|  Comment:
Salvatore Mancuso arrived in New Orleans with his young wife in
1870. After working for many years on White Plantation, he saved
enough money to buy his own farm and had a family of his own. One
of his daughters, Vita, married Antonio Bilello and they started
a family eventually consisting of seven sons. Since there were no
girls in the family, the second oldest boy, Salvatore, was responsible
for helping with the children and cooking while the oldest son worked
on the farm. Salvatore soon became an accomplished cook and, when
he grew up, opened his own restaurant in Thibodaux. Today, Bilello's
Restaurant is a landmark on Bayou Lafourche.
Ingredients:
- 6 large eggplants, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced bell peppers
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tsp chopped oregano
- ¼ cup chopped basil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1½ tsps granulated garlic
- 1½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 6 hard boiled eggs, sliced
Method:
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Sprinkle salt over eggplant and place
in a large bowl or colander, with a heavy weight on top to help
squeeze the water from the vegetable. Set aside for approximately
1 hour. In a 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high
heat. Add onions, celery, bell peppers and garlic. Sauté
3-5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add water, tomato sauce,
oregano and basil. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce to simmer.
Season to taste using salt and pepper. Cook for approximately 45
minutes, stirring occasionally. Place drained eggplant slices on
a pre-greased cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Divide eggplant
into 3 equal parts and place a third of the slices in the bottom
of a 9" x 13" casserole dish. Sprinkle with a small amount
of granulated garlic and cheese. Spoon a third of the gravy on top
of eggplant and finish with 8-10 slices of egg. Continue the layering
process until all is used up. Pour any excess sauce over the top
of the eggplant and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake,
uncovered, for 30 minutes.
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