Usually when I select hundred-year-old recipes to make, I choose recipes that I think look tasty. However, occasionally I’m intrigued by a recipe that seems unusual or unique, and decide to give it a try. This is one of those times.
I had an eggplant and wanted to make a recipe that would use it. I came across a recipe for Eggplant with Cheese on Toast in a 1926 issue of American Cookery magazine. It was very different from any eggplant recipe that I had ever seen – though I got the impression that the magazine editor really liked the recipe because the magazine included a grainy photo of the dish while most recipes did not have photos. In any case, I decided to give it a try.
The recipe called for cooking strips of eggplant, and then adding them to a sauce that included lemon juice and nutmeg. The sauce was then put on toast points to serve, and topped with cheese and a sprinkle of paprika, which made an appealing, interesting presentation.
The eggplant mixture and cheese were delightful toast toppers. I was pleasantly surprised by how tasty the Eggplant with Cheese on Toast was – though the lemon was the predominant flavor.
Here is the original recipe:
I cut bread slices into points prior to toasting, and then toasted them in a toaster oven after they had been cut – but, they could be toasted prior to cutting. Or, whole slices of bread could be used, rather than making toast points.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Eggplant with Cheese on Toast
1 medium eggplant (1/2 large eggplant)
lightly salted water
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
grated cheese (I used cheddar cheese.)
paprika
bread (If desired, it can be cut into points.)
Step 1. Peel eggplant, then cut into half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut the eggplant into strips approximately 1/2 inch-wide. (If the eggplant is particularly long, cut the eggplant halves into half to make the strips a more manageable length.)
Step 2. Put water with a small amount of salt into a saucepan; bring to a boil then add the eggplant strips. Reduce heat and simmer until the eggplant is tender. Remove from heat and drain.
Step 3. In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Gradually, add the 1 cup water while stirring constantly. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens, then stir in the lemon juice.
Step 4. Put the cooked eggplant strips into the sauce and gently stir the mixture.
Step 5. If desired, in the meantime, cut slices of bread into points. For each serving, stack 3 slices of bread on top of each other and then cut from one side to the other, starting at one corner and going to the center of the other side. Then toast the toast points in a toaster oven or under the broiler. (Disregard this step if whole slices of bread are used, and instead just toast the bread.)
Step 6. To serve: Arrange the toast points (use 3 per serving) or the toast slices on plates. Top with the eggplant mixture, then sprinkle with grated cheese and paprika.
You had me sold until we got to the spices.
Lemon/nutmeg/ paprika combined sounds like an odd combination.
I’m always up for trying something new though, so I will have a chat with my one eggplant plant and tell it to get cracking!
My mom always fried breaded eggplant, and of course, everything tastes better fried. This recipe seems to smother the eggplant with lots of other flavors, which may be a good way to get one to eat it. I just looked up nutritional value, and at the end of the article, it had recipes to help with the bitterness, so the extra flavors are probably a good way to serve it.
Well that is interesting….. Your making it into a dip… Sorta like what they do with baba ganoush.