fall food alert: if you like eggplant, make almodrote de berenjena
As an Eggplant Liker™️ I am always on the lookout for ways to consume this delicious vegetable (fruit, but we'll give it a pass). Most cookbooks seem to include a sub-optimal eggplant parmesan recipe* as a sop to the eggplant-inclined, but not many further options.
Enter The Jewish Cookbook (Leah Koenig). This book understands eggplant. Sixteen (16!!) different eggplant recipes in the index. I picked almodrote de berenjena/eggplant gratin because:
- eggplant
- cheese
- easy
And I was amply rewarded.
Cookbook plug: this cookbook. Calling anything the Jewish ___ is a bold claim—but imo this cookbook does its best to live up to that. Leah Koenig has put in work to make this a truly diaspora cookbook. Of course there's the Ashkenazi kugels and breads and "NY deli food", but there's also a wealth of Sephardi and Mizrahi recipes, and numerous recipes from Ethiopian and Indian Jewish communities.
Eggplant gratin recipe, from The Jewish Cookbook by Leah Koenig
Dating back to pre-Inquisition Spain, this Arabic eggplant (aubergine) and cheese casserole, called almodrote de berenjena, became a staple of the Spanish Jewish diet. It continues to be a presence on Sephardi tables today.
Serves: 6-8
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- 3 lb (1.35 kg) eggplant (aubergine; about 3 medium)
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 8 oz (225 g) feta cheese, crumbled
- 1½ cups (120 g) shredded mozzarella or Gruyère cheese
- ½ cup (70 g) dried breadcrumbs or matzo meal
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Vegetable oil, for greasing the pan
Preheat the broiler (grill) and set the rack in the lowest position. Line a large sheet pan with foil.
Prick the eggplants (aubergines) in several places with a fork and lay on the prepared sheet pan. Broil (grill), turning every 5-10 minutes, until the skins burst and the flesh is completely soft, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven, carefully slit the eggplants down the center, and place, slit side down, in a colander to cool and drain.
Once cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the skin and place the eggplant pulp in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher until a chunky paste forms. Add the beaten eggs, feta, 1 cup (80 g) of the mozzarella, the breadcrumbs, salt, and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C/Gas Mark 5). Grease a 9-inch (23 cm) square baking dish with oil.
Spoon the eggplant and cheese mixture into the baking dish and gently smooth the top, then sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup (40 g) mozzarella. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 35-45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.
* For the most delicious eggplantiest eggplant parmesan, put away that frying pan, put back the eggs and breadcrumbs or flour. The best eggplant parmesan in my not-at-all biased opinion is what I've been told is the Northern Italian way: roast those eggplant slices in the oven. You get delicious strong slightly-caramelized eggplant flavor, and your recipe is naturally egg- and gluten-free! Food allergy havers, rejoice! This recipe is the closest I've found to the way I was taught to make it.
