Mama's Eggplant Roast

Yield: one 1 1/2 quart casserole

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, peeled, then cut in 3/4 inch cubes
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups soda cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Sliced processed cheese product (such as Velveeta)*
• Evaporated milk*

* Neither my mother’s recipe nor the one in An Apple A Day gave specific measurements for the cheese and evaporated milk.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray a 1 1/2 quart glass baking dish generously with no-stick cooking spray; set aside.
2. Place the eggplant cubes in a saucepan, add just enough water to cover the eggplant; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium, cover, and boil gently until the eggplant is tender. Transfer the eggplant to a colander to drain well.
3. Place the drained eggplant in a mixing bowl. (Do not mash). Stir in the eggs, onion, garlic, crumbs, poultry seasoning and salt.

To assemble the roast (so much easier to "show" than tell; but, I’ll do my best do describe the steps in words)

1. Spoon half of the eggplant mixture into the prepared pan, then spread it into an even layer.
2. Completely cover the eggplant mixture with a single layer of sliced cheese.
3. Spoon the remaining eggplant mixture randomly across the cheese, then carefully spread into an even layer, completely covering the cheese.
4. Completely cover the top layer of the eggplant mixture with a second single layer of sliced cheese.
5. Form a deep, narrow moat or trough all the way around the inner edge of the pan by slipping the edge of a spatula between the sides of the pan and the eggplant/cheese layers, then pushing the layers gently towards the center, creating a 1/4- to 1/2-inch moat.
6. Pour evaporated milk into the moat all the way around the inner edge of the pan until the level of the milk is slightly below that of the top cheese layer.

To bake the roast

1. Bake the roast in the preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes or until the roast feels somewhat firm and the cheese is browned on the top. (If the cheese begins to brown too quickly, cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil).
2. Serve hot.

Attribution

Recipe adapted from my vintage (circa 1960’s) An Apple A Day cookbook and my mother, Effie R., by LuAnn Bermeo, a.k.a. "Tofu Queen."