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Eggplant Mac and Cheese

Yet another way to use eggplant. The white sauce calls for an extraordinary amount of garlic, but it mellows as it simmers in the milk and is not at all intense.

1 large eggplant
Olive oil
1/2 pound macaroni
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
2 cups of milk
3 sprigs of thyme
2 Tbs fresh chopped basil
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and crushed or minced (that's half a HEAD, not half a clove)

1 cup parmesan, asiago, romano or other aged hard cheese (you can even use jack cheese, it won't hurt my feelings)

Peel the eggplant and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Salt it and leave it set for half an hour if you are afraid it might be bitter. I never bother with this, but different strokes.

Put the eggplant cubes to saute slowly in olive oil.

Get the macaroni boiling and cook until just tender. Drain.

While the eggplant is slowly sauteing and the macaroni is boiling, make a roux of the butter and flour. Add the milk, garlic and herbs. let simmer slowly until thickened. Add the cheese.

Then combine the white sauce, the eggplant and the macaroni and put into a buttered baking dish. Top it with buttered crumbs, if you like, or additional cheese and bake it at 375 fahrenheit for 25 minutes.

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