Slow Cooked Greek Eggplant

We’ve been away from the kitchen for two months now…first with vacationing and then with the “challenges” of beginning the transition into retirement next summer. Who knew that it is virtually impossible to buy a retirement home while still working??? Anyway, there finally appears to be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and this time its not a Mortgage Regulation Freight Train! But more on that as the tale develops.

And if anyone’s interested in purchasing our current home — a 250 year old Pennsylvania Farm House — here is a link to the site: http://historicravenoak.com/

AND NOW, BACK TO COOKING!!!

No one has been complaining that this has been an unseasonably cool summer. September has been cooler than usual too, and now that it’s just a couple of days from the fall equinox, the temperatures have been dipping into the upper forties at night. This week we’ve had to harvest the last of the basil, and don’t want any of it to go to waste. Fortunately, because we were away over much of the summer a great friend has been keeping us in tomatoes, and we have several pounds of a gorgeous Juliet variety on hand. Last week we made an oven roasted marinara sauce, so this week we are trying something with a Greek flavor. This is a one-dish meal and cooks itself without any real effort once it goes into the oven. Prep time is only about 15 minutes so you’ll have time to do something else while dinner cooks and the aroma fills your home. ~ Glyn

4 cups eggplant, diced (1/2 medium)
1 cup diced onions
3 tbsp. minced garlic
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen peas
1.25 lbs small fresh tomatoes 1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Procedure
1 place 2 tbsp oil in bottom of heavy, lidded casserole
2 add the quartered tomatoes
3 top evenly with the onion, garlic and 1/2 the mushroom slices
4 add 1/2 the basil leaves
5 season with 1/2 the salt and 1/2 the crushed red pepper flakes
6 add the eggplant, peas, and remaining mushrooms and basil
7 season with the oregano, dill, and remaining salt and crushed red pepper flakes
8 drizzle the remaining olive oil evenly over the top
9 cover and bake for two hours, stirring occasionally if desired
10 serve with rice or over polenta

Servings: 4
Oven Temperature: 325°F
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Inactive Time:
Total Time: 4 hours and 15 minutes
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/4 of a recipe (13.5 ounces).