SRC Reveal: Life of a Modern Housewife

It's the first Monday of the month which means one thing: Secret Recipe Club reveal for Group A. This month I was assigned to Life of a Modern Housewife, a blog written by Christy who is an Interior Designer turned Blogger, Baker, Home Cook, and Housewife. She's passionate about all things beautiful and it shows in her blog!

We're a little bit nuts about eggplant here. I even did an entire eggplant dinner for my friend's birthday a few years back. I served: Torretta di Melazana e Mozzarella (Little Tower of Eggplant and Mozzarella), Creamy Eggplant Soup, Eggplant Boats with Avocado Cream, Braised Lamb over Eggplant Puree, and we ended with Melanzane e Cioccolato Timbale (yes, that does mean Eggplant and Chocolate Drum!) So, when I saw Life of a Modern Housewife's Eggplant Timbale, I was sold! I haven't made that in years...and I certainly have never blogged it. I made a couple of adaptations - skipping the grilling and not using a Springform - but the idea of the dish was the same. And it was a  hit. Cheesy, meaty goodness in an eggplant wrapper. Amazing.

Adapted from Life of a Modern Housewife's Eggplant Timbale

2 medium eggplants, sliced 1/4-inch thick
flour for coating eggplant (I used white whole wheat flour)

olive oil

freshly ground sea salt

freshly ground pepper

2 C uncooked penne pasta

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 C collard greens*, chiffonade and blanched

1 lb ground turkey

1/4 C port

2 C tomato sauce

1/2 C shredded fontina
1/2 C shredded parmesan
1/2 C shredded asiago
1/2 C shredded provolone

1 C chopped fresh basil leaves

*I add greens to anything I can. Feel free to use whatever cooking greens you have on-hand, or omit them completely.

In a large flat-bottom pan, saute your onions in a splash of olive oil until they are softened and beginning to caramelize. Combine with the blanched greens, if using, and set aside in a large mixing bowl. In the same pan, brown your ground turkey, breaking it into bite-sized pieces with a wooden spoon; season with freshly ground sea salt and pepper. Add the seasoned, cooked meat to the onion and greens.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. The pasta I used cooked in 8 minutes. Drain and add to the meat. Stir in the tomato sauce, cheeses, and basil.

Peel and slice your eggplants thinly. Coat your slices with a thin layer of flour (I used 100% organic white whole wheat flour). Cook the eggplant in melted butter till they begin to soften and brown.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line your buttered baking dish with the eggplant, overlapping the slices with some hanging over the edge of the dish. Fill eggplant with the pasta mixture, pressing down to make sure the pan is filling up evenly. Fold the eggplant slices up over the top of the pasta and add a few more slices on top to completely enclose the timbale. Bake the timbale until warmed through, about 35-40 minutes. Let rest on the counter for 10 minutes to set. Invert onto a serving platter. Slice into wedges to serve.