By The last week of February and the maple trees are running. The first sap of 2023 started Thursday — I'd tapped the south-slope tree on Monday and it had been showing nothing for three days, and then Thursday it ran. Slow and clear, a drip that became a stream. The season has begun. The eighth time I've said those words on this farm with Helen gone, and the saying of them is still not routine.
I put in all the taps on Saturday, working through the grove in the order I've followed for ten years — south to north, oldest trees first. The grove is healthy and I can see it in the bark, in the way the trees carry their branches, in the clarity of the sap that came from the Thursday tap. Good sap, clear and bright. The season will be good.
Called Sarah to tell her the season had started. She said: I remember this call from every year. I said: yes. She said: you always sound the same when you say it. I said: because it's always the same news. She said: the good same. I said: yes. The good same. That's exactly what it is: the thing that returns and is good because it returns, not because it's different.
Made a pasta with the last of the winter pantry — dried beans and the remaining root vegetables and the frozen tomato sauce from August, a simple pasta e fagioli that used what was left and tasted of February doing its job. The bean soup of the end of winter. By the time I make it again next year the freezer will have new August in it. That's the cycle. February and August. Between them, everything.
That pasta e fagioli I mentioned — the one built from what was left — started, as it always does, with what the pantry had to offer: the last dried beans, the root vegetables going soft in the cellar, the August tomato sauce pulled from the freezer. I’ve made variations of this dish every February for years, and this eggplant casserole is the version that has settled into the rotation most comfortably, the one that tastes most like the season doing its job. It’s not a glamorous recipe. It’s a February recipe, and that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be.
Eggplant Casserole
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 can (15 oz) cannellini or white beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups cooked dried beans)
- 2 cups tomato sauce (homemade or jarred)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Salt the eggplant. Spread the eggplant cubes on a colander, sprinkle generously with salt, and let sit for 10 minutes to draw out moisture. Pat dry with paper towels.
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6–8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add eggplant. Add the dried eggplant cubes to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 5–6 minutes until lightly golden and beginning to soften.
- Combine with beans and sauce. Stir in the beans, tomato sauce, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes if using. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavors come together.
- Transfer and top. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan, then sprinkle evenly over the top.
- Bake. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the topping is golden and the casserole is bubbling at the edges.
- Rest and serve. Let the casserole rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 9g | Sodium: 520mg