Ingredients

　　1 large eggplant

　　1 teaspoon The Lady’s House Seasoning

　　5 tablespoons butter

　　One 10-ounce can minced clams, drained, juice reserved

　　1 cup cracker crumbs

　　1/2 cup half-and-half

　　Peel the eggplant and cut it into thin rounds. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the House Seasoning, then the eggplant, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain the eggplant well and mash it with 2 tablespoons of the butter. In a greased casserole, layer the mashed eggplant, the clams, and the cracker crumbs. Dot with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Blend the half-and-half with the reserved clam juice. Taste, and add salt, if needed. Pour this mixture over the casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

　　The Lady & Sons, Too! by Paula Deen. © 2001 by Paula H. Deen. Published by Random House. All Rights Reserved.Paula H. Deen was born and raised in Albany, Georgia. She later moved to Savannah, where she and her two sons, Bobby and Jamie, started the Bag Lady catering company. The business took off and evolved into The Lady & Sons Restaurant, which is located in Savannah’s historic district and specializes in Southern cooking. Paula is the host of Food Network’s Paula’s Home Cooking and is a regular guest on QVC, where her cookbooks are one of the newtowrk’s biggest sellers.