Baked Eggplant Rounds With Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 small eggplant
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 heaping tablespoons fresh mushrooms, chopped
• 1 heaping teaspoon parsley, chopped
• 1 heaping teaspoon onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• Parmesan cheese
• Fine breadcrumbs
• Small lumps of butter
• Mushroom sauce ingredients:
• Skins and stems of mushrooms
• 1 cup water
• 1 slightly heaping tablespoon butter
• 1 slightly heaping tablespoon flour
• 1 small slice onion, chopped
• 1 heaping tablespoon mushrooms, chopped
• 1 small cucumber pickle, chopped
• 2 large olives, chopped

Method

1. 1 Boil the eggplant until tender, peel thinly, and let cool. Slice into 1-inch thick rounds.
2. 2 Sauté mushrooms, parsley, and onion in butter. Season with salt and pepper, then pour over the eggplant slices arranged in a baking dish.
3. 3 Prepare the sauce: Boil mushroom skins/stems in water. Brown butter and flour with onion slice separately. Strain mushroom water into the browned butter/flour mixture and thicken.
4. 4 Add chopped mushrooms, pickle, and olives to the sauce. Simmer until thick and smooth, adjusting consistency with water if needed.
5. 5 Sprinkle eggplant with Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs. Dot with butter and bake in a 425°F oven until browned. Serve with the sauce on the side.