Recipe courtesy of Amber Trahan
Festivals Eggplant-N-Rice Stacks
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 1 hr 25 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Inactive: 10 min
- Cook: 45 min
Ingredients
Eggplant Medallions:
1 medium eggplant
Cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
Rice Patties:
3 cups medium-grain rice, cooked in seafood stock, divided
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion tops
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sauce:
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup minced onion
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon roasted garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white pepper
3 cups hot water
2 cups non-fat half-and-half
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 pound medium shrimp, cleaned and de-veined
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound claw crabmeat
Chopped green onion tops, for garnish
Directions
- For eggplant: Peel eggplant and slice into 8 (1/4-inch thick) medallions. Place sliced eggplant into a small bowl, add cold water and salt and soak for 10 minutes. Drain and dry on a paper towel. Combine egg and milk to make an egg wash. Combine flour and Creole seasoning in a shallow bowl. Dip eggplant in egg wash and then dredge in seasoned flour. In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat. Cook eggplant until golden brown and tender. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.
- For Rice Patties: In a medium bowl add 2 cups of cooked rice, egg, garlic salt, red pepper, onion tops, and cheese. Mix well. Divide rice mixture into 4 portions and form patties. In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat. Cook rice patties until browned on each side and cheese begins to melt. Drain and set aside.
- For sauce: In a large skillet, melt 1/4 cup of butter, add onions, and cook until tender. Whisk in flour, Creole seasoning, garlic, and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes. Add water, half-and-half, and whisk to mix well. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese. Set aside.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In another large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, and then saute shrimp until no longer pink. Pour in the cream sauce, fold in crab meat, and heat thoroughly.
- To serve, make a bed of rice using 1/4 cup of remaining rice, for each serving. Place an eggplant medallion on top of the rice bed, drizzle with sauce, top with a rice patty, drizzle with a little more sauce, and then top with another eggplant medallion. You should have 4 stacks; each will have 2 eggplant medallions and 1 rice patty. Pour remaining sauce over stacks and sprinkle with chopped onion tops.