Recipe - Baked Eggplants And Peppers

2 Eggplants, 1 One half lbs, peeled
& minced
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 Onion, large, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dried basil
One half teaspoon Ground cumin
One fourth cup Wheat germ
Salt, to taste
Pepper, freshly ground to
taste
2 tablespoon Olive oil
3 Green bell peppers, cut in
1" squares
1 One half Cups minced plum tomatoes
3 tablespoon Unbleached flour
Three fourths cup Lowfat milk
1 One half Cups grated mozzarella
cheese
1 ds Cayenne pepper

These are from Vegetarian Celebrations by Nava Atlas and are more
generic Sephardic recipes that the author feels go well with latkes than
chanukah recipes per se. I haven't tried the eggplant, but I like the beans
& her version of Israeli Salad is pretty standard.

Eggplant and peppers, two wellloved vegetables in both the Eastern
European and Sephardic traditions, are combined in a delicious casserole.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place the minced eggplant in a colander & salt it. Let stand for 30 minutes,
then rinse thoroughly. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and
saute over moderate heat until it begins to turn golden. Add the eggplant
and just enough water to keep the bottom of the skillet moist. Cover &
cook, stirring frequently. When the eggplant is about half done, stir in
the basil & cumin. Cook until the eggplant is tender, adding small amounts
of water as needed while cooking to keep the skillet moist. Stir in the
wheat germ and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Oil a large, shallow baking dish & pat the eggplant mixture into it.

Rinse the skillet. Heat the additional oil. Add the peppers and saute over
high heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown. Lower the heat,
stir in the tomatoes, and saute for a minute or two, just until they begin
to soften. Slowly sprinkle in the flour, stirring just until it
disappears.Then, slowly stir in the milk and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle in
the cheese, a bit at a time, followed by the cayenne. Let the mixture
simmer until thickened and the cheese is completely melted. Pour over the
eggplant. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes,or until the top is golden brown and
bubbly. Let cool for 10 minutes, then scoop out sections with a spatula to
serve.
Posted to JEWISHFOOD digest V96 #79

Date: Sun, 17 Nov 96 10:24:07 CST

From: bgl@leass.PCC.COM (Barbara Leass)