Beef
and Eggplant Loaf
Before
you start gaging, eggplant is "good", when prepared right!
You
probably haven't had it prepared properly, if you think
otherwise!
Just try this once, then decide. Give it a chance!
The
cooking time is mostly unattended, so don't let the long
estimate
deter you from creating this excellent terrine!
Prep
time: 10 minutes
Cooking
time: 2 hour 45 minutes
Serves
6 to 8
Ingredients:
| 1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb.) | 1/2 tsp pepper |
| 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (seasoned is ok) | 1 lb. ground round (85% lean) |
| 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh or prepared) | 1 lb. lean ground lamb |
| 1/3 cup dry red wine (and another 2 cups for the cook!) | 1 (4-oz.) jar roasted red peppers, drained and rinsed. |
| 2 eggs | 2 tspn Italian seasoning |
| 2 tspn salt | Another 2 cups red wine for the cook! |
Preparation:
| 1. Preheat the oven to 475. Place the eggplant on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake it, turning it once, until it is very tender and the skin is darkened (about 45 minutes) then let it cool. Cut it in half, length-wise, and scoop out the insides and coarsely chop, discard the skin. |
| 2.
In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, grated cheese, 1/3 cup wine,
eggs, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Blend the mixture well
and add the chopped eggplant, ground round and ground lamb. Knead
with
your hands until the mixture is well blended. |
| 3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and transfer half of the meat/eggplant mixture to a lightly-oiled loaf pan (9x5x3-inches - aprox. - if you don't have that size, don't worry just go with the Flo!) Arrange the roasted peppers in a single layer over the meat mixture and cover it with the remaining meat mixture. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place it on a baking sheet. |
| 4. Bake about 2 hours (if you have a meat thermometer, insert it in the center of the loaf (through the foil) and it should read 160 degrees. Now let it cool. |
| 5.
Pour off the juices (save them in a sealed container if you want to offer
a sauce, which you will then use to
make a *roux and simmer for 5 minutes) unmold it (turn it up-side-down onto a plate, then turn it up-side-down onto another plate - it is now right-side-up: "unmolded"). If you want to serve it warm, it's ready, but I recommend you wrap it tightly in aluminum foil and refrigerate it at least 4 hours (overnight, if possible) for the flavors to marry. After refrigeration, reheat it (250 degrees for about 40 minutes) or serve it cold - it's great this way, too. Cut it into slices and serve. |
As
a side dish, you may want to serve scalloped potatoes
or
potatoes of your choice or a flavored rice. I like to serve
broccoli
with cheese sauce with this. For the cheese sauce,
you
can do it from scratch or, for the novice, use "Cheese-Wiz"
from
the jar (1/4 cup), add a little (2 tsp) low-fat milk and
bring
it to a simmer, sitrring constantly so it does NOT boil.
Adjust
the amount of Cheese-Wiz as needed to the
consistency
you want. Keep in mind that it will thicken
as
it cools. I do not recommend using the Jalipeno Cheese-Wiz
because
the spicyness will overpower your main course.
*roux
[ROO]
A
mixture of flour and fat that, after being slowly cooked
over
low heat, is used to thicken mixtures such as soups and
sauces.
There are three classic roux — white, blond and brown.
The
color and flavor is determined by the length of time the
mixture
is cooked. Both white roux and blond roux are made
with
butter. The former is cooked just until it begins to turn
beige
and the latter until pale golden. Both are used to thicken
cream
and white sauces and light soups. The fuller-flavored
brown
roux can be made with butter, drippings or pork or
beef
fat. It's cooked to a deep golden brown and used for
rich,
dark soups and sauces. CAJUN and CREOLE dishes
use
a lard-based roux, which is cooked (sometimes for
almost
an hour) until a beautiful mahogany brown. This dark
nutty-flavored
base is indispensable for specialties like GUMBO.
Coming Soon:
| The Idiot's Guide to Preparing "Killer Chinese Food" NOW UP | The Idiot's Guide to Preparing "Knock-out Vegie Plates" |
| The Idiot's Guide to Preparing "To-Die-For" Hors d'oeuvres | The Idiot's Guide to Preparing "Suptuous Last-Minute Deserts" |
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