Eggplant!

 I've been meaning to make an eggplant puree for some time and have been reminded by a very encouraging friend, that I have not, in fact, posted a new recipe in a week. So I started working on it. 
 I envision it in a sort of eggplant parmigiana, which both my husband and I love. It actually, used to be my "going away" dish. By that I mean, whenever my husband had to leave on a deployment, it was (before I had a baby) the dish I made to keep my mind occupied. I don't really know how it happened, something about the many steps, the ease of freezing, the layering and the flavor, I found to be therapeutic. I used to spend the first night of the deployment making it, portioning it and freezing it to eat through the week. Needless to say, I find that a baby keeps my mind occupied enough! Nevertheless, I still enjoy the dish and wanted to introduce it to my little one. Keep in mind that eggplant is highly acidic and it is suggested that we wait until 8-10 months to introduce it to our babies. 


Here is what I did:
2 Japanese eggplants (It yielded 5 oz of puree. Use more eggplants if you want a bigger supply.)
Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Pre-heat oven at 400 degrees.
 Cut the end of the eggplant and slice in half. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Place the eggplant on the cookie sheet, slice side up. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Roast in the oven until golden brown (about 20-25 min).  Take out of the oven and let cool, enough to handle. 
With a spoon and very gently, scoop out the pulp of the eggplant. The skin is very delicate and if you are not gentle, you can break it which would make taking the pulp out a little more difficult. 
Place pulp in a food processor or blender and process until desired consistency is achieved.
*Note: Although the seeds are safe to eat and are small enough for your baby, they are not digestible (not unlike kiwi) so don't be surprise if you see them again later....if you know what I mean.
*Baby eggplant parmigiana recipe to come.