K is for Kielbasa and Eggplant (Jennifer)

Hello all and happy early 4th of July!

This week's post is short and sweet; mostly because my arms are burning from a very exhausting, but well worth it, DIY home improvement project! Today, with A LOT of help from my sweet dad--thanks, Dad!, we tiled my kitchen's backsplash with a pretty mosaic tile pattern. After months of looking at layers of peeling yellow paint (complete with a crazy 70's wallpaper that was exposed in some places underneath the yellow paint), I have a beautiful, sandy-hued backsplash to admire. Very exciting.

This week's recipe was inspired by my family the last time they all visited for dinner. We were talking about the blog and I mentioned my next recipe was for "K." What followed was a brainstorming session involving my grandmother, grandfather, mom and dad. Everything from kiwi to kielbasa was mentioned, but kielbasa is what stuck with me for the week. My grandmother is the one who mentioned kielbasa and eggplant, and the result is a simple, rustic, enjoyable dinner for two.


Kielbasa and Eggplant Gratin
Inspired by Tartlette's Eggplant Gratin

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large regular eggplant, thinly sliced
2 small red onions, sliced
1 package fully cooked turkey kielbasa, sliced
6-7 slices of fresh mozzarella
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup basil loosely packed basil leaves and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup light cream (or 1/2 milk and heavy cream)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle. In a 9x9 inch gratin dish lightly coated with a bit of olive oil, place some eggplant slices in a single layer.

Top with a single layer each of onion slices and sliced turkey kielbasa. Sprinkle with some garlic, chopped basil and salt and pepper.

Repeat the layering until all the onions and kielbasa are used. Pour the cream over the top and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

Review:
This was a wonderful example of how a dinner with the simplest of ingredients can be so wonderfully fulfilling and satisfying. For a moment, I felt like a European, enjoying my glass of wine and rustin gratin on a warm summer evening. The flavors were so fresh and vibrant with the addition of the fresh basil and garlic. Delicious! The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the gratin did not "set" for me. Even baking it for 40 minutes did not help it to "set" like a casserole or a quiche would. I partially blame myself because I used 1/2 nonfat milk and 1/2 heavy cream, but in the end, the flavors were still fantastic and I just used a slotted spoon to serve. If I were to make it again, I would probably just use 2% milk, or try to find light cream. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!
Jen