Egg'plant in Disguise
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Grated nutmeg
- About 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch slices
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta
- 2 teaspoons thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Make a bechamel: melt the butter in a saucepan.
- When foamy, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Whisk in the milk, bring to a boil and simmer until thickenedand smooth, 2 minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Cover and let cool.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add as many eggplant slices as will fit in one layer, season with salt and brown on both sides.
- Repeat with remaining oil and eggplant.
- Fill the base of an 8-x-8-inch baking dish with 1/3 of the eggplant.
- Cover with 1/3 of the ricotta, followed by 1/3 of the bechamel.
- Sprinkle with thyme.
- Repeat two more times.
- Spread the Parmesan on top, and bake for 20 minutes.
- Place under the broiler for 1 minute to brown the top.
butter, flour, milk, salt, nutmeg, olive oil, eggplant, ricotta, thyme, parmesan
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11506 (may not work)