From my kitchen, Agnes

*Editor’s Note: The following is an article from last year.*

It seems that most garners are over run with eggplants and okra. Hope that the following eggplant recipes will be of some help. I will address ‘okra’ next week. Take care and remember, I’ll be seeing you around…Agnes

Printing correction from last week: Plain Cream Sauce

Type Milk Flour Fat

Thin 1 cup 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon

Medium 1 cup 2 tablespoons 2 tablespoon

Thick 1 cup 3 tablespoon 3 tablespoon

Melt fat (I normally use butter or oil.) in a small heavy saucepan and whisk in flour. Stir or whisk in milk and cook over low heat until it is the desired thickness.

From my kitchen, Agnes

Eggplant Casserole: 1 large eggplant peeled and cubed. Cook eggplant and 1 small chopped onion in a small amount of water until soft. Drain reserving liquid. Crumble 8 saltine crackers and pour the cooking liquid over. Beat 2 eggs and 1 can of condensed mushroom soup, stir in the cracker mixture and eggplant/onion. Season with salt and pepper. Grate 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese. Using a buttered casserole layer ½ the eggplant mixture and ½ of the cheese. Repeat. Bake at 350 degrees until done (dish will be almost set in center).

Fried Eggplant: 1 medium eggplant peeled and sliced in ¼ inch slices crosswise Sprinkle with a little salt and let sit for about 15 minutes to draw out some of the water and any bitterness. Mix 1 cup fine ground corn meal with ½ cup cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Heat shortening. Roll eggplant slices in the meal mixture and drop in the hot shortening. Let brown and turn. When the eggplant is brown immediately remove from the hot shortening and drain. (Eggplant can also be cut is strips like French Fries, dusted with flour, salt, and pepper, fried.)

Mock Oyster Stew: (The late Mrs. Annie Hutto gave me this recipe.) Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add 1 tablespoon minced onion, 1 tablespoon minced celery and one eggplant, peeled and cubed. Cook until vegetables are almost done. Add 2 cups half and half and 2 cups milk. Heat to very hot, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot in a bowl with crackers and a little red pepper.

Italian Eggplant:

1 cup olive oil

1 large eggplant or 2 small, peeled and cut in ½ inch slices

1 ¼ cups spaghetti sauce

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

½ pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large, heavy skillet, heat oil and fry eggplant until lightly browned. Drain. In a flat casserole, arrange 1 layer of the fried eggplant. Cover with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and top with a layer of mozzarella. Repeat procedure until all the eggplant is used, ending with a layer of mozzarella. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot as is or over pasta.

Eggplant Sandwich: Peel and slice one eggplant. Sprinkle with salt and let it set in a colander for 30 minutes to drain. Coat in a little seasoned flour. Dip in a mixture of 1 egg beaten with ½ cup of milk. Remove and coat in the seasoned flour or some seasoned bread crumbs. Fry in about ½ inch of hot oil in a heavy skillet. Turn once. Set aside to drain. To assemble the sandwich:

Spread bread with a mixture of ½ cup real mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon catsup, and 1 tablespoon mustard. Layer eggplant slices on one slice of bread. Top with a very thin slice of sweet onion, thin slices of ripe tomato, and lettuce. Top with another slice of bread. If you like bacon and or cheese can be added to sandwich. Cut in half and serve.

Eggplant Spaghetti

1 large or 2 small eggplants – peeled and diced in very small cubes

1 small onion, coarsely grated

Put 2 tablespoon if oil and 1 tablespoon butter in skillet, heat and add eggplant and onion. Cook until done. (If you want to add meat stir in ½ pound ground beef, deer, or sausage and cook along with the eggplant and onion.) Stir in 2 to 3 cups spaghetti sauce and let simmer for 10 minutes. Cook 8 ounces spaghetti pasta according to package directions, drain, and toss with sauce. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan, garlic bread and green salad. (You can use a Spaghetti Squash instead of pasta.

Biscuit Bread Pudding Recipe from Capper’s Farmer

Test out this biscuit bread pudding dessert and watch it quickly disappear and become the new family favorite. This can be a great dessert in the fall when the air is cool or served around the holidays. It is the best plain bread pudding I have tasted.

Ingredients:

12 frozen buttermilk biscuits (Bake biscuits up to two days before preparing the pudding. After they have cooled, store in a sealed food-storage plastic bag at room temperature. )

8 eggs

4-1/2 cups milk

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup raisins

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

Caramel topping, warmed, optional

Instructions: Heat oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, Cut biscuits into 1-inch cubes, set aside, and generously spray 12 (10-oz.) custard cups or 12 (4-1/2-by-1-1/4-inch) disposable foil tart pans with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and vanilla; mix well. Add biscuit to egg mixture; mix well. Let stand for 5 minutes. Divide mixture evenly among custard cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until set. With a knife or a metal spatula, loosen edges around cups; slide onto dessert plates. Drizzle with warm topping, if desired.

Recipe for Laughter:

God’s plan for aging: Most seniors never get enough exercise. In His Wisdom God decreed that seniors become forgetful so they would have to search for their glasses, keys and other things thus doing more walking. And God looked down and saw — that it was good.

Then God saw there was another need. In His Wisdom He made seniors lose coordination so they would drop things requiring them to bend, reach & stretch.  And God looked down and — saw that it was good. Then God considered the function of bladders and decided seniors would have additional calls of nature requiring more trips to the bathroom, thus providing more exercise. God looked down and saw — that it was good. So if you find as you age, you are getting up and down more, remember it is God’s will. It is all in your best interest even though you mutter under your breath.