Elsies Eggplant Dirty Rice Recipes

DIRTY RICE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, ground beef and chicken livers and cook, breaking the meat into small bits with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the Dutch oven. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery and cook down, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the rice, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and cook about 30 seconds. Stir the cooked meat back in, then add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover. Cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid, about 18 minutes.
• Remove from the heat. Remove and discard the bay leaves, stir in the scallions and season.

EGGPLANT AND VEGETABLE RICE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Lightly coat the bottom of a large ovenproof pot with olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the eggplant and onions, season with salt, cover and cook, stirring or shaking the pot often, until the vegetables are tender, 6 to 7 minutes. If the vegetables stick to the pot, drizzle in more olive oil, as needed to loosen.
• Add the garlic, oregano, smoked paprika and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and frozen vegetables and cook, stirring often, until the rice is lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes until well combined. Stir in the frozen vegetables and season with salt. Ladle in enough stock to cover, then add about another 3/4 inch on top (amount will vary, depending on the size of your pot). Stir just to combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Taste and add more salt, if necessary.
• Cover the pot and bake until all the liquid is absorbed into the rice, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and fluff the rice using a long fork (such as one used to hold a roast while carving). Be gentle so as not to mush the eggplant.
• Place the pot back in the oven until the vegetables are warmed through, 4 to 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Garnish with chopped basil and drizzle olive oil over the top. Serve immediately.

ELSIE'S EGGPLANT DIRTY RICE

Steps:

• 1. Start rice cooking in a small sauce pan.
• 2. While the rice is cooking, on medium to medium high temperature, in a medium sized (10-12") cast iron skillet place oil. When the oil is heated (not smoking), add chopped onion and saute. After the onions are slightly cooked, reduce heat to medium and add ground beef (or turkey) to cook. Do not over-stir.
• 3. ** Peeling the eggplant is optional. Since posting this recipe, I often leave the peeling on the eggplant for extra fiber/nutrition. Chop the eggplant into approximately 1/2" size pieces and add to meat when it is about three-fourths of the way cooked. Cover mixture and let it continue cooking on medium heat until the eggplant is tender. Again, do not over-stir.
• 4. When the rice is cooked, stir in approximately 2 cups of the cooked rice to the eggplant and meat mixture. Add chopped/crushed garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cover and continue cooking on LOW heat for approximately 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

RICE WITH EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions, the garlic and the eggplant. Cook briefly, stirring, until wilted.
• Add the rice and stir to blend. Add the bay leaf, the water and the pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring, cover tightly and simmer for 17 minutes.
• Uncover, remove the bay leaf and stir with a fork to fluff.

TEETA'S EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) DIRTY RICE

Steps:

• Peel and cube eggplant, boil 10 minutes and drain.
• Melt butter in heavy large dutch oven.
• Saute onion, garlic, celery, peppers until soft, add ground meat and cook until meat is done.
• Add eggplant to meat mixture and mash.
• Cook meat/eggplant mixture an additional 15-20 minutes.
• Add salt and peppers (adjust for taste) Then fold in rice and green onions in meat mixture.
• Turn off heat and let steam for 30 minutes.
• Fold in parsley just before serving.

EGGPLANT RICE DRESSING- CAJUN

Steps:

• Brown ground meat and drain well. Rinse with water if desired. Reduce heat and add eggplant, onions, bell peppers, garlic and green onions. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the broth and just a little water if needed so that it almost covers the mixture. Stir in seasoning and bring mixture to a boil. Simmer stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes or until it has reached a desirable consistency. I like to have some liquid left in the bottom when I add the rice.
• Stir in cooked rice until well mixed and the remaining liquid has absorbed into the rice as much as you want. Serve hot as a side dish or a main dish.
• Note: For those who like lots of heat this is great served with tabasco or other hot sauce or even a sauce piquant! Ces' si bon!

EGGPLANT DIRTY RICE DRESSING

Steps:

• 1. Soak cut eggplant in salt water for 10 minutes (this will keep eggplant from turning dark).
• 2. Put oil in bottom of heavy bottomed pot. Saute onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic in oil until the vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add Ground Round and cook until meat begins to brown.
• 3. Drain eggplant, and add to meat mixture. Smother down covered until eggplant is well cooked. (Eggplant will be completely mashed up when done). Stir often and scrape the bottom of pot with your spoon to lift off any that may be starting to stick. Add 1 teaspoon of Louisiana Hot sauce Taste, adjust seasoning to your taste. Stir in Chopped green onions and parsley. Cook for only a few minutes longer. Remove from heat.
• 4. Add the cooked rice, stir to mix completely. Serve hot. Note: at anytime if the mixture becomes to dry to finish cooking the eggplant down, then add a small amount of water.