A Recipe from Shortcut Cooking (1969)

About the Recipe

This recipe is going to be the start of a new collection I’m calling “Husband’s Choice.” This is where I give the hubs a random selection of books and let him pick what we’re making next. This was his first choice – what he ended up calling “a taco with eggplant on top!” For more Husband’s Choice recipes, click here!

This feels like such a classic mid-century recipe. The ingredients are common and clean with a touch of canned goodness to shortcut the recipe. The result is warm and flavorful, and just a little bit too salty. Classic.

A few quick notes and suggestions:

• I used my cast-iron skillet instead of an electric one (which I don’t have). Honestly, any skillet will do. It’s medium-high heat to cook your beef, and then reduce to a simmer at whatever temp works best.
• I also used plain tomato sauce because that’s what I had. It worked just fine.
• Watch the salt levels on this one. It was a little on the salty side, and I’ll cut back for the future
• If you season the eggplant first, it will bring some of the liquid in it to the surface, which you can pat dry. That will give you a little less liquid in the pan and a thicker meat sauce.

About the book

I can’t remember where I found this one, but it’s just such mid-century magic. The serving dishes are all just a little bit fancy. And the description of the pictures and dishes are just a little bit flowery.

The book is published by the Meredith Corporation, best known for the Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks and magazines. Indeed, if you look at this booklet side by side with a BH&G cookbook, they reflect each other in style. Interesting to note that Meredith Co. published several different brands of grocery store checkout line cookbooks, and I can see this one fitting right in!

The Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground lean beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 T all-purpose flour
1 8-oz. can (1 cup) seasoned tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1 t oregano
1/2 to 1 t chili powder
1/2 t salt
1 small eggplant, cut in 1/2-inch slices (pared or unpared)
1 cup shredded sharp process cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat electric skillet to about 375*F. Brown beef and onion in small amount hot fat. Spoon off excess fat. Sprinkle flour over meat; stir.

Add tomato sauce, water, green pepper, oregano, chili powder, and salt. Mix well. 

Season eggplant with salt and pepper; arrange slices over meat. Cover; simmer at about 230*F till eggplant is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Top with shredded cheese. Pass Parmesan. Serves 4.