Saturday, May 22, 2010

Eggplant-Potato Casserole with Pine Nut Cream


This is a lasagna type recipe but with veggies instead of noodles. the Pine Nut cream on top is really great! Can't wait to have the left overs tomorrow. Its suppose to taste even better the next day.
Serves one really hungry person or about 6-8 regular appetite persons.

Vegetable layer
1 lb eggplant
1 lb zucchini
1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil

Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large shallots, sliced thin
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 (15oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 bay leaf

Pine Nut Cream
1 lb soft silken tofu
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic
Pinch of grated nutmeg
1 1/4 tsp salt
white pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Wash the eggplant and zucchini, and trim the stems. Scrub and peel the potatoes. Slice them into lengthwise strips about 1/4 inch thick. Place each vegetable on a separate baking sheet. Distribute the 1/4 cup of oil among the three sheets and sprinkle them with salt. Toss to coat the veggies. Spread out the veggies on each sheet. Roast the pans of zucchini and eggplant for 15 minutes and the potatoes for 25. Allow the veggies to cool.

Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and garlic in a large pan. Heat over medium and let the garlic sizzle for about 30 seconds. Add the shallots and cook until soft. Add the broth and simmer until slightly reduced. Add the tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon and bay leaf. Partially cover and simmer over medium low for 12 minutes.

In a food processor, blend the pine nuts and lemon juice until creamy paste forms. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.
Lightly oil a 9X13 pan. Spread 1/4 cup of sauce on the pan, then add a layer of eggplant, then potatoes then sauce. Layer the zucchini on top of this. Top with eggplant then potato then sauce. Use a rubber spatula to evenly spread the pine nut cream over the entire top layer.
Bake for 35 minutes. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

mmm mmm good!

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