I chose this b/c it has eggplant and chickpeas - two of my favorites. The eggplants at the store look nice lately, so I thought it would be a good time for this.
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This cookbook is not about super-easy, open cans and throw everything in the slow-cooker. They seem to take a little preparation in the mornings - or most of them can be made ahead the night before and refrigerated. Each page has instructions in the sidebar for assembling the night before.
I started with two pretty eggplants.
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These had to be peeled and "sweated" in order to take any bitterness out. I did this early this morning and let them sweat while I was doing breakfast and getting the morning started. Following the instructions in the cookbook, I cubed the peeled eggplant, placed on paper towels, salted, and let it sit for an hour.
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When that was finished, I rinsed it and squeezed it dry on fresh paper towels.
Meanwhile, I chopped two onions in the food processor.
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Then I browned the eggplant in a skillet - using a non-stick skillet and much less oil than the recipe called for.
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The "browned" eggplant.
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Then I sauteed the onion, garlic, oregano, cumin seeds, salt, and pepper.
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Then added the chickpeas.
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Then I was ready to start layering. I did...tomato sauce, eggplant, chickpea mixture, etc. for several layers.
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Next, it was time for the tofu topping. I combined 1/2 cup shredded Parmeggiano-Reggiano, firm tofu (the regular grocery store kind), eggs, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a blender.
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That didn't work too well, so I switched to the food processor. That worked much better.
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Then I spread the topping on...
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The recipe called for a tea towel to be placed between the stoneware and the cover so that condensation wouldn't drip on the topping while it was cooking. I'd never done this before, and I was skeptical. But I did it, and it worked great!
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This is what the final product looked like after 8 hours. Very exciting to take the towel off when you couldn't watch it cooking for all that time.
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This got a big thumbs up! Wonderful flavors, and I loved the textures of the eggplant and chickpeas together. No bitterness at all, but I've never noticed that with eggplant, anyway. The tofu topping was wonderful - it cooked to a very bread-like consistency. This one was a little work, but it was really worth it. We're excited about left-overs tomorrow!
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