Berenjena A La Veracruzana Mexican Eggplant In Sauce Recipes

SPANISH STUFFED EGGPLANT RECIPE (BERENJENAS RELLENAS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C)
• Wash the eggplants well and cut them in half lengthwise
• Put them on a baking sheet, skin side down and make crisscross cuts through the flesh
• Drizzle with lots of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until flesh is completely tender and easy to scoop out
• Take the eggplants out of the oven and let them rest for 15 minutes covered in aluminum foil while you prepare the filling (this ensures they're easy to scoop)
• Mince the garlic and dice the onion and pepper very small
• Saute the diced vegetables in hot olive oil while you scrape out the flesh of each eggplant and add it to the pan
• When the vegetables are starting to brown, add the ground meat (or the vegetarian mixture) and saute until cooked through
• Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat
• Let the mixture rest for a few minutes before filling the empty eggplant skins
• To fill the skins, first add a layer of tomato sauce to the empty skins before filling
• Fill each skin to the top, and cover in mozzarella cheese
• Put under the broiler until just browned on the top
• Enjoy your Spanish stuffed eggplants!

BACALAO GUISADO CON BERENJENA (STEWED CODFISH WITH EGGPLANT)

Steps:

• Soak cod overnight in covered container of cold water in fridge changing water 3 times OR boil for 10 minutes to remove excess salt
• Chop all veggies and set aside. Heat large skillet with olive oil. Sautee onions, garlic. Add peppers and eggplant. Add tomatoes. Add tomato paste and sauce. Add cod. Simmer until cod is tender and flaky.
• Use fork to break cod into smaller flakes. Serve with rice or with sweet or green plantains.

BERENJENAS EN ESCABECHE - MARINATED EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Trim the ends off the eggplant.
• Cut in in half lengthwise, and then lay it flat side down and cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices.
• Put the slices layer upon layer in a roasting pan.
• Salt each layer with coarse salt and let sit for 2 hours. (The salt draws out the bitterness and moisture from the eggplant.)
• After two hours, drain and rinse the eggplant.
• Put the eggplant, the vinegar and the water in a stock pot and bring to a boil.
• Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the eggplant until it takes on a translucent look, about 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl.
• When the eggplant has cooked through, drain off half of the vinegar/water and put the rest, along with the eggplant, in the bowl with the oil mixture. Mix well.
• Refrigerate until cold.

BERENJENA A LA VERACRUZANA - MEXICAN EGGPLANT IN SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the peel from the eggplant and cut into approximate 1/2 to 3/4 inch strips. Add them a handful at a time to a colander, salting them well between layers, until all of them are in the colander. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow them to "sweat" their bitterness out and lose liquid.
• While the eggplant is in the colander, make the sauce. In a large, heavy pot (I use my Le Creuset), heat the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until just translucent. Add the garlic and chiles, stir well, and sauté, stirring occasionally, for an additional 7-10 minutes until onion is soft.
• Add the tomatoes and stir well. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes and the liquids are reduced by about half.
• Rinse the salted eggplant and drain well.
• Add all the remaining ingredients (including eggplant) to the pot, stir well, and cover. Cook for 15-20 minutes until eggplant is well-cooked and the sauce is the consistency that you like (you may want to remove the cover for the last 5 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit). Remove bay leaves.
• Serve with polenta rounds or squares (or some other favorite method of prepared polenta), drizzled with a little crema. Enjoy!

SPANISH GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATO VINAIGRETTE RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Trim off any stems or blemishes on the skin of the eggplants. Cut eggplants crosswise into slices about 3/8-inch thick.
• Turn on broiler to heat. Place slices on a baking sheet and spray with oil, using a "mister" if you have one. If not, lightly brush each slice with olive oil .
• Place baking sheets under the broiler on the second shelf from the top, so that they are not too close, or they will burn.
• When one side is slightly browned and soft when you press lightly, turn slices over, apply olive oil and return to broiler. Depending on your broiler, the distance from the pan, it may take 20 to 25 minutes to cook. (You may find that slices that are directly under the broiler cook much faster than those at the far corners of the pan. Keep a close eye on the pans and rotate the slices on the cookie sheet.)
• Remove slices individually as they are done cooking and place on a large platter or serving plate. Don't be afraid to overlap slices on the serving plate. It works just fine for serving and will be more appetizing.
• While the eggplant is broiling, finely chop the tomatoes and place them into a medium size mixing bowl. Finely chop the green onions and put the garlic cloves through a press or mince them by hand and place in the bowl with tomatoes.
• Remove the capers from the jar with a slotted spoon, so that they drain.
• Chop the capers and mix into the bowl with other ingredients. Make sure that stems are removed from the basil leaves, then chop the basil and place in a bowl.
• Pour olive oil and vinegar into the bowl and mix with the other ingredients.
• Allow the eggplant to cool a few minutes. Then, spoon the tomato vinaigrette sauce over the eggplant.
• Serve immediately with sliced bread or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

SPANISH STUFFED EGGPLANT RECIPE (BERENJENAS RELLENAS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
• Wash the eggplants, dry them, and cut them lengthwise.
• Put the eggplant, skin down, on a baking sheet and cut the flesh.
• Add extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.
• Bake the eggplants for around 45 to 60 minutes, until the flesh is tender.
• Take the eggplants out of the oven and let them rest while you are preparing the filling.
• Dice the onion and mince the garlic.
• Heat up olive oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic.
• Scrape out the flesh of the eggplants and add it to the pan once the onions starting to brown.
• Add the ground meat, sea salt, and pepper to the vegetables and saute until cooked through.
• Let the filling rest for a few minutes while you add a layer of tomato sauce to the empty eggplant skins.
• Fill the eggplants skins with the filling and cover them with shredded mozzarella cheese
• Put the eggplants for around 10 minutes under the broiler until the mozzarella cheese browned.
• Enjoy your Spanish stuffed eggplant! (Tip: Serve with rice)

MEXICAN EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef and onion in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease. Sprinkle flour over the beef mixture and toss to coat. Stir tomato sauce, green bell pepper, oregano, and chili powder through the beef mixture.
• Season eggplant slices with salt and pepper; arrange over the beef mixture. Place a cover on the skillet and continue to simmer until the eggplant is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Top with Cheddar cheese to serve.