Eggplant

[Rosyrain]

I love the way eggplant looks and have been tempted many times to try it, but I am not sure if I would like it. What does it taste like, and does anyone have a really good recipe for it that I could try out?

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I love mine on a grill. Slice it about 1/2 inch think, long ways, or across. drizzle some good olive oil in a shallow pan, let a cut side rest in the olive oil, drizzle more on top of the other cut side. then you can wing it from there, You choice, drizzle with Italian salad dressing, or just powdered garlic, and salt and some herb. Let the eggplant suck in some of the oil. Get the grill going, and put them on turning them in about 5 mins, you need it to brown some on both sides. I love eating them with a good steak. And as I will have extra, they taste wonderful --cold--- in a sandwich with good bread, slice of tomato , some cheese and mayo. Or you could grill lots of them, and do a layering with cheese and tomato sauce then bake it till it bubbles and put over pasta.
There is an eggplant dip you can make, look it up.

 

[Trellum]

My grandma used to bake eggplants, fill them with some meat and just bake them. To be honest I have never lied eggplants, the flavour is ok, but not the texture. The flavour makes me think of an hybrid between a squash and a cucumber

 

[Beth_B]

I'm growing eggplants again this year.
They are very mild-flavored; sort of like tofu they need seasoning and will absorb flavor from whatever you cook them with.. I cook them in ratatouille, or grilled/fried like Esther says and they are indeed great cold that way. I've also had deep-fried eggplant slices. You can also use eggplants as a replacement for pasta, as in lasagna.
The eggplant dip is called baba ganoush; google that and there's lots of recipes. It's very simple.

 

[headfullofbees]

I used some of my aubergines last night in an improvised ratatouille type bake, which had with crusty bread.
My wife thought it delicious, but it was very simple.
For two good portions:
1 large homegrown onion
2 small green homegrown peppers
1 small homegrown courgette
1 med homegrown aubergine
5 med homegrown tomatoes
3 cloves homegrown garlic
I small bunch homegrown basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large ribbon of tomato puree.
A little rapeseed oil
A little olive oil.
6 oz (170ml) water

Chop into large chunks all the veg, crush the garlic and shred the basil
Fry all the veg so that they soften together, i.e. add them to a medium hot frying pan containing the rapeseed oil in the following order:
Onion
Peppers
Courgette
Aubergine
Tomatoes
Then add the garlic, stir them all together for a minute and add tomato puree and water.
Turn up the heat to boil off most of the liquid and season with salt and pepper.
When the liquid has thickened, remove from the heat.
Place in ovenproof container, a pyrex-type dish, and stir in the basil.
Put in the oven, uncovered, at 160 C (300F) for 35 mins to slightly caramelise.
Remove from oven and stir in a good glug of olive oil and serve with crusty bread cut thick and rustic. (Sounds like it will be too fatty, but because you don't butter the crusty bread and instead mop up the sauce with it, it isn't.)
Delicious, unpretentious peasant food.
By all means have meat with it, and pork, beef or chicken will work well, and if you do, it would probably be enough for a family of four.

 

[Rosyrain]

Sounds like eggplant is a wonderful veggie to work with I am going to purchase one and experiment with it. Now that I know that the flavor is mild, I can work with that and come up with something tasty to eat.

 

[DeborahJane]

I have a nice recipe for an eggplant fish curry using coconut milk you guys have reminded me of. It was given to me by a lovley co worker from China several years ago. From memory you fry up onion, garlic and slices of eggplant, add curry powder and fry again. Add sliced fish, fry quickly and add coconut milk or cream, not sure if you thicken with cornflour. Really yummy served with rice. Guess what we'll be having soon. Thanks for the reminder Rosyrain. And ratatoulii too. Great vegetarian pasta. Maybe I'll try growing eggplant this season too.

 

[Mint]

Eggplants are great for stews. I usually cut up one or two of them and throw it in my stews. Works for both vegetable and meat stews and I love the taste in there.

 

[IcyBC]

I love eggplants and I usually sliced them, brushed some olive oil on them, seasoned them with salt and pepper, and then just tossed them in the oven for a few minutes. They are light and delicious. My daughter does the same but she has cheese toppings on hers.

 

[Rosyrain]

I have a nice recipe for an eggplant fish curry using coconut milk you guys have reminded me of. It was given to me by a lovley co worker from China several years ago. From memory you fry up onion, garlic and slices of eggplant, add curry powder and fry again. Add sliced fish, fry quickly and add coconut milk or cream, not sure if you thicken with cornflour. Really yummy served with rice. Guess what we'll be having soon. Thanks for the reminder Rosyrain. And ratatoulii too. Great vegetarian pasta. Maybe I'll try growing eggplant this season too.

Curry is something that I need to get into the habit of making. I love the taste of it and enjoy having it with some of my Indian friends, but never think much about making in my own home. Curry goes with a lot of vegetables and would make eating healthy so much more tasty.

 

[Beth_B]

Curry is something that I need to get into the habit of making. I love the taste of it and enjoy having it with some of my Indian friends, but never think much about making in my own home. Curry goes with a lot of vegetables and would make eating healthy so much more tasty.

I cook a lot of curried vegetable meals, with the right spices a potato or two makes a great and very inexpensive dinner!
@DeborahJane's recipe, I would think that no thickener is required. I cook quite a lot of Thai/Indian recipes and coconut milk by itself needs no thickening. its rich enough on its own.
Two nights ago I roasted one of my eggplants as @IcyBC described, along with a zucchini from my garden, a couple of tomatoes ditto, a potato and some onion. Was excellent.

 

[Arielphf]

I'm growing eggplant this year, a lovely Japanese variety that doesn't get very big. It's a wonderful vegetable and is perfect as an addition into stews and sauces, really any tomato based things - I use it in my spaghetti sauce along with summer squash - it makes a wonderful change from just plain tomato sauce. I also make ratatouille - one of the most amazing tasting veggie dishes there is.

One thing to consider when growing eggplant, they are very susceptible to flea beetles in spring and verticillium wilt in summer. Make sure you plant them in soils that don't have these two problems and you should be able to grow these plants easily.

 

[headfullofbees]

I'm growing eggplant this year, a lovely Japanese variety that doesn't get very big. It's a wonderful vegetable and is perfect as an addition into stews and sauces, really any tomato based things - I use it in my spaghetti sauce along with summer squash - it makes a wonderful change from just plain tomato sauce. I also make ratatouille - one of the most amazing tasting veggie dishes there is.

One thing to consider when growing eggplant, they are very susceptible to flea beetles in spring and verticillium wilt in summer. Make sure you plant them in soils that don't have these two problems and you should be able to grow these plants easily.

Because they like a good drink, but don't like to stay soggy, they are ideal for growing in containers, which helps keep down the verticillium.

 

[Arielphf]

Because they like a good drink, but don't like to stay soggy, they are ideal for growing in containers, which helps keep down the verticillium.

That's a really good idea! I planted potatoes in bags on the porch this year - maybe I'll try eggplant next year. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[ChanellG]

Eggplant is its own unique flavor and texture. If you are someone who appreciates the taste of foods without a lot of seasoning, you could simply slice and then grill/roast/saute it until soft all the way through and have it with a bit of garlic, olive oil, salt/lemon. If you prefer your food highly seasoned, try it in marinara. Just be sure it is cooked all the way through.