Eggplant Walnut Streusel
Have you had the specialty eggplant slice at Gino’s Pizzeria in Howard Beach? My lord, it is good! The eggplant is thin and perfectly tender. It’s presented on a crispy grandma slice with fresh mozzarella, and basil, drizzled with olive oil.
Aubergine isn’t easy. So many things can go awry—bitterness; undercooked equals strange consistency; overcook and it’s a mush mess; oil soaked causes a stomach ache. Then there’s the tough skin, and choking hazard problem.
Gretel eggplant has a lovely sweet, and nutty taste.
This season in my vegetable garden, I planted white gretel eggplant! This variety is narrow and long. The skin is thinner than our common globe eggplant. This means it’s easier to prepare. Eat them young or fully mature. The younger the eggplant, the fewer the seeds. Gretel eggplant has a lovely sweet and nutty taste.
The delicious Gino’s slice got me thinking… I love eggplant so much (insert emoji here) but I only really prepare it one way, and that’s fried.
In preparation for my harvest, I want to experiment with other ways to cook aubergine. I found this exciting recipe on the Food Network—Eggplant Walnut Streusel. It calls for roasting the eggplant. The tarte tomatoes with warm walnuts and the creamy feta is a delicious combination. The dill and lemon give it a great complementary pop! Eggplant people will love this, if you’re texture sensitive, I’ll be honest, this may not be for you. The recipe takes a bit of time (1 1/2 hours) but it’s delicious, different, and worth it!
Eggplant Walnut Streusel
Ingredients:
2 to 3 large eggplants
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 cups grape tomatoes
3 clove garlic, finely grated
3 tbsp.chopped fresh dill
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup crumbled fresh feta
Zest of 1 lemon
Directions:
- Preheat to 400 degrees F. Pierce the eggplants all over with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle/cover with olive oil. Roast on the top rack until completely soft when pierced—about one hour.
- Meanwhile, toss the grape tomatoes with olive oil and fresh pepper. Spread on a small baking sheet and roast in the same oven until the tomatoes are soft—about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Mix together the panko, walnuts, flour and salt in a bowl. Drizzle in olive oil and mix until it clumps. Reserve.
- When the eggplants are cool, halve them and scoop the soft flesh into the bowl with the tomatoes. Discard the skins and stems. Using a fork, mash the eggplant into smaller bite-sized pieces. (It’s okay if the tomatoes get mashed in the process.) Add the garlic, dill and parsley and more olive oil. Check for seasoning, adjust if needed.
- Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a 9×12 baking dish. Spread the eggplant mixture in the dish. Sprinkle feta, then top with the reserved panko-walnut mixture. Bake until the top is golden brown and the eggplant is hot, 35 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle the remaining dill, parsley and the lemon zest.
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