Eggplant recipes

We ended up getting many eggplants this year. Eggplants–aubergines–are wonderful vegetables. They belong to the same family as potatoes, tomatoes and capsicum or bell peppers–the night-shade family of vegetables and they are native to India and Sri Lanka. They were introduced to the southern mediterranean and the western world by Arab traders plying the Indian ocean. Because their meat is spongy and soft they absorb a lot of fat or oil which makes dishes tasty but high in fat content. So don’t fry or sautee eggplant. The best way to cook eggplants is to use them in stews such as the mediterranean ratatouille or how we cook them in India–broil them. Here are two basic recipes to cook eggplant.

Broiled Eggplant

1. Wash and cut eggplant into rounds of 3/4 inch thickness.

2. Rub salt on the pieces and let them sit for at least 30 minutes. This takes out the bitterness of the tiny seeds and also textures the flesh and makes it soft, leeching out any moisture content.

3. Wash the pieces in cold water and pat them dry with a paper-towel.

4. Preheat the broiler and prepare the broiling sauce. Mix 2 Tbsps olive or vegetable oil with 1 Tblsp balsamic vinegar or lemon juice. Make a nice emulsion. Add grated garlic (4 cloves), paprika (to taste), salt (to taste), crushed red pepper (to taste). Mix everything really well.

5. Lightly spray the base of a thick-bottomed broiling pan and arrange the eggplant pieces. Brush the top with the broiling sauce. Turn over and brush the other side with the sauce as well.

6. Put the pan inside the preheated broiler (either the oven set on broiling or broiler itself). Broil (500F) each side for about 6-8 minutes. Test with a fork to see if the flesh is tender. It should be in about 15 minutes.

7. Eat with risotto, rice, paella, pita bread, or in your regular wheat bread sandwich. Broiled eggplant tastes excellent with tahini (sesame seed paste), hummus (chick peas paste), or thick yogurt salad with cucumber (tzatziki).

Broiled eggplant is low in fat, high in folic acid, and the good cholestrol.

Broiled and Crushed Eggplant

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Cut eggplant lengthwise into two halves. Rub with salt and let sit for half an hour.

3. Rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towel.

4. Brush lightly with olive oil and broil for 12-15 minutes. Watch the broiler to make sure that the pieces do not burn. Rotate the pan if necessary.

5. Take out the pieces from the broiler, let sit for 10 minutes to cool. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon.  Tranfer to a clean bowl.

6. If the skin is burned, discard it. If usable and soft, chop into fine pieces. You can use them in the dish.

7. In a sauteeing pan, add 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Keep temperature around the half-way point. Add a few mustard seeds. Cover the pan so they don’t splatter all over the place. Turn down the heat. Add minced onions (half cup), grated garlic (1 Tbsp), green pepper (1 finely chopped), crushed red pepper (to taste), turmeric (a pinch), cumin (a tiny pinch), salt (to taste). Cook in slow, low heat. When the onions are translucent add the scooped-out flesh of the eggplant into the onion mixture. Mix well. Keep heat low. Add chopped cilantro. Mix well. Cook for 5-10 minutes on low heat. Do not cook over high heat.

8. Serve with rice, pita bread and yogurt and cucumber salad. This also tastes excellent as a dip for crackers or baguette.

Variations to the above recipe.

1. Vary the basic recipe by adding fresh, chopped tomatoes to the mix.Mix well. Add fresh mint.

1. Vary the basic recipe by adding one Tbsp of yogurt. If adding yogurt, wait until the dish is completely cooled to room temperature. Add fresh mint leaves. Never add yogurt to anything that is hot.  That’ll curdle the yogurt.