Eggplant Bourguignon

EGGPLANT BOURGUIGNON

FOR PASSOVER OR FOR ANYTIME

This recipe is based on the one from the L.A. Times, but as I usually do with other people’s recipes, I’ve changed it up a bit to suit my taste.

I love crispy fried eggplant—I can never have too much of it—and that’s what I wanted here. I breaded and fried the eggplant slices (I used matzo meal for Passover) and added them in at the end, so this is essentially a mushroom stew rather than an eggplant stew. To make the dish extra special for the Hag (holiday), I used an assortment of mushrooms. And because I love fried oyster mushrooms, I cooked those separately, too, sautéing them in a little olive oil until crispy. In order to feature these wonderful fungi, I scattered them over the top of the dish.

I served this at the Seder alongside brisket and a chicken dish. Because there are so many vegetarians in my family, I always need a vegetarian entrée. Some family members can be very picky, as in “no dried fruit or anything else that’s sweet in a savory dish,” so I’ve had a couple of fails in the past. That said, they were only fails for those particular people. Very often, the non-vegetarians take some of the vegetarian dish as well, so I make plenty. This dish was a home run. They all loved it and made it clear that they’d be happy to see it again at the next holiday…or sooner! I will be happy to oblige.

The meat dishes that I made were very simple. The brisket was done the day before, as it’s always better when it’s had a chance to soak up the gravy overnight. The chicken was cleaned and seasoned and put into zip bags with the marinade and frozen, so they just needed to defrost, be laid out on a sheet pan, and be popped in the oven. This left me with time to devote more attention to the vegetarian dish. It really was delicious, and worth the effort.

Don’t be intimidated by the length of the ingredients list!

EGGPLANT BOURGUIGNON

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds Asian eggplants, (the long skinny ones. If you can’t find them, use globe eggplants)

  • 1—2 eggs as needed for breading

  • bread crumbs or matzo meal as needed for breading

  • neutral oil as needed for frying

  • 6 tablespoons fruity olive oil, divided, plus more to sauté the oyster mushrooms

  •  4 sprigs tarragon

  •  1 lbs fresh mushrooms, such as maitake, chanterelle, shiitake, cremini, or whatever is available and affordable. A mixture of several kinds is very nice. You can also use part white mushrooms if the quantity of specialty mushrooms is too extravagant. Slice them thickly or cut them in quarters.

  • 3—4 ounces oyster mushrooms. If they’re very large, slice them in half the long way. Otherwise, leave them whole.

  •  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  •  4 cups vegetable stock

  •  ½ ounce dried mushrooms, such as porcini, morel or shiitake

  • 1 ½ cups finely chopped yellow onions (about 1 medium)

  •  ¾ cup finely chopped carrots (2 medium)

  •  ¾ cup finely chopped celery (2 stalks)

  •  6 garlic cloves, finely minced

  • 2 tablespoons thick tomato paste

  • 2 cups full-bodied red wine

  • 8 sprigs thyme

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch

  • 2 tablespoons good quality vinegar (I used champagne vinegar, but red wine vinegar would work just as well)

  • Fry the eggplant: Wash the eggplants and slice them into ½ inch slices. In a flat dish, beat one egg with a splash of water. Put some matzo meal or dry bread crumbs on a flat surface. Season the breading with a bit of salt and pepper. Dip each eggplant slice into the egg wash and then into the breading and set them on a flat pan in a single layer until they’re all breaded. Then, heat some neutral oil in a skillet. When the oil is hot, add the eggplant slices and fry them for a few minutes on each side until golden, adding more oil as needed. You can do this in batches if you need to. Make sure the oil is hot or they’ll absorb too much oil. Drain the fried eggplant on paper towels and set aside. Wipe out the skillet with paper towel. You’ll use it again later.

  • Fry the tarragon: Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a large Dutch oven or enameled cast-iron pot. Add the tarragon sprigs, then turn the heat to medium-high. Once the leaves begin sizzling, continue to cook until they just stop sizzling and are translucent, 1 to 1½ minutes. Using tongs, remove the tarragon and place it on a paper towel to drain. Reduce the heat to medium, and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil.

  •  Sauté the mushrooms: Add the 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms to the Dutch oven (reserving the oyster mushrooms), season them with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms give up their liquid and become golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, pour the vegetable stock into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the dried mushrooms; let it stand until needed.

  •  Cook the aromatics: Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot, then add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the aromatics are soft and deep golden brown all over, about 14 to 15 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees.

  • Begin the sauce: Add the garlic and tomato paste to the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, to cook out the raw taste of the tomato paste, about 2 minutes. Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot to pick up all the browned bits on the bottom. Let the wine cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

  •  Continue the sauce: Finely chop the reconstituted dried mushrooms. Add them to the pot along with the vegetable stock—avoiding pouring in any sediment that collects at the bottom of the pan—discard the sediment. (Pouring the stock through a paper coffee filter works well for this.) Add the thyme and the bay leaves. Add the cooked fresh mushrooms and bring the liquid to a boil.

  • Gently simmer the mushroom stew, covered, for 30 minutes.

  • Cook the oyster mushrooms: While the stew is cooking, heat a splash of olive oil in the skillet you used for the eggplant. Add the oyster mushrooms with a sprinkle of salt, and let them cook undisturbed until they are turning golden on the bottom.Using tongs, turn them over and brown them on the other side. Then set them aside. Optional: For extra crispy oyster mushrooms, dust them with matzo cake meal (or flour) before frying them.

  • Finish the stew: Uncover the pot. Remove and discard the bay leaves and thyme stems. Turn the heat to medium to bring the sauce in the pot back to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil with the potato starch or cornstarch until it forms a thick slurry.

  •  Thicken the stew: Scrape the slurry into the simmering sauce and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar, then taste the sauce and season with more salt and pepper. Pour the stew into a rectangular, oven-safe dish. (You can use a nice looking one that can double for serving, if you like.)

  • The dish can be pre-made the day before, to this point.

  • Bake the Bourguignon: Lay the eggplant slices over the bourguignon and slide the dish into the oven. Bake the dish for 25 minutes. Then scatter the oyster mushrooms over the top and return to the oven for 5 minutes more, to re-heat the mushrooms.

  • To serve: You can bring the baking dish to the table, or transfer the stew to a large serving platter. Break the tarragon leaves off their stems and scatter them over the eggplant and mushrooms, just before serving.