Best Eggplant Ragout Recipes

ITALIAN EGGPLANT RAGOUT

Steps:

• Scoop out center and seeds of eggplant halves. Cut eggplants into 3/4 inch dice. Toss with salt in bowl and let it stand for at least 20 minutes. Drain off the fluid that collects, rinse well, and pat dry.
• Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and saute until softened (about 5 minutes.) Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, chickpeas, and eggplants. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes, or until eggplants are tender but not mushy.
• Stir in capers and sugar, and cook 2 minutes more. Fold in parsley, and season with black pepper.

TOMATO AND EGGPLANT RAGOUT

Steps:

• Place diced eggplant in colander. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt. Let stand 1 hour; rinse with cold water.
• In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook half of the eggplant in oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with another 1/4 cup olive oil and remaining eggplant.
• In same skillet, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook onions in oil about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds; add celery and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add cooked eggplant, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper; heat to a slow simmer. Cover; cook 20 minutes. Stir in parsley.

EGGPLANT STEAKS WITH PUMPKIN, TOMATO, AND MUSHROOM RAGOûT

Steps:

• Roast shallots, tomatoes, and pumpkin:
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Toss shallots and tomatoes with 3 tablespoons oil in a large roasting pan and season with salt. Roast until tomatoes are tender but not falling apart, about 25 minutes. Transfer tomatoes only to a large bowl.
• Add pumpkins with salt to taste to shallots, tossing to coat with oil in pan. Roast until pumpkins are just tender, about 30 minutes, then add vegetables to tomatoes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 200°F.
• Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners. Add water and 1/2 cup wine and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Reserve liquid.
• Cook soybeans while vegetables roast:
• Cook soybeans in boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 minute (3 minutes for lima beans), then drain. When cool enough to handle, shell soybeans, discarding pods.
• Prepare eggplant:
• Cut 2 (2-inch-thick) crosswise slices, or "steaks," from thickest part of each eggplant and season generously with salt and pepper. (Reserve remaining eggplant for another use.) Brown 3 eggplant steaks in 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, about 5 minutes on each side.
• Add 1/4 cup wine to skillet and simmer, covered, turning once, until eggplant is very tender and wine is absorbed, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a small roasting pan. (If wine is absorbed before eggplant is tender, add water, a few tablespoons at a time, and continue cooking until tender.) Repeat with remaining 3 eggplant steaks. Keep eggplant warm, uncovered, in oven.
• Make ragout:
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté mushrooms with garlic, rosemary, and salt to taste, stirring, until golden and any liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Stir in reserved deglazing liquid and simmer until mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Add roasted vegetables and soybeans and cook, stirring, until heated through. Stir in vinegar.
• Serve eggplant steaks topped with vegetable ragout.

BAKED CHICKEN WITH EGGPLANT, ZUCCHINI & TOMATO RAGOUT

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375'. Heat a large heavy skillet and add 3 tbsp of olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Sear the chicken in batches; cook skin side down for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then turn over and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and tip in the shallots, garlic, eggplants, and a few thyme and rosemary sprigs. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent, and the eggplants are starting to soften. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the zucchini, then pour in the wine and simmer until it has reduced by half. In the meantime, put an oiled large roasting pan in the oven to warm up. Stir the tomatoes through the vegetables and tip into the roasting pan. Place the seared chicken breasts on top and scatter in some more herb sprigs. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken, until firm and cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes before serving on warm plates, with plenty of crusty bread.

EGGPLANT RAGOUT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Wrap each eggplant in aluminum foil, place on a cookie tray and bake in the 400-degree oven for 1 hour, until the eggplants are very soft throughout.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. When it is hot, add the onions and saute them, covered, over low heat for about 4 minutes, until they are tender. Add the garlic and herbes de Provence, and cook 1 minute over medium heat. Stir in the wine, salt and pepper.
• Remove eggplants, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Add the pieces to the saucepan, mixing them in well. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and boil gently over low heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve immediately, or cool, refrigerate and serve cold.