EGGPLANT AND BLUEBERRIES

 

Eggplant and Blueberries

 

          While tomatoes may be considered the ultimate crop of August, eggplant and blueberries to me signify the bold success of nature in producing a uniquely tasty and intriguing fruit that is both healthy and colorful. Cookbooks consider eggplant a vegetable, but it really is a fruit that belongs to the botanical berry family.

          When nutritionists urge us to eat more colorful natural foods they tend to emphasize green, as well as red and yellow produce rich in vitamins and minerals. Both blueberries and eggplant belong to the fourth category, blue - due to a high level of anthocyanins rich in antioxidants and vitamins that provide a healthy diet.

          Living in Maine we are particularly lucky to have local wild blueberries this time of the year. A flat of them from Beth’s Farmers Market had me busy in the kitchen with a blueberry pie, jars of blueberry jam/syrup for the winter, a coffee cake for the freezer and my husband’s favorite blueberry pancakes. They were unbeatable as breakfast fresh fruit with milk.

                             Blueberry-Almond Coffeecake

          Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease well an 8 inch square baking dish. Have ½ cup butter at room temperature in a large bowl.

1)    Separate 2 egg whites in a small bowl and set the egg yolks aside. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer to soft peaks, stir in a scant ½ cup sugar and continue beating until egg whites form stiff peaks.

2)    Using the same beater, beat the butter in the large bowl until light and fluffy. Continue to beat in ½ cup sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. lemon extract and the 2 egg yolks. Remove beater and switch to a wooden spoon.

3)    In another bowl combine: 1 ½ cups flour, ¼ tsp. salt, 1 ½ tsp. baking powder.

4)    Now stir the flour into the butter mixture in alternate portions with 1/3 cup plus 1 tblsp. milk, starting and ending with flour. The batter will be thick.

5)    Toss 1 ½ cups fresh Maine blueberries with 1 tblsp. flour and carefully fold in the cake batter.

6)     Fold the whipped egg whites thoroughly in the batter and turn the batter in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with ½ cup slivered almonds and bake for 50 minutes.

7)    Cool in the pan and cut in squares to serve. Can be frozen.

Eggplant recipes abound from the Mediterranean region and many will tell you to peel and salt the eggplant slices to avoid bitterness, before cooking. Peeling and salting is not necessary with Japanese and lighter colored eggplant varieties. Many old and revered recipes entail frying eggplant slices, which unfortunately soak up a lot of oil, before using them in combination with other ingredients. This preparation can be significantly simplified and the caloric content reduced by broiling the eggplant slices before assembling the dish, since raw eggplant has only 20 calories per cup.

                   Greek Style Moussaka

This recipe is a much-simplified version of the original published by Craig Clairborne in his New York Times Cook Book.  The layer of potatoes were added after tasting a wonderful version of the dish in Crete. The potato and cheese modifications make this moussaka gluten free.

1)    Slice 2 firm thin skinned eggplants and 1 eight-inch zucchini in ½ inch slices. Layer slices on an oiled cookie sheet, lightly spray with oil, sprinkle with garlic salt and broil until browned, turn with a spatula and broil the other side. Remove from oven.

2)    Chop 2 large onions and cook the onions in 2 tblsp. butter until browned in a large pan about 10 minutes. Set aside.

3)    In the same pan brown 1 pound ground lamb or beef, drain the fat and return onions and meat to the pan. Over low heat stir in 2/3 cup red wine, 2 ½  tblsp. tomato paste, ½ tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and ½ cup chopped parsley. Cook on medium heat until most of the liquid is absorbed.

4)    Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with a baking spray. Peel and slice a large potato in ¼ inch slices and place in a layer in the pan. Spread a couple of tablespoons of meat sauce on top and layer slices of broiled eggplant and zucchini. Repeat another layer of sauce, vegetables and sauce. Cover completely with slices of aged Provolone cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Can be reheated.

We love summer blue skies, the blue of water shimmering in the dusk and the ‘bluebird of happiness’ has been acclaimed for years. Anthocyanin and antioxidants may be the nutritionist catchwords for ‘blue food’, but another synonym is ‘plain delicious’.

 (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)