Eggplants

After you slice it, lay it on paper towels, salt it well, and let the brown stuff leak out of it. The brown fluid is very bitter and you may need to change the paper towel several times as it becomes saturated.

I'm not a huge fan of eggplant, but I have breaded it and fried it in a pan, used it in moussaka, (eggplant, tomato, tomato sauce, ground lamb etc in a casserole) I think it's a weird texture to put in a stir fry, but you could try.

I love eggplant. It's pretty bland by itself, but I've had some tasty Asian dishes with it, specifically THAI, but if you ever have the chance to try PF Changs Spicy Eggplant, do it!

After the draining, brush it with olive oil and grill it on the barbecue.

Also goes great in stews. I cube (about 1" on each side) and saute with onion, garlic, and green pepper. Once onions start to become translucent, I add tomatoes and some sort of simmer sauce. Eggplant is spongy and does wonderfully in soaking up the liquids in the stew. Gives it a great texture and flavor.

I had tempura eggplant when I lived in Japan and loved it. Also eggplant parmesan, moussaka, anything thai and grilled on the BBQ and dipped in marinara! I love eggplant.

Roasted eggplant is always good. I also like making eggplant croquettes. They are sort of a vegetarian crab cake.

I love to put it in various things and find that it generally works nicely with zucchini.
While I was in Florida we went out to eat at a Turkish restaurant and they brought out the most delicious eggplant appetizer that I have ever had. It was fried and had roasted red peppers and mozzarella on top and it was served with balsamic vinaigrette. But I'm sure that there were some other spices and stuff going on in there because it was absolutely delicious and i've had fried eggplant many times and it never tasted quite like this. Then again, my salmon probably the best I have ever had too.

I absolutely LOVE eggplant. I like to make eggplant parmesan or eggplant rollatini most often with them. I also like to bread/fry them and make stackers with grilled squash, sauteed red bell peppers and ricotta salata layers between. It's also great just fried and dunked in a creamy, dairy-based dip. They're also great stuffed!

Oh, and curried eggplant!!!! So simple and so good!

OK, I wasn't hungry a minute ago...

Here is my favourite eggplant recipe (other than Aloo Gobi-type dishes):

Cut the eggplant into 1/4" rounds and salt them. Let them sweat for 10 min. then wash the salt off and pat dry. (this removes some of the moisture)

Put them on an oiled baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Put them under the broiler for about 10 min.

Take out the tray, flip the eggplants and crumble goat cheese bits over them like little pizzas. Put them back under the broiler and cook until the cheese is toasted with a little bit of brown and the eggplants are cooked. (~6 min.)

Take out the eggplants, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with fresh minced herbs (scallions, basil and parsley work great, as do others....)


Enjoy!