Yes, it’s that time of year when we vow to make healthy eating choices. Start here, with a simple, wholesome vegetarian supper, just eggplant, zucchini and tomato with a little feta stirred in, quick to make and full of flavor. Weight Watchers, make this a year-round staple: an entrée serving adds up to just 2 points (Old Points) or 3 points (PointsPlus).
Many thanks to reader Lou Grubaugh who forwarded this recipe last fall, calling it an “oldie but goodie”.
The Oldie? The source is a 25-year old 1987 Sunset Recipe Annual where the headnotes read, “Alone, eggplant is unassertive, but in the proper company, this retiring vegetable grows bold.”
The Goodie? Mediterranean Eggplant has many of the same ingredients as Ratatouille and Caponata yet turns out an entirely different dish, the way a poached egg is nothing like a scrambled egg and a hot dog is a fur cry from a pork chop.
Twenty-five years from now, let’s hope that people will still be sharing this recipe. That would make a Really Old Oldie and a Really Good Goodie.
For a creamy sauce, stir in the feta cheese with the tomatoes. But for bright bursts of sharp feta, stir it in just before serving so the crumbles won’t completely melt. Stir gently so not to break up the vegetable pieces too much, you don’t want Mediterranean Mush.
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MEDITERRANEAN EGGPLANT
Time to table: 45 minutes
Makes 5 cups
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, cut in large pieces
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 globe eggplant, about 1 pound, cut in one-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon dry basil
- 1 zucchini, about 1/2 pound, cut in thick half moons
- 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes (see TIPS)
- 3/4 cup (2.5oz/70g) feta cheese, crumbled
- Salt & pepper to taste
In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil until shimmery on medium heat. Add onion and garlic, stir to coat with fat, then cook until onion begins to turn color, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in eggplant and basil. Cover and cook until eggplant begins to turn color, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in zucchini and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until eggplant and zucchini are almost completely cooked, stirring occasionally.
Stir in tomato and heat through. Just before serving (see TIPS), stir in feta and season to taste.
Serve hot as a side dish or as a vegetarian main dish with Oven-Baked Brown Rice or Garlicky Polenta.
This recipe has been 'Alanna-sized' with reductions in fat and increases in crunch and nutrition from extra vegetables.This Week, Years Past 2002 - 2011
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I was reading one of your other recipes - one for a parsnip soup - where you said, "I've long been a seasonal cook: no tomatoes in February, no parsnips in August, no asparagus in November." Where do you get eggplants and zucchini this time of year in St. Louis?
Seasonal eating, to me anyway, also means adapting to the seasons. In winter that means focusing on what's available, what is somehow right for the season (here, a light, healthy dish after the holidays) as much as, maybe more than, what's "local".
Thanks for the chance to think on this for a bit. What is your OWN thought?
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna