving platter one row at a time. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Serve warm.

MAUREEN ABOOD'S EGGPLANT WITH LAMB, TOMATO AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Heat broiler and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment.
• Brush both sides of eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Arrange slices on prepared baking sheet and broil in batches until they are deep mahogany brown, turning once halfway through, 5 to 7 minutes per side.
• Adjust the oven to 375 degrees with rack positioned in the center.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, but not browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground lamb or beef, stirring frequently and breaking up meat into very small pieces with the side of a metal spoon. Season with remaining teaspoon salt, cinnamon and pepper. Sauté until meat is just cooked through. Taste and add more salt or pepper, or both, as needed.
• In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add pine nuts and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir nuts to coat them with butter and continue stirring constantly until nuts are golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Keep a close watch over the nuts; they can burn quickly once they begin to brown. Transfer nuts to a bowl while still warm and salt them lightly.
• Coat a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish. Lay 1/3 of the eggplant slices in a single layer over the sauce, covering as much surface area of the bottom of the dish as possible. Spoon half the meat evenly over eggplant. Pour 1/3 of the remaining tomato sauce evenly over meat. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the pine nuts. Layer again with eggplant, meat, tomato sauce and pine nuts. Finish with a layer of eggplant and cover with more tomato sauce, sprinkling top with pine nuts.
• Pour 1 cup warm water around the perimeter of the baking dish. (Sauce will thicken as it bakes.) Cover pan with foil and bake for 90 minutes. Remove foil and top eggplant evenly with mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes longer, uncovered, or until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Serve eggplant warm, over rice.