Eggplant Recipes

[Mischka]

Post your favorite eggplant recipes here. :wink:

[nctomatoman]

We prepare eggplant this way and either eat them as is as a veggie or snack, or use them in Eggplant parmesan dishes.

Bell shaped eggplant (the fresher the better - slender ones work but the slices are so small that this becomes very labor intensive!). We've found that New York Improved, Purple Rain or Zebra, Neon, and Cloud 9 are great for this)
bread crumbs
1 egg
a few tbsp milk
olive oil spray fresh grated Parmesan Reggiano

Be sure to work fast - once you peel the eggplant, many varieties start to brown very quickly.

Cut the ends off of an eggplant, then peel off the skin.
Slice into round 1/8 to 1/4 inch even slices (if you like your eggplant crisp, go thinner; a bit more fluffy, thicker).
Beat the egg and milk till combined in a shallow bowl. Use 2 eggs if you are making lots of this.
Have a plate with bread crumbs nearby.
Spray baking sheets with Pam spray.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Dip the eggplant slices in the egg/milk, then coat each slice with breadcrumbs. (we use the Italian seasoned crumbs). Place eat coated slice on the baking sheets.

If you are going to eat these straight, sprinkle an ample amount of Parmesan on top of each slice. If you are going to use them in Eggplant Parmesan, skip that step.

No matter if they are cheesed or not, spray each slice with a bit of olive oil mist.

Bake for about 15-20 min - if you like them more browned or crisper, give them 5 more min - or put then under the broiler for a few min (watch carefully!).

These are addictive - not bitter at all - in fact, sweet! There is no need to salt fresh eggplant - hence that step skipped in the above recipe.

[Raymondo]

This is a recipe for a delicious pasta sauce.
1 lage eggplant cubed
1 medium onion finely chopped
Garlic, as much as you want, minced
1 handfull of pinenuts
1 handfull of peas, either fresh-shelled or frozen
Several tomatoes chopped
1 tblspn tomato paste or a handfull dried tomatoes soaked in a little boiling water
1 (or more) fresh chilli finely chopped
juice of one lemon (optional)
Good oil for cooking (I use a good evoo for this)
1 tblspn sugar (optional)
Salt to taste

Roast the pinenuts till golden and set aside.
Add some oil to a heavy pan and fry eggplant till golden and cooked through. Set aside to drain of oil. If needed, add little more oil to pan, add onions and garlic and fry till they just start to turn. Add the chilli and cook briefly to release the oils. Add the sugar, tomatoes and tomato paste/dried tomatoes and cook for 5 to 10 mins. Add the peas and cook till almost done. If using frozen peas, add them later. Add eggplant and cook till eggplant starts to disintegrate. Add whatever amount of salt you like to bring out the flavours and the lemon juice. Cook for a minute or two longer, add pinenuts, mix well, then spoon over your perfectly cooked pasta.

Enjoy!

[Sorellina]

Here's my recipe for Caponata, including steps for canning it if that's a goal. Keep in mind that, unlike jam and jelly recipes, this one CAN be cut down if you don't make food in Italian quantities, lol.

12 C. cubed eggplant, preferably a variety low in seeds
2 Tbsp. pickling salt or other coarse-textured salt
1/4 C. + 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 C. + 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
2 C. balsamic vinegar
6 C. chopped onion
3 C. chopped green or other sweet bell pepper
3 C. chopped red or other sweet bell pepper
12 C. peeled, seeded, and diced tomato, reserve juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 C. fresh oregano, minced
1/4 C. fresh basil, minced
1/2 C. garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 C. Italian parsley, chopped
3 C. Kalamata olives, seeded and minced
1 C. capers, drained
1/2 C. tomato paste

Place eggplant in a colander, sprinkle with coarse salt, and let drain for 2 hours. Rinse twice, drain thoroughly, and pat dry with paper towels.

Place eggplant, onion, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, olives, capers, spices, and herbs into a large roasting pan.

Heat vinegar, sugar, and oil in a microwavable container until hot , about a minute and pour over vegetables. Bake in a 350F (180C) oven for about 1 1/2 hours or until vegetables are softened and liquid has evaporated, stirring every 20 minutes. Add in reserved tomato juice in small amounts at a time if vegetables start getting dry too quickly. Remove pan from oven and stir in tomato paste.

Remove heated canning jars from canner (I use 500 ml jars for this) and spoon caponata into jars to within 1/2" (1cm) of rim. Wipe rims, place lids, and screw on rings. Process for 15 minutes for half-pint (250 ml) and 20 minutes for pint (500 ml) jars. Remove from canner onto a cookie sheet covered with a layer of paper towels to cool completely. You should hear a snap as the lids seal within 24 hours. Check for seals before storing.

This recipe makes 1 dozen 500 ml jars, give or take. Caponata is excellent on simple crackers as a snack to remind you of summer. You can also use it for making crostini, broiled slices of baguette with caponata spread on top as an appetizer.

Buon appetito!

[giardiniere]

Ciao Julianna

Thanks for the caponata recipe. It sounds a lot like my Aunt Josie's. I was looking for it a few nights ago, but couldn't find it.

[Althea]

Moussaka
(for 6)

2 medium eggplants
salt
5 tbls olive oil
1 large onion or 2 medium shallots chopped
3/4 grouond beef or lamb
1 tbls tomato paste
pinch of cinnamom
1 tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
2tbls parsley, chopped
1/4 cup beef broth or water

2 tbls butter
2 tbls flour
1 cup hot milk
1 egg yolk
pinch of grated nutmeg

Cut stem off eggplant. Slice eggplant thinly, sprinkle with salt and put in a collander, weigh down with a heavy plate and let drain for 1 hour. Squeeze, rinse with cold water and pat dry.

Heat 3 tbls oil in a skillet, saute eggplant slices on both sides until light golden. Remove from skillet and reserve. Add remaining oil to skillet, add onion, saute until light golden, add meat, cook while stirring until browned. Stir in tomato paste, cinnamon, chopped tomato, parsley, season with salt and pepper, add broth, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Put a layer of eggplant slices in a baking dish, spread some of the meat mixture on top, another layer of eggplant, and continue until all ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of eggplant.

Melt butter in a small saucepan, add flour, stir and cook for 2 minutes - do not let brown. Gradually add hot milk, stir constantly and simmer while stirring until mixture is smooth. Add nutmeg. Mix egg yolk with a little of this white sauce, remove sauce from fire and blend in egg yolk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over eggplant and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes until the top is golden brown.

This recipe is from "The Mid-Eastern Cuisine I Love" by Jules J. Bond

[Cyn]

We love eggplant and I am going to grow my first ones this year - fingers crossed.

One very easy way to cook is to slice into big rounds - perhaps up to 1 inch thick, lightly oil the slices - we use olive oil. Then pop them on a hot grill.

They cook quickly and then can be eaten as is with a bit of salt & pepper, or added to your favorite eggplant dish.
Cyn

[Cecilia_MD7a]

OK, here's my favorite:

Slice eggplant into 3/4" thick rounds.

Combine equal parts (maybe 1/2 cup each) olive oil, low-sodium soy sauce, chopped garlic, and chopped rosemary in a blender.

Pour liquid over eggplant slices and marinate briefly.

Grill slices until soft.

I usually grill them indoors on a George Foreman grill, but have used an outdoor grill, too.

The marinade also works well with zucchini and other summer squashes, and is delicious on salmon.

[JohnF]

Baba Ghanouj

About 2 lbs. of eggplants- I use globe and/or oriental types
3 TBS olive oil
2 TBS tahini ( sesame paste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
juice of 1 lemon
salt and cayenne to taste
2 TBS chopped cilantro

Cut eggplants in half and brush lightly with part of the oil. Place cut side down on baking sheeet and roast at 375 F until very soft--about 1/2 hour. let cool

Scrape flesh of eggplants out of skins and chop finely ( it should be very soft and not require much chopping) . In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients except cilantro and mix well. Add the eggplant and mix. Let sit at room temp for an hour and then taste for lemon, salt, and cayenne. Garnish with cilantro.

We like this as a dip for baked pita bread chips . We add a bowl of humus and a plate of sliced tomatoes and cukes from the garden for a nice light summer supper.

[Earl]

My wife Kathy makes great eggplant casserole. I'll see if she'll let me have it to post. :-)

[FlipTX]

I'm nuts for eggplant sandwiches. I just slice them about 1/3" thick, brush with olive oil, sprinkle on some steak seasoning (I like the kind with MSG but ymmv!) and cook on one of those ridged grill pans till you get some nice sear marks. Serve on slices of crusty toasted bread with slices of roasted peppers, fresh mozarella, and a pesto/mayo spread.

[Bryan24]

When ever I grill them, They disintigrate on the grill(all stringy and such). Am I not waiting till ripe enough? Or maybe too ripe? How do I tell? What did I do wrong?

Ohhh, the agony....

laurel-tx

[chilhuacle]

Tried this last night with Millionaire Eggplant. Peeled, cut into 2" sections then quartered. Strips were about ½” by ½” by 2”. Delicious!

Thai Eggplant with Basil & Red Pepper

Serves 8

2 medium organic eggplants, cut into 2 inch long strips
½ tablespoon organic minced garlic
1 jalapeño pepper (red if available), cut into thin slivers
¼ tablespoon crushed chilies
1/8 cup peanut oil
½ cup water
¼ tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
1 small handful Thai or regular basil leaves

Heat the oil in wok over high heat. Add garlic, jalapeno strips, and crushed chilies. Stir for 30 seconds and then stir in the eggplant strips. Saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the water, cover and let steam until eggplant is tender. Stir in the sugar and tamari. Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves.
This recipe was posted on 2005-07-08 17:32:50

From:
http://www.seward.coop

[chilhuacle]

Originally Posted by Laurel

When ever I grill them, They disintigrate on the grill(all stringy and such). Am I not waiting till ripe enough? Or maybe too ripe? How do I tell? What did I do wrong?

The only time I grill them is for something like Baba Ghanouj. High heat, whole, just to blister/blacken the skins and lightly cook the flesh. I haven't had much luck either with grilling slices to make them edible/crispy...I use the broiler for that.

[Sorellina]

Ciao JohnF,

Thanks so much for your Baba Ghanouj recipe! I've got more eggplants than I can deal with at the moment and this worked out great for us last night. I doubled the recipe and used the BBQ to roast the eggplants. Our grill has a temperature setting, thankfully, so I roasted them at 350-375F for 45 minutes, turning them after 20 minutes. The eggplants I used were Violetta Lunga and Casper, both of which are fairly narrow. I used tongs and visual inspection to determine if they were soft enough. I also wrapped each eggplant in foil after cutting them longways and brushing with olive oil. I used a blender to make the dip creamy rather than chunky, but I may try it the other way in the future.