Eggplant grilled in marsla wine
Equipment
- Baking pan, grill press
Ingredients
- 1 Globe Eggplant
- 1 Cup Marsala cooking wine
- 6 Cloves Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- 6 Tbsp Salt To marinade eggplant. Will be rinsed off.
- 4 Sprigs Rosemary
Olive medley topping
- 4 Mandarin oranges
- 3 Tbsp Chopped rosemary leaves
- 3 Tbsp Basil chiffonade
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Marsala wine Use pan juices from braised eggplant
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Kalamata olives
- 1/8 Tsp Coarse black pepper
Instructions
- If this is an organic eggplant, there is no need to peel. There is a lot of flavor and vitamins in the peel. I recommend peeling a non organic eggplant.
- Wash eggplant. Cut to remove stem. Slice in half lengthwise to make 2 or 3 1" steaks. Slice off rounded sides and save for later use.
- Dampen the eggplant steaks then coat each side liberally with salt. Set aside to marinade for at least 20 minutes.
- Rinse salt from eggplant and place steaks on a cutting board or baking dish.
- Place grill press directly over heat until it is very hot. Spray lightly with cooking spray and place on eggplant steaks. Press down and hold for about 4 minutes. Flip and repeat on other side.Note. Sometimes I change the direction of the grill press on the same side to put cross hatched grill marks.
- Place eggplant in a baking dish that is deeper than the eggplant width. Pour Marsala wine over eggplant. The eggplant should be submerged at least halfway up the sides of the steaks.
- Top eggplant with minced garlic, rosemary sprigs, salt and pepper.
- Bake 25 minutes at 350°F. Flip steaks and continue baking for 20 more minutes. Use a little leftover marsala braising liquid on the olive medley.
- Place on plates and top with olive medley. Olive medley can be made up to 1 hours in advance.
Olive Medley topping
- Peel and segment the mandarin oranges. Remove any seeds. Cut each segment into 3 or 4 pieces.
- Chop Kalamata olives and rosemary.
- Layer and roll basil leaves then slice into thin 1/8" slices.
- Mince garlic clove ( may use minced garlic)
- Toss ingredients in braising liquid and add black pepper. Use salt as desired.
Notes
This is a SnapPea Sheep recipe.
This is delicious served on a pasta primavera.
Green beans and polenta is another great side combination. Love it or hate it, eggplant is a very diversified vegetable. Find the right recipe and cooking method, it could easily become your favorite food. The cooking method and ripeness of the eggplant can make a huge difference in the final dish.
Eggplant is sometimes very bitter. Chose one with an even skin with no brown or soft spots. Under ripe or over ripe eggplant can be toxic. See my article on toxic plants and my article on nightshade plants.
Slice eggplant and sprinkle liberally with salt for about 30 minutes to bring out the bitterness. Rinse, then use in your recipe. If you plan to fry the eggplant, it pays to soak the eggplant in salt water to prevent the eggplant from soaking up any oil.
This eggplant is grilled in a grill press then braised in marsala wine and garlic. These steaks are topped with a relish of mandarin oranges, garlic, kalamata olives and fresh rosemary and basil with a splash of marsala wine. This relish brings out a sweetness to the eggplant that is amazing.
