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I generally prefer to grow my own eggplant, but if you are
Selecting store bought eggplant, look for heavy, firm fruit with
unblemished skin. Seeds in Eggplant are responsible for the
bitter taste that sometimes accompanies it when cooked. Male
eggplants have fewer seeds than the female, they have a rounder,
smoother blossom end or base. The blossom end of a female
eggplant is generally indented. Smaller eggplant also have less
seeds and are therefore less bitter than larger ones . Eggplant stores poorly, use a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator where it will keep only a few days. It may however be blanched or steamed then frozen for up to six months. Eggplant is not very high in any vitamin or mineral, but is very filling, while supplying low caloric intake with very little fat, assuming you take it easy on the oils. "Eggplant absorbs more fat in cooking than any other vegetable. When researchers deep-fried a serving of eggplant, they found that it absorbed 83 grams of fat in just 70 seconds—four times as much as an equal portion of potatoes—adding more than 700 calories." -Foodreference.com
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Simple Eggplant Casserole
1 medium eggplant
12 saltine crackers
1 egg
1 cup of grated cheese
1 cup of milk
3 tbsp. margarine
Cook diced eggplant in water until transparent or done.
Drain and add broken saltine crackers
beaten egg, cheese, milk and melted margarine.
Bake in 350 degree {f}preheated oven 30 minutes.
Top with grated cheese or cracker crumbs.
Fried Eggplant Slices
1 medium Eggplant
1 ts Salt
1/2 ts Turmeric (Ground)
1/8 ts Cayenne Pepper
Black pepper
Vegetable Oil
6 Lemon wedges
Cut eggplant into quarters lengthwise & then cut crosswise into 1/2"
thick wedges.
Mix together salt, turmeric, cayenne & black pepper in
a small bowl.
Sprinkle over the eggplant & mix well.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.
When hot, sauté the eggplant in batches on both sides until it turns a
reddish brown.
Remove & drain the eggplant on paper towels. Repeat until all eggplant wedges have been evenly cooked.
Serve garnished with lemon wedges.
Spicy Eggplant and Garlic
Dip
2 eggplant
2 tablespoons fresh mint
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon Cumin (Ground)
3/4 cup low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Place eggplant in a baking dish.
Bake for 25 minutes or until skins are charred
and eggplant very soft.
Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove skins.
Place eggplant flesh, mint, garlic, cumin, yogurt,
lemon juice and black pepper to taste in a food processor
and process until smooth.
Eggplant Dip
1 large Eggplant
2 Garlic cloves
1 Green onion; chopped
1/4 cup Parsley
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Dill weed
Cut the stem off the eggplant and pierce it all over
with a fork.
Place directly on the oven rack in a 350 degree oven.
Bake about 45 minutes or until eggplant is soft and has
wrinkled skin. Don't overcook it.
Remove from oven and cool.
When it is cool enough to handle, peel and chop.
Place in blender with remaining
ingredients and blend until smooth.
Chill before serving.
Eggplant Relish
1 large eggplant
2 Tbs. salt
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup celery, diced
3 tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/3 cup each black & green olives, sliced
1 or more Tbs. Capers
handful of toasted pine nuts
2 Tbs. red wine or Aged Balsamic Vinegar
1 or more Tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp Sweet Basil Dried
salt and pepper to taste
Cut eggplant horizontally into 3/4 inch thick slices.
Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 1/2 hour.
Drain of liquid that has accumulated and pat dry; cut into small cubes.
Sauté eggplant in olive oil until barely golden.
Add onions, & celery and cook about 10 minutes; stir in herbs, salt &
pepper.
Add tomatoes, olives, capers and sauté another 10 minutes over low heat.
(Don't let the mixture get mushy).
Remove from heat, and let cool. Stir in toasted pine nuts, vinegar and
more olive oil if too dry.
- Cut the stem end off from the eggplant.
- Pierce the skin with a fork to prevent it from bursting .
- Coat a baking dish with cooking spray or lightly grease. Place eggplant in the baking dish.
- Place in an oven preheated to 350°F. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, turning once through cooking time.
- Roast until eggplant is very tender when poked with a fork. Cooking time varies depending on the eggplant size .
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand until cooled.
- Peel the skin from the eggplant and then slice, chop or blend for desired use.
The smaller Asian varieties, such as the Chinese and Japanese eggplant, work well for stir-frying.
- Salt the eggplant lightly, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Be sure to wipe the salt off after allowing it to sit. Do not wash the salt off because the eggplant will absorb the water.
- Heat oil - very hot, sizzling and crackling hot.
- When oil is heated, throw the cubed eggplant into the pan and salt to taste.
- Continue to stir as the cubes cook. Cook just until eggplant is a rich golden brown. Eggplant absorbs oil like a sponge, so don't overdo it.
- Serve immediately.
- Dredging eggplant slices in flour or coating with a batter or breadcrumbs will help decrease the amount of oil they absorb when frying.
- Cut into slices and salt the eggplant lightly.
- Brush both sides of the slices with oil.
- Grill or broil using medium hot heat. Turn slices as each side browns.
- Grill or broil until slices are soft and cooked thoroughly.
- Serve immediately.
Eggplant is "meaty" it's texture makes it a perfect vegetarian main-dish.
Do not use aluminum cookware when cooking eggplant because it can discolor the cookware.
2 1/2 lb Eggplant
1/3 cup of Olive oil
1/4 cup of Italian parsley
Salt; to taste
Parsley; finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
If using a large eggplant, remove the stems,
then slice the eggplants horizontally 1/2" thick.
Small eggplants should be sliced vertically 1/2" thick.
Place the eggplant slices in a large, heavy plastic bag such as a
freezer bag.
Add the olive oil, salt and pepper to the bag, close the
top and toss the eggplant with the seasonings until the slices are
evenly coated.
Preheat a grill. Grill the eggplant slices over
medium-high heat until tender and attractively browned.
Do not allow them to char.
Layer the grilled eggplant slices in a large, shallow plastic
container and sprinkle each layer with the parsley.
Alternatively, arrange the slices on a platter and sprinkle with
parsley.
Serve at room temperature.
Eggplant Pickles
6 To 8 small eggplants - stems removed (2 lbs)
3 cups of Water
1 tbsp Salt
1/2 cup of Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup of Celery leaves, chopped
1/3 cup of Fresh mint, coarsely chopped
6 Cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tbsp Hot red chili flakes
1/2 tbsp Salt
1 ts Dried marjoram
1 cup To 2 cup white or cider vinegar
Cut 3-4 incisions into 1 side of each eggplant,
1-" long & 1-" deep.
Bring water to a boil in pan w/1 tbsp salt.
Add eggplant, cover pan, & cook over moderate
heat for 5 mins.
This should be enough to make eggplant soft
but still firm. Drain well and cool.
Put eggplant on cloth towel & press down w/heavy
plate for 15 mins to squeeze out excess water. Set aside.
Mix parsley, celery, mint, garlic, chili flakes, salt,
and marjoram together.
Stuff 1 heaping teaspoon of mixture into each of the incisions in
eggplants.
Fit eggplants into a glass jar & add enough vinegar to cover
them. Cover jar.
Let pickle stand at room temp 15 to 20 days to mature.
Refrigerate after opening.
Eggplant Appetizers
1 lg Eggplant; about 1-1/2 lb
3 tb Olive oil
1 8 oz can Tomato sauce
3 clove Garlic; pressed
1 Green bell pepper-seeded-chopped
1 tb Ground cumin
1/4 ts Cayenne; or to taste
2 ts Sugar
2 ts Salt
1/4 c Red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped Cilantroleaves
Dice eggplant (unpeeled), discarding ends.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add garlic and stir . Add eggplant and stir briefly
to coat with oil.
Add tomato sauce, bell pepper, cumin, cayenne, sugar, salt
and vinegar.
Cook, covered, over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Uncover, raise heat and boil, stirring, until reduced to about 3 cups.
Cover and chill well. Just before serving, stir in chopped
cilantro.
Serve with wedges of pita French bread, or pumpernickel. Or with carrot,
zucchini and celery strips for dipping.
Keeps very well.
2 Medium Large Eggplant
2 Slices of Stale bread Made Into Crumbs
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1/4 Cup Parsley, Finely Chopped
2/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated
Salt & Pepper
1 Cup Bread Crumbs For Coating
Oil for Frying
1 (16oz) Can Chopped Italian Tomatoes
2-3 tbsp virgin olive oil
2 Cloves of Garlic Minced
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
Salt & Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley or Basil
Directions
Directions Bake the eggplant in a 375 degree F. oven for 45 minutes or until tender when pricked with
a fork Cool, then remove skin and place the pulp in a food processor.
Add the bread crumbs made from the stale bread, garlic, parsley, cheese and pulse.
Taste and add seasoning. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Roll into small log shapes about 3 inches long, then roll in the remaining bread crumbs.
Add more bread crumbs as needed.
When all the polpette are made, fry them in oil until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels and keep warm in the oven until serving if desired.
Do not add the sauce until just before serving, or the polpette will become soggy. .
To prepare the sauce:
Heat the oil in a small saucepan.
Add the garlic and once sizzling add the tomatoes, parsley, and seasoning.
Cook for 15 minutes until thickened.
Drizzle over the croquets just before serving. .
-Sprinkle cheese over eggplant and place, covered, in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for 20 minutes.
Remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes, until bubbly and golden.
Romanian eggplant salad - frugal cooking
Eggplant Paste -enjoyyourcooking.com
Chinese Eggplant, Flash Frying -Melissas.com
Roasted Onion and Eggplant -bestsoulfoodrecipes.com
Eggplant Stuffed Peppers - esmartweb.com
Roasting Eggplant in the Microwave - chowhound.com
How to peel an Eggplant - Video - eHow.com
Cooking Tips : How to Dice Purple Eggplant - You Tube
Why do you salt eggplant before cooking? -Yahoo Answers
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