Slow Cooked Summer Tomato And Eggplant Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Cut eggplant into 1/2-in.-thick slices. Sprinkle with salt. Place in a deep dish; cover and let stand for 30 minutes. , Rinse with cold water; drain and dry on paper towels. In a 2-qt. saucepan, heat oil over medium heat Add the tomatoes, garlic, basil and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. , Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm while preparing eggplant. In a large skillet, heat about 1/4 cup oil; brown eggplant, a quarter at a time, adding more oil as needed. Place on a serving platter one row at a time. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, mix all ingredients except pasta and cheese.
• Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 hours or until eggplant is soft and sauce is thick.
• About 15 minutes before serving, cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Toss pasta with eggplant and tomato sauce. Garnish individual servings with cheese.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart rectangular or oval baking dish.
• Combine the vegetables in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil, chopped rosemary and thyme leaves and toss gently.
• Arrange the vegetables in rows in the baking dish in this order: tomato slice, eggplant slice, tomato slice, squash slice, onion slice, tomato slice, eggplant slice, tomato slice, etc. Each slice of eggplant should have a tomato slice on either side. The vegetables should not be lying flat; they should be arranged in the dish as if you had stacked them, then lay the whole stack in the dish, all of the rounds slanting slightly to one side. Insert the herb sprigs into the dish. Pour any juice left in the bowl on top. Cover tightly with foil.
• Place in the oven and bake 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 30 minutes, until the vegetables are thoroughly tender and lightly colored on the edges.

Steps:

• Prepare the tomatoes for sauce. Trim and peel the eggplants. Cut them lengthwise in 3/4-inch wide slices, stack the slices and cut them into 3/4-inch wide strips, then chop into 3/4-inch chunks. Following the procedures for "Initial Sauté" in the main recipe, stir together the oil, the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the saucepan. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes, add the garlic and let it caramelize it in a "hot spot," then stir in a couple tablespoons of water and cook the onions and garlic together for a minute or two. Now pour the eggplant pieces into the pan, sprinkle on 1 teaspoon salt, and turn to coat the pieces with the oil and sautéed onion and garlic. Cook over low-medium heat, uncovered, stirring and turning the eggplant frequently. If the pan gets dry and the pieces start to brown, stir in several spoons of water; lower the heat if needed. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until the eggplant chunks are very soft, almost mushy, but still retain their shape. Pour in the prepared tomatoes and juices, rinse the tomato bowl with 2 or 3 cups water and pour it into the pan (the eggplant needs the additional liquid). Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, the peperoncino and stir to blend everything together. Submerge the basil branches in the sauce, cover the pan and raise the heat to medium. When the sauce reaches the boil, lower the heat to keep an active simmer and cook, covered, for 40 minutes or so. The eggplant should now be broken down and melting into the tomatoes. Uncover the pan and let the sauce bubble gently and gradually reduce. Stir carefully as it thickens, to make sure the eggplant doesn't stick to the pan bottom, lower the heat if necessary. Cook uncovered for a total of 45 minutes to an hour, until the sauce has the consistency you like, then turn off the heat. Pull out the basil before using, and store as in the main recipe.

Steps:

• Fresh Tomato Sauce: Heat oil in a medium straight-sided skillet over medium. Add garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomato pieces with a wooden spoon, until tomatoes are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Pass through the medium disk of a food mill. Sauce can be allowed to cool completely, then refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days. (Makes about 2 1/2 cups.)
• Involtini: Trim and cut eggplants length-wise into 1/4-to-1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack; season both sides with salt. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F. Place currants in a small heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 10 minutes, then drain. Finely chop half of mozzarella and place in a bowl with currants, ricotta, feta, pine nuts, cinnamon, oregano, parsley, breadcrumbs, and egg. Season with salt and pepper; stir to combine.
• Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Pat eggplant slices dry with paper towels and brush both sides of each evenly with olive oil. Brush grates with vegetable oil and grill eggplant slices, turning occasionally, until charred in places and tender, about 3 minutes a side.
• Transfer to a plate, piling slices on top of one another so that they continue to steam and soften. Let cool 15 minutes. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons filling at one short end of an eggplant slice. Roll up tightly to secure in a cigar shape. Repeat with remaining filling and eggplant slices.
• Spread tomato sauce evenly in the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch gratin dish or 9-inch square baking dish. Arrange eggplant rolls snugly in an even layer, seam-sides down. Thinly slice remaining mozzarella and arrange over top.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper. Bake until cheese has melted and eggplant is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then garnish with basil and serve with bread.

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add sausages and cook, turning occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until evenly browned. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel.
• Add onion, garlic and eggplant to pan. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until eggplant is golden. Stir in chilli and tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.
• Add stock and bring to the boil. Spoon eggplant mixture into slow cooker. Add sausages. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours.
• Stir in parsley. Season with pepper. Serve with steamed vegetables and crusty bread, if desired.