Creole and Cajun foods are sooooo good. Different, but kinda sorta similar. I spent a year in Nawlins..New Orleans to those who don’t know what Nawlins is. I visited various parishes as well. I collected many wonderful recipes and how-to’s while there. All of them are “Take this, do that, add this….” Most of them begin with “First you make a roux.” If you are an inexperienced cook and not sure about amounts or methods, you’d best leave Cajun and Creole food alone. I would suggest though, you learn how to cook without a recipe. Make it individual, make it with joy, and like all good Southern food, make it with lots of love!
Eggplant – depends on size and how many you want to feed The Holy Trinity – onion, bell pepper, celery, chopped finely Fresh parsley, chopped Grated parmesan cheese Chopped tomato (fresh summer tomatoes are alway best for everything!) Worcestershire sauce (Lee and Perron’s as they say) Cooking spray OPTIONAL: Seasoned or unseasoned bread crumbs are good tossed with a bit of butter/margarine and the parmesan cheese, sprinkled on top for last 15 minutes to get all toastyTake an eggplant, wash well and pierce skin with fork all over. Cut the eggplant in half and spray with cooking spray. Place both halves, cut side down on a cooking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 350 until tender. Amount of time varies with size of the eggplant.
Remove from oven and carefully scoop out cooked eggplant and coarsely mash. Add to this the Holy Trinity, parsley, peeled and chopped tomato(s), parmesan cheese, some shakes of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Let sit a few minutes and taste. Adjust seasonings to taste. Pile back into eggplant shells (or into a sprayed baking dish) and bake until warm and steamy. Add some good shakes of parmesan cheese over top.
This is not one of those highly seasoned, luxurious recipes. It is earthy, basic and excellent with a good French bread slathered with butter, a glass of Southern style sweet tea, and a slice of buttermilk pie (recipe coming soon!).
(HINT) I add foil to the baking dish so I can remove the casserole, allow to cool, and then wrapping well and freezing. While eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers are cheap; this is a good use of end of summer bounty.
kanzen sakura 
Jun 03, 2014 @ 16:56:56
I’ll be giving this a try, no worries !!! 🙂
Jun 03, 2014 @ 17:02:06
I show that my private email should not post. My web address does. Now I am worrying.
Jun 03, 2014 @ 17:07:09
It’s didn’t show just then ! 🙂
Jun 03, 2014 @ 17:04:56
I hope you do, it is good. I figured out the email…when I reply to comments from my email where some notifications show up, then that will appear. i’ll just have to be careful to no longer do that!
Jun 03, 2014 @ 17:09:24
Good, good – I’m delighted you know how to protect your privacy !
Jun 03, 2014 @ 17:14:01
I do but sometimes, I am just plain ol’ lazy….
Jun 03, 2014 @ 17:14:57
Oh yeah, this is good stuffed into large mushrooms and baked. I fix this for a warm appetizer or a different way to present.
Jun 03, 2014 @ 17:56:00
You cooks ! – you can do anything.
My husband was the same: never measured, just added at will and cooked for as long as he thought right. And boy, was he a great cook ! 🙂
Jun 03, 2014 @ 20:12:26
Cook like you write – some imagination, little something here, something there, lot of something else…. 🙂
Jun 03, 2014 @ 17:12:36
Reblogged this on kanzen sakura and commented:
Again, a good recipe making use of summer’s garden bounty. This is good for a nice vegetarian or Meatless Monday Meal. Enjoy with sweet iced tea or a red wine. This is one of the first recipes I posted.
Jun 03, 2014 @ 18:19:44
Sounds great. I’ve never been much of a fan of eggplant until China. It surprised me how good it was AND to find it there. Eggplant always seemed a Mediterranean dish. Boy, live and learn. 🙂
Jun 03, 2014 @ 20:11:34
The Japanese eggplant is smaller and longer…but tastes the same. think of all that sea travel and conquering and such and how they ate what was available and brought back to their country, like our American soldiers brought back stuff from other countries where they were stationed, esp. the Mediterranean.
Jun 04, 2014 @ 16:14:06
You don’t need to call me to the table twice. 🙂
Jun 04, 2014 @ 17:36:18
Call me anything but don’t call me late to dinner…
Jun 04, 2014 @ 18:21:04
*nods and grins*
Jun 03, 2014 @ 18:22:12
I sometimes do breadcrumbs in butter to put on green bean or cauliflower. I like the idea of good shakes of parmesan cheese over top as well.
Jun 03, 2014 @ 20:10:02
It makes it much better I think, and some shaken in the eggplant mixture as well. Taste it before baking and adjust your seasonings or vegetables
Jun 04, 2014 @ 16:13:15
I’m drooling already. +(*.*)+
Jun 03, 2014 @ 20:14:48
Yum: both the recipe and the back story. Thank you, my friend. xoxo
Jun 03, 2014 @ 20:26:33
Hope you’ll try it! Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2014 00:14:48 +0000 To: thspencer51@hotmail.com
Jun 06, 2014 @ 22:56:28
Totally doable in my kitchen, and I was just thinking “I need a new nasu recipe!”
Jun 07, 2014 @ 00:11:15
Add some freshly grated parmesan too. Nawlins was my first billet as a chef so I have a real fondness for this recipe. It heats up well. It is also good stuffed into mushrooms and baked. Go crazy and add some small shrimp to it too.
Jun 07, 2014 @ 00:19:20
Well, the shrimp are a no go. Stupid vegetarianism. 😦
Jun 07, 2014 @ 00:50:29
I didn’t know. Well, it’s good without them. I need to post my squash casserole. It isn’t like most of them. Mama’s baby sis is vegetarian, not vegan. She loves it. I love veggies myself. The other night I grilled hubbie a steak. I had grilled Vidalia onion, squash, and corn. Happy dance!
Jun 07, 2014 @ 05:14:20
I’ve been eyeballing that onion recipe too. And I’ll take you not knowing ad a compliment. Too many folks get preachy with it.
Jun 07, 2014 @ 09:46:01
Thank you. Yes they do. All have their reasons. It’s something I’ve been thinking on for years and going in and out of. I don’t eat that much because of a medical condition…and I just like veggies better.