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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    I Remember Nonna 3 (eggplant)

    ...a very satisfying meal of lightly fried eggplant in a rich tomato sauce on linguine: no leftovers from this dish:

    I Remember Nonna 3 (eggplant)-s__7544839-jpgI Remember Nonna 3 (eggplant)-s__7544840-jpgI Remember Nonna 3 (eggplant)-s__7544841-jpgI Remember Nonna 3 (eggplant)-s__7544842-jpgI Remember Nonna 3 (eggplant)-s__7544843-jpgI Remember Nonna 3 (eggplant)-s__7544845-jpgI Remember Nonna 3 (eggplant)-s__7544846-jpg

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    ...recipe:

    This is what you need:

    1 medium eggplant sliced lengthwise then cut in half, salted in a colander to draw out bitterness and moisture (30 minutes), rinsed and dried
    4-5 medium ripe tomatoes blenderized with 2 tablespoons of parsley
    4-6 cloves of garlic sliced
    1/3 cup of EVOO
    2 red chilis sliced lengthwise once

    What you do:

    Fry the eggplant on medium heat in about half the oil and drain on a paper towel. Add red chilis and a little more oil to brown the garlic slices. Pour in tomato mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook sauce uncovered for 20-25 minutes. Add eggplant to heat through and pour over linguine. Mix and serve with freshly grated Parmesan. This is one you'll want to do again and again...
    Majestically enthroned amid the vulgar herd

  3. #3
    I'm in Jail

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    I'm guessing Nona had no access to or need for mechanically recovered (mystery meat) with added chili, despite being a firm sewen beer snack favourite.

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by NamPikToot View Post
    I'm guessing Nona had no access to or need for mechanically recovered (mystery meat) with added chili...
    ...Nonna always had on hand a selection of deli meats: prociutto (crudo and cotto), mortadella, capicola and various types of salami...
    Last edited by tomcat; 02-04-2020 at 10:43 AM.

  5. #5
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    It looks good, but I just don't like eggplant - the wife has been making my green curry chicken with runner beans the last 20 years or so (much better, nice crunchiness, but obviously a bit thinner on the curry side).

  6. #6
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    You do not actually need to degorge aubergine nowadays. Modern varieties are much less bitter.

  7. #7
    กงเกวียนกำเกวียน HuangLao's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg View Post
    You do not actually need to degorge aubergine nowadays. Modern varieties are much less bitter.
    The smaller variety are of a higher quality - texture, flavour, etc.

  8. #8
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nidhogg View Post
    You do not actually need to degorge aubergine nowadays. Modern varieties are much less bitter.
    ...agree...however, salting removes moisture and improves texture...

  9. #9
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    Salting also stops aubergine from taking up too much fat when frying.

    I love aubergines, but usually make parmigiana. I think I'll try this for a change thanks.

  10. #10
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    Did Nonna have any pizza recipes or a bread machine per chance?

  11. #11
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dillinger View Post
    Did Nonna have any pizza recipes or a bread machine per chance?
    ...both, but she never used the bread machine, preferring to do everything by hand...

  12. #12
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    I add mushrooms to mine.....its a winning recipe for sure.

    Thanks Tom!

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    ...agree...however, salting removes moisture and improves texture...
    Salting them releases the bitterness.

  14. #14
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chico View Post
    Salting them releases the bitterness.
    ...you're not paying attention...

  15. #15
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    No you're mis-informed.

    And by the way it looks good,but ditch the 1960's parsley garnish.

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chico View Post
    No you're mis-informed.

    And by the way it looks good,but ditch the 1960's parsley garnish.
    ...from post #2 on this thread:

    "This is what you need:

    1 medium eggplant sliced lengthwise then cut in half, salted in a colander to draw out bitterness and moisture (30 minutes), rinsed and dried
    4-5 medium ripe tomatoes blenderized with 2 tablespoons of parsley" (the parsley is an ingredient, not a garnish)

    ...let me know if I can help with anything else...

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by tomcat View Post
    both, but she never used the bread machine, preferring to do everything by hand...
    Yeah, It is only good for kneading that thing.

    What part of Italy was Nonna from?
    And pizza recipe preferably Calzone

  18. #18
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    ...Both grandparents were Pugliese...I have no idea what kind of flour she used for the pizza base, but I remember her kneading and waiting for the dough to proof. As for toppings: a basic tomato sauce (EVOO, fresh tomatoes, garlic and dried oregano), homemade Italian sausage (she had a machine) or beef meatballs and Parmesan cheese, never Mozzarella. Occasionally, her pizzas had only tomato sauce, dried oregano and Parmesan. For holidays, she would make 10-12 pizzas on large rectangular oven trays and brush them with EVOO to brown the crust while cooking.

    I don't believe she ever made a calzone...but they're easy enough to do...

  19. #19
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chico View Post
    Salting them releases the bitterness.

    BBC Website: In the past, recipes called for aubergines to be sliced and salted before cooking to reduce their bitterness. As modern varieties are much less bitter that's no longer necessary.
    Even fruits move on faster than Chico can keep up.


    Aubergine | BBC Good Food

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Troy View Post
    I love aubergines, but usually make parmigiana. I think I'll try this for a change thanks.
    Do you like aubergine "soup"? (ซุป มะเขือ - Isaan aubergine "soup", which is not a soup).

    I had some the other night. Very nice.


    ^ Google image. Not my photo.

  21. #21
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Too 'pulpy' for me.

    I much pefer Yam Makeua Yao.


  22. #22
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    At Christmas a few years ago, I was asked to make a batch of spaghetti to serve the teeming masses for the school Christmas party.

    I couldn't use beef in the gravy, many Thais don't eat beef. I couldn't use pork due to the Muslim students. A veggie gravy was the only way to go.

    I'd had a dish like Tom's in Philly once upon a time but thought it lacked toothsomeness. Perhaps the eggplant had spent too much time in the gravy.

    I decided to use chopped eggplant for taste and texture and use mushrooms as my "meat".

    I went to the local wet market, got a bunch of eggplant and dried mushrooms. I rehydrated the mushrooms and then trimmed off the parts that didn't rehydrate and then chopped them in large pieces.

    Sauted the eggplant, added the mushrooms at the end for a minute. Then I added them to about 10 cans of tomato sauce, along with a bunch of minced garlic and seasoning (S&P, Italian seasoning, extra oregano), brought everything to a boil and then let it simmer for only about 30 minutes as I didn't want the eggplant to cook to mush.

    The dried mushrooms worked especially well as they absorbed a bit of the gravy while keeping their bite. I recommend giving it a try next time, Tom.

    I've honestly not made it since.

    For a massed produced product, I'd give it a rousing 7.5/10.
    "I was a good student. I comprehend very well, OK, better than I think almost anybody," - President Trump comparing his legal knowledge to a Federal judge.

  23. #23
    Hangin' Around cyrille's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Topper View Post
    At Christmas a few years ago, I was asked to make a batch of spaghetti to serve the teeming masses for the school Christmas party.

    I couldn't use beef in the gravy, many Thais don't eat beef. I couldn't use pork due to the Muslim students. A veggie gravy was the only way to go.

    I'd had a dish like Tom's in Philly once upon a time but thought it lacked toothsomeness. Perhaps the eggplant had spent too much time in the gravy.

    I decided to use chopped eggplant for taste and texture and use mushrooms as my "meat".
    I'd have just told them that 'Moussaka' was a region of Italy.

  24. #24
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    I tried the recipe yesterday...it's good and you're right, it will be made again and again. The MIL was also very impressed.

  25. #25
    Thailand Expat tomcat's Avatar
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    ...thanks for the update!...glad you and yours enjoyed the pasta...

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