Creole Casserole and Biscuits

[Cliff Bartlett]

I've been waiting to do this cook for a while. It's actually a Creole Eggplant Casserole. Left out the Eggplant in the title as I didn't want to scare everyone away! I know it's a forum favorite. Made some biscuits earlier in the day to have with the dinner. Here's some pic's.

Did the biscuits first and kept them warm.

Here's the ingredients for the casserole. One pound medium shrimp, my wildly popular )) Tasso ham, red bell pepper, celery, onion, garlic and the eggplant, skinned and diced.

Softened up the celery, onion, bell pepper and garlic first.

Added the Tasso.

The shrimp.

Pulled from the heat. Added some chicken stock and slowly added a cup of seasoned bread crumbs. Stirred until the stock was absorbed. Added salt and Creole seasoning to taste. Transferred casserole to a 3 qt. baking dish.

Cooked indirect for approximately 30 minutes.

Dinner time.

Tasted pretty darned good. Wonderful flavor and the Tasso Ham added a nice little punch. Really liked the biscuits. I'd brushed them with butter and lightly salted them before baking. Nice. Hope you all had a nice weekend. Thanks for looking.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

I stopped eating eggplant when someone showed me an article which decried that eggplant had “About as much nutritional value as the paper this article is printed on!”
My father kept trying to find eggplant recipes which were “fit to eat” for 40 years! This might be the first exception to the plate after plate of “Imam buyildi, baba ganouche,” or erstwhile nasal ejecta which was put before me in my youth along with the whole “There are children starving...” speech!
Bobby Flays grilled ratatouille is an exception, I would have loved to have grilled off a batch of that for Dad!
This might get into the small balcony of exceptions with it but, I might need to get the biscuits into the wheelhouse first!

 

[Clint]

I'd love to try that meal Cliff- think you could send me some tasso packed with a little dry ice? I wish I had your time & talents, I had a 6" sub & smoothie & a shake for dinner.

the first time I cooked eggplant I was turned off on it (I was young and winging it), then I ordered eggplant parm a couple times, and then just a few years ago I tried cooking it again, this time Herbed Grilled Eggplant from the Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook (I liked the recipe & the book).






OT:
HERBED GRILLED EGGPLANT serves 2 This recipe, from culinary teacher Megan McCarthy of Healthy Eating 101, is a great side dish to accompany any meal. 1​ large eggplant 3​ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2​ tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/2​teaspoon sea salt Cracked black peppercorns 1​ teaspoon dried herbes de Provence Grated Sardo, Asiago, or Pecorino-Romano cheese (optional) 1. Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick slices. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and herbes de Provence. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with the mixture. 2. Heat a large cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat on a gas grill or stove-top. Arrange the eggplant slices on the pan in a single layer and grill on each side for 5 to 6 minutes. 3. Serve hot, topped with grated cheese, if desired.

The Lodge Company. The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook: A Treasury of Timeless, Delicious Recipes (Kindle Locations 2984-2996). Oxmoor House. Kindle Edition.

 

[Jeremy Calow]

Yessir Cliff, that'll do. I can almost smell the aromas coming off of that!

 

[Cliff Bartlett]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the comments. I'm going to switch gears the next couple of days and make some sausage. Linguica specifically.

I stopped eating eggplant when someone showed me an article which decried that eggplant had “About as much nutritional value as the paper this article is printed on!”

I appreciate your candor and comments Timothy. Yeah, I've read similar articles citing the nutritional value, or lack thereof, of Eggplant. The thing is it's one of my wife's very favorite things for dinner, whether side or main course. So, as you can imagine, it goes into my rotation. I'm not wild about it but I do enjoy cooking and eating it occasionally. When you think about it, there's a lot of things we eat with little regard to nutritional value. We do it just because we like it. At least that's how it is with me anyway. I'm going to check out that Bobby Flays grilled ratatouille recipe when I'm done here.

the first time I cooked eggplant I was turned off on it (I was young and winging it), then I ordered eggplant parm a couple times, and then just a few years ago I tried cooking it again, this time Herbed Grilled Eggplant from the Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook (I liked the recipe & the book).

I really appreciate your taking the time to write out that recipe Clint. Thank you. I've heard others mention that they don't like eggplant but they do like eggplant parm. Must be the cheese!

 

[Rich Dahl]

Can't say anything about eggplant good or bad as I have never had any. But I'm sure that dish was very good because of who made it. Now the biscuits I could scarf down a half dozen of those with ease.

 

[Pat G]

Looks great Cliff. It kind of reminds me of the Crawfish & Merliton casserole I make. It's a lot of work to make but people love it.

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

Cliff, the Flay ratatouille recipe is stupidly simple but, it does require the best small eggplant available, peppers and onion, good olive oil etc. Gove it a try, I have not made that at all this year, tomatoes will e coming in by the boatload pretty soon.
Have you done the grill roasted tomato soup with basil yet?
1/4 a load of tomatoes (I like Roma’s for this) peel a head of garlic, toss it all on a sheet pan (I foil) season with salt and pepper, and pop it in the kettle for maybe 20-30 minutes, transfer all of the liquid and everything into a cuisinart add some fresh basil, if you wish, and process to your desired smoothness, you can add a little broth or cream if you wish. Serve hot or cold!
Summer does not come much better than that!
I will pick up some tomatoes on the way home from a gig tonight and make this for a side dish for tomorrow’s dinner!
Enjoy!

 

[Robert-R]

Georgeous cook! Thanks for posting. Really like the buscuits. Need to learn how to make those. Mine suck. Oh... and the casserole... beautiful.

 

[Barb D]

That is one awesome look cook and very interesting. I'm not a eggplant person, but like everything else. Those biscuits are to die for, with butter and honey I'd be in heaven.