Transylvanian Eggplant Casserole

So, I was cruising the cookbook section at Half Price Books and found a copy of Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant.  Moosewood Restaurant is in Ithaca, NY and is a well known vegetarian restaurant.  Sunday night is "ethnic night" and this cookbook offers some of the favorite ethnic recipes from the restaurant.

Last night, we made this tasty Eggplant Mushroom Casserole and it was amazing!

Cook 2 cups of brown rice.  Combine rice with the following:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped pine nuts (we substituted almonds)

Cut 2 eggplants into rounds, salt them lightly and bake at 400F tender, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.  Take them out and lower the oven to 350F.

Saute in a large pan until soft:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
4 cups sliced mushrooms
4 fresh tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons marjoram
3/4 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Assemble casserole in the follow manner:

rice layer
eggplant layer
vegetable layer
Repeat

Pour 4 beaten eggs over the casserole.  Top the casserole with the following mixture:

1/2 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cup chopped pinenuts (or almonds)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Bake the casserole covered at 350F for 3 minutes.  Serve garnished with bell peppers, parsley or Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy.