Shared by Ron Levy-Arie
Shared by Ron Levy-Arie
Almodrote (Roasted Eggplant and Kashkaval Pie)
Yield: 6 - 8 servings
Almodrote (Roasted Eggplant and Kashkaval Pie)
Yield: 6 - 8 servingsThis recipe was shared by Ron Levy-Arie. Read more about his family in "The Bulgarian Grandmother With the Golden Touch" and try his recipes for handrajo (eggplant, onion, and tomato pastry), chushki burek (Bulgarian roasted peppers stuffed with cheese), and dunce pie (egg and cheese casserole).
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove, un-peeled and halved lengthwise
- Unsalted butter, for greasing pan (about 1 tablespoon)
- All purpose flour, for the baking dish (about 2 tablespoons)
- 5 medium eggplants, stems cut and roasted (see 'make ahead' below)
- 1 small light green zucchini, grated on the small holes of a box grater, liquid squeezed out (optional)
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups kashkaval cheese, grated on the large holes of a box grater, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Sour cream, for serving
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425° and place the oven rack in the middle position.
Step 2
Rub a medium baking dish with the open-faced half of garlic clove, going over the entire surface of the dish a few times. Generously grease the dish with the butter, sprinkle in the flour and coat the entire surface of the dish, tapping out any excess flour over the sink.
Step 3
Take the roasted and cooled eggplants and gently make a cut lengthwise in each eggplant. Open them up and scoop all of the flesh out into a colander. Drain, squeezing all the excess liquid out.
Step 4
Place the drained eggplant in a large mixing bowl. Taste the eggplant - if it is sweet, you can skip the zucchini, if it is a bit bitter - add the grated zucchini for balance. Add the eggs, 2 ½ cups of the cheese, and salt and mix vigorously with a fork or whisk, breaking up the eggplant, until well blended.
Step 5
Spread the eggplant mixture evenly into the baking dish. Sprinkle the leftover ½ cup of grated cheese over the top.
Step 6
Bake for 25-30 minutes until well browned and crisp on top. Serve immediately or at room temperature with sour cream on the side.
Make ahead: There are a few methods for roasting vegetables such as eggplants. Ron has a large ceramic pan that is pretty much purposed for this task. He places the pan on a large flame on his stovetop, places the eggplants in it (stems cut off!) with nothing else, and practically forgets about them for an hour or two maybe turning once in the middle. At the end, the eggplant is blackened and looks dried up. Then he lets it cool until he can handle it. This can be done in the morning or the day before, and when ready to bake the actual dish (best served right after baking), the eggplants are ready and waiting for you. Other options of roasting are straight on the flame - but that is a very messy method (leaves black eggplant peel all over); baking in a very hot oven; or placing on the grill if available. The idea is to dry out most of the liquids in the eggplant and be left with a soft and concentrated eggplant flesh.
*Harder to find cheeses like bulgarian cheese and kashkaval cheese can be found at a specialty market like Kalustyan’s.
