Hotdish: Eggplant With Yogurt Sauce

This recipe is a selection from TPT Cooks: Hotdishes & Casseroles, the companion cookbook to the program TPT Cooks: Hotdish!, which aired on Twin Cities Public Television.  

TPT held an open call for recipes for its first-ever cookbook, spotlighting home-cooking, specifically hot dishes and casseroles. The response was terrific, and TPT collected dozens of recipes from viewers for the cookbook celebrating every Minnesotan's traditional meal, the Hot Dish.

Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce
Submitted by Nancy Benson

Ingredients:

1 quart plain yogurt (not low-fat or fat-free)
3 or 4 cloves garlic, crushed
salt to taste
2 pounds eggplant, sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 medium onions, sliced
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced in rings
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
1/2 teaspoon hot chili pepper

Directions:

1. Line mesh strainer with 2-3 layers of cheesecloth; place over bowl. Add yogurt to strainer. Refrigerate and let drain for 2 to 4 hours. Discard liquid. Stir garlic and salt to taste into yogurt.
2. Spread eggplant slices on a baking sheet; sprinkle liberally with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Pat well with paper or cloth towels.
3. Add enough oil in large skillet to coat bottom. Fry eggplant until lightly browned, but not cooked completely. Remove to a plate; let stand.
4. Return oil from draining eggplant to skillet. Fry onions gently until transparent. Remove to another plate. Place a layer of eggplant back in pan. Top with some onion slices, bell pepper rings and tomato slices. Repeat using remaining ingredients, adding a little salt and hot pepper between layers. Add 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes or until eggplant is tender.

Spread half of yogurt sauce in bottom of serving dish. Top with vegetables, lifting eggplant carefully to keep slices intact. Leave some juices in the pan. Top vegetables with remainder of yogurt sauce and drizzle vegetable juices over top.

By Twin Cities Public Television

By Twin Cities Public Television