Summer Week 11

Contents:
Eggplant
Heirloom Tomatoes, mixed variety
Sweet Peppers, mixed variety
Sweet Granny Smith Apples (Little Red Barn Orchard, Norman and Freedom Farms, Blanchard)
Lovera’s Caciocavallo Cheese

Today’s recipe comes from my favorite cookbook, called Cooking with Just 4 Ingredients and is my absolute favorite eggplant recipe. Technically, it combines 2 four ingredient recipes, but they are both easy.  It will be delicious with the Lovera’s cheese, make sure to get some crusty bread to dip in the extra cheese sauce. This is the cheese I mention a few weeks ago, and we made a trip to Krebs and got extra for you. Also, the multicolor heirloom tomatoes this week are gorgeous!  If you’re one of the lucky ones, you may have even gotten a striped green one!

Aubergines with Cheese Sauce
Large Eggplant (aka aubergines), cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 tbsp olive oil
3.5 cups of grated Caciocavello cheese
2.5 cups of savoury white sauce or bechamel (see below)

1. Layer the eggplant slices in bowl or colander, sprinkling each layer with salt, and leave to drain for at least 30 minutes. Rinse well, then pat dry.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then cook the eggplant slices until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350. Mix most of the grated cheese into the white sauce, reserving a little to sprinkle on top of the finished dish.
4. Arrange a layer of eggplant in an ovenproof dish, then pour over some sauce. Repeat, ending with sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake 35-40 minutes until golden.

White Sauce
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all purpose flour
freshly grated nutmeg

1. Warm the milk in a small pan. In a separate pan, melt the butter over a gentle heat, then add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until the mixture forms a thick paste.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and gradually add the warmed milk, whisking continuously until smooth.
3. Return the pan to a gentle heat and cook, whisking, until the sauce boils, is smooth and thickened. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and plenty of nutmeg.