Eggplant, Mushrooms, and Onions With Wild Rice

Skillet style side dish is the perfect accompaniment to beef, chicken, or pork. Sautéed eggplant, button mushrooms, and chopped yellow onion are seasoned with garlic, Italian seasoning, coarse sea salt, and fresh ground pepper. Vegetable mixture is combined with chicken broth, cream of mushroom soup, half-and-half, and cooked wild rice. Simmered 15 minutes until liquids are absorbed and flavors have had a chance to mingle. Serve hot with your favorite entrée.

Cook's Notes: As eggplant can be bitter, I recommend lightly salting the eggplant cubes and placing them in a strainer or colander for half an hour. The salt draws out any excess liquid, resulting in a milder flavored eggplant.

Substitute your favorite mushroom, such as shiitake or Portobello for a heartier dish.

Eggplant, Mushrooms, and Onions with Wild Rice

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Salted Butter 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided 1 Large Eggplant, peeled and cubed 1 Medium Yellow Onion, chopped 1 (8 ounces) package Sliced Fresh Button Mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon Garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt 1/4 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning 1 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth 1 (10.75 ounces) can Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup 1/2 cup Half-and-Half 1 cup Cooked Wild Rice

Preparation:

1. Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet.

2. Stir in the eggplant, and fry until tender, which takes about 5 minutes.

3. Remove the eggplant from the skillet, and keep warm.

4. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the skillet.

5. Stir in the onion and mushrooms and fry until they are tender, which takes about 5 minutes.

6. Return the eggplant to the pan, and season with the minced garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.

7. Cook and stir for one minute to blend the flavors.

8. Stir in the chicken broth, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until most of the liquid is reduced or absorbed.

9. Stir in the cream of mushroom soup, half-and-half and the cooked wild rice.

10. Simmer the mixture over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

11. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.

A cooking class is a great way to learn how to prepare and cook eggplant the way the professionals do, or head over to http://www.EggplantRecipes.net, for the best, taste-tested eggplant recipes.

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