Aubergine! Aubergine!
Sorry about the lateness of this post. Please to not be using the subject matter on me.

Disclaimer: I looooooooove eggplant. It is one of my favorite vegetables. So settle in. *g*

A note on eggplant and bitterness: I always used to pre-salt eggplant to draw out the bitter liquid that can make some varieties taste pretty bad (so. very. tedious.), but never bother now. That's is because I try to use

Japanese



or Turkish (also called Rosa Bianca)



eggplants whenever I can. (I have no idea if these names are correct -- that's what the growers at the farmer's market call them.) These are pretty much never bitter, unless they've been sitting around a long, long time. The bitterness in eggplant flesh increases with increasing size, I think, so even if I can only get globe eggplants, I always try to get small ones that are less than a pound (preferably less than a half pound). If all that are available are monster-sized, I cook something else.

First off, I posted one of my favorite eggplant recipes a while back: that would be for Eggplant and Zucchini Gratin. One of the best things about eggplant? It loves cheese and vice versa. Oh, there is no bad there.

Eggplant makes a great dip:



Melanzana by way of Babaghanoush

This is a sort of hybrid of these two Mediterranean-style dips.

1 pound eggplant
6 garlic cloves, sliced
4 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling eggplant
3 tablespoons (or so) fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (or so)
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
paprika for garnish

Coat eggplants in olive oil. Make slits in each eggplant and insert garlic slices. Place the eggplants in a 350ºF oven for 45 minutes to an hour, till roasted soft.

Cool and peel skin off the eggplants - don't worry about removing it all. Coarsely puree eggplant flesh with the roasted garlic in a food processor. Add the tahini, 2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, and seasonings. Taste for seasoning, adding salt or lemon juice as necessary. Add the parsley and process in small bursts, just to mix.

Spoon the dip into a bowl, drizzle with remaining tablespoon of oil, and sprinkle with paprika. V. good with pita bread or pita or bagel chips.

Yum!


One of my favorite spaghetti sauces is a simple combination of cubed and sauteed eggplant (season with salt snd pepper), cubed feta, and either fresh tomatoes or your favorite tomatoe sauce. Eggplant, feta and tomatoes combine beautifully. You can use the same topping for pizza. Mmm.

The other thing I like about eggplant is that it goes well with so many different seasonings. I love both Indian- and Thai-style eggplant. I have a good recipoe for Indian-seasoned eggplant, but I'm still looking for one that duplicates the sweet/tart/spicy eggplant I get at Thai restaurants... (/hint)



Indian-Spiced Eggplant

2 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 pounds eggplant
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Prep: Combine the garam masala, coriander, and turmeric in asmall bowl. In a measuring cup, stir together water, sugar, and vinegar. Cut eggplant into 2-inch pieces.

Heat the butter in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over moderate heat. Add the spices and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add eggplant and salt and toss to coat with the spice mixture. Stir vinegar mixture and add to eggplant mixture. Simmer mixture, covered, without stirring, 10 minutes, or until eggplant is just tender. Uncover skillet and cook eggplant mixture at a rapid simmer, without stirring, until liquid is almost evaporated and eggplant is slightly charred (but not burned) on bottom, about 15 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and let eggplant stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Transfer the eggplant to a serving bowl, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve with rice or lentils.

Also yum!