eggplant casserole redux

so one of the recipes i posted early on was a pork and eggplant casserole, and in recent years, i've inadvertently recreated it.  last summer, i was making what was supposed to be a ratatouille...but it turned out to be a better version of the initial casserole.  i neglected to document it then, but i made it again this month.  i actually remembered to photograph it this time!

all in all, this takes maybe 45 minutes to prepare and cook, and it made about 6 servings.

ingredients:
- 1 pound hot sausage (walker farms meat)
-1 eggplant (largeish
- 1 pint of frozen tomatoes (mostly drained)
- 1 medium fresh tomato (cut up)
- feta cheese
- basil
- oregano
- chili powder
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- cayenne
- salt
- black pepper

preparation:
i started by cubing up the eggplant.  i tossed it with a tablespoon or so of olive oil and included the various herbs and spices (to taste).

i browned the sausage in a large cast iron pan (on medium to medium-high heat).  once cooked, i added the eggplant to the pan and let that brown.  i stirred in the tomatoes and let the mixture cook on the stove until it started to bubble.  at this point, i popped the pan in the oven (350°F) for about 30-35 minutes.

serve in a bowl with feta cheese (about 2 oz per serving).

verdict:
this preparation solves the original problem i had with the recipe, which was with tough eggplant.  we both love it...there's a good heat to the dish fom the hot sausage (and spices), but it's not so much that the mouth is on fire for hours.  rather, it just helps clear the sinuses.

i was going to stash some in the freezer (just to have pre-made meals on hand), but jackie wouldn't let me...it got consumed within 4 days!  i guess i'll just have to procure more eggplant and make another serving for freezing.

peach and blackberry pie

so over the july 4 holiday, my uncle asked why i never posted any recipes anymore.  and i didn't have a good answer.  being busy isn't an excuse because it isn't like i'm not cooking anything.  so i'm trying to make the effort to remember to take photographs and to document what i've been doing.  that said, i'm still being slow about it (this pie was baked back on july 9)...but at least i'm posting!

jackie found a recipe for this blackberry and peach pie online, and she wanted me to try it.  we had picked up some peaches from a roadside stand outside rockingham, nc, on our way back from the beach (frozen by now, of course), but we needed some berries.  so jackie came with me on her very first blackberry-picking expedition.  after the briars and the bugs and the heat, it might be that she'll leave the berry picking to me in the future, but she did good!

ingredients:
~ 2.5-3 cups fresh blackberries
~ 3 peaches, skinned/sliced/pitted
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon nutmeg
- double crust (premade)

preparation:
mix the berries, peaches, cornstarch, and sugar in a large bowl.  contrary to the online recipe, i also stirred the cinnamon and nutmeg into the mixture.

press one pie crust into the bottom of a pie pan.  pour the fruit mixture into the pan and cover with the second crust.  crimp the edges together to seal the pie.  cut slits in the pie for venting.  i got a little fancy and cut out a few ovals in addition to a few slits.  brush top of the pie with the melted butter.  i also sprinkled a little bit of white sugar and cinnamon on the crust.

put pie in oven (preheated to 450°F) for 15 minutes.  reduce heat to 350°F and bake until crust is golden brown.  for me, this took about 37 minutes.

verdict:
this is a good pie and pairs very nicely with vanilla ice cream.  one downside was the crust; it was cooked properly but just wasn't as flaky as, say, a pillsbury crust.  as an alternative, it would be a great cobbler filling.  i'll definitely make a version of it again!