Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

-------------------------THE CREPES------------------------------
1 c Whole wheat flour 1 ts Olive oil or melted butter
Pinch of salt 1 1/4 c Milk
2 Eggs Oil for frying

------------------------THE FILLING-----------------------------
1/4 c Olive oil 1 1/2 c Red wine
2 lg Onions, chopped 1/2 lb Button mushrooms, sliced
3 md Eggplants, finely diced 2 tb Fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 c All-purpose flour Salt and freshly ground
2 14 oz cans whole tomatoes, -black pepper
-coarsely chopped with juice

------------------------THE TOPPING-----------------------------
2 c Freshly made Bechamel sauce 2/3 c Freshly grated parmesan
(recipe included) -cheese
2/3 c Light cream Cherry tomatoes and sprigs
Freshly grated nutmeg -of oregano to garnish

-----------------------BECHAMEL SAUCE----------------------------
2 tb Butter 1 1/2 c Milk
1/4 c Flour

Make the batter: Place all the ingredients in a food processor or
blender and blend until smooth. Set next to the stove with a ladle.

Brush a frying pan measuring about 8 inches across th base (or
slightly larger than a crepe pan) with a little olive oil and place
over high heat. Once the olive oil is hot enough to sizzle when a
drop of water is dropped onto it, take the pan off the heat and ladle
in enough batter to doat the nase. Return to the burner and let the
crepe cook until the top is set and lightly browned: about 1 minute.
Flip it over and cook the second side until lightly browned: just a
few seconds. Lift the crepe out of the pan and onto a piece of foil.
Reheat the pan - you won't need to regrease it every time - and make
five more crepes in the same way, stacking them up. Cover with foil
until you need them.

THE FILLING: Warm 3 tbsps of the olive oil in a large saucepan over
moderate heat, add the onions and garlic, cover, and cook for 5
minutes. Then stir in the eggplant, cover and cook until tender: 15 -
20 minutes. Stir from time to time.

Sprinkle the flour onto the eggplant, stir over the heat for another
minute or two, them pour in the tomatoes with their juice and the red
wine. Continue to stir over the heat until the mixture thickens, then
reduce the heat, cover and leafve for 8-10 minutes to cook the flour.
Remove from the heat.

In another pan, warm the remaining tablespoon of oil over moderate
heat, add the mushrooms, and fry until tender and lightly browned:
3-5 minutes. Drain the mushrooms of any liquid and add them to the
eggplant mixture. Stir in the oregano and season to taste with salt
and pepper.

THE BECHAMEL SAUCE: Melt the butter in a saucepan over moderate heat,
then add the flour and stir until the flour is incorporated: 1-2
minutes.

Over the heat, pour in one third of the milk and stir well; the
mixture will go lumpy, then thick and smooth. Stir in another third
of the milk, and then repeat with the final third.

Simmer over gentle heat for 7-10 minutes, then test the comsistency:
it should be thick enough to coat a spoon. To thin, stir in milk or
cream; to thicken, simmer for a little longer.

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place one of
the crepes on a large ovenproof plate. Cover it evenly with a fifth
of the eggplant mixture (it should make a thick layer). Put another
crepe on top, cover with another fifth of the eggplant mixture, and
so on, finishing with a crepe on top.

Gently warm the bechamel sauce, then stir in the cream. Check the
seasoning, adding some nutmeg. Pour enough sauce over the crepe
gateau to cover the top and run attractively down the sides. The
rest can be poured into a pitcher to be served alongside the gateau.

Sprinkle the parmesan on top of the gateau and bake, uncoverd, until
it is heated through and golden brown on top: about 20 minutes.
Garnish with cherry tomatoes and sprigs of oregano, and serve
immediately.

From "The Classic Vegetarian," by Rose Elliot Posted by Hilde Mott
2/14/95 (I've made this omitting the mushrooms because I really hate
them, and it was impressive...)
Submitted By HILDE MOTT On 02-15-95

Browse by categories