Mom’s Eggplant Bolognese | Sequatchie Cove Farm

This is one of those recipes that changes a little every time Mom makes it, depending on what she has in the kitchen.  Sorry about the non-specific quantities of certain ingredients.  Don’t worry though, I don’t think this one will fail, no matter how you make it.  Creativity should be the first ingredient…

Bolognese sauce ingredients:

(prepare one day ahead if possible)

• 2 lbs Sequatchie Cove Farm ground beef
• 3 small-medium onions, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, diced
• About 20 oz of mushrooms of any kind, sliced
• Two 15 oz cans of black olives, drained and halved.
• 12 oz tomato paste (unseasoned)
• 15-20 roma tomatoes, diced
• 3 bay leaves
• Fresh herbs:  Basil, oregano, thyme and sage (to taste)
• 1-2 cups of water
• Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare sauce:

Fry seasoned ground beef in a large stock pot on medium-high heat until brown.  Add diced onion and garlic and cook until they soften a bit.   Add mushrooms and cook until they have reduced in size.   Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Mom’s tips:  Leave the skins and seeds in the tomatoes, they are more nutritious if you eat everything.  Also, use as much of the fresh herbs as possible because they add important vitamins and minerals.  If you like your sauce to taste sweeter, add more basil, if you like it more savory, add more sage, and increase the thyme and oregano if you want a sharper flavor.

For the Eggplant dish:

Slice eggplant (and squash if you like)  into 1/2 inch slices and place in the bottom of a deep baking dish.  Cover with the Bolognese sauce and top with grated cheese. (If you are concerned about extra calories and fat, or if you prefer to be dairy free, it is still delicious without the cheese.)  Cover with foil and bake on 375 degrees for one hour.  Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Filed under: Seasonal Food Recipes on August 19th, 2009 |