How do you cook your eggplant? Do you have to soak in salt, or what is the trick?

[Karen May Jones]

What is a good way to slip eggplant into a pasta dish? I made a pasta dish with sausage and red sauce and baked chunks of eggplant. My daughter complained of it being bitter. I've never made eggplant again, but I have seen it online and on hells kitchen. I have seen people saturate eggplant and green tomatoes with salt and rinse/pat before cooking them to make them taste better.... but then again, I didn't notice them do that on hells kitchen. Gordon ramsay said over cooking the eggplant makes it bitter. Do you guys have a good relationship with eggplant? Any tried and true ways of getting it into a recipe. I have been slowly introducing new foods to my finicky family member. I would appreciate your recommendations before I grab some of these beauties from the farmers sale.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Vegetable oil, a high temp and fry them. This allows for a minimal breading, should one choose. Or other tasty spices without breading, but a crusty finish which is critical. Nothing worse than goopy acidic eggplant. Obviously having mentioned the acidity, baking soda might find a way into your recipe rather than salt with good effect on the acidity.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Usually recipes will tell you what to do with it. I sometime will marinated slices of it n olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder, or Italian dressing then gill it. Sometime I will cube it up and just toss it into tomato sauce for over pasta. With eggplant parm it says to salt it so some of the juices run, then its breaded and fried, then layered with tomato sauce and cheese. There is a eggplant casserole I have made years ago, with cubed salted and drained, with a light tomato sauce and cheese then baked. One of the chefs Laura Caulder has some neat stuff she does with it. Have seen it just whole laid on the grill, turned a few times till juices run some, then its done.

 

[Tjohn]

The skin is the bitter part, so you might want to peel it first. Or just dip in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs and either bake or fry ( careful of too much oil, eggplant acts like a sponge). Choose younger fruit, too, since the seeds can be bitter.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

The skin is the bitter part, so you might want to peel it first. Or just dip in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs and either bake or fry ( careful of too much oil, eggplant acts like a sponge). Choose younger fruit, too, since the seeds can be bitter.

Recently got some fresh grown eggplant from a local grower , the skin was wonderful. in fact my husband said, "he was not eating it if it was bitter" It was not. So, its where you get it. If a good farmer limes his soil that will help the veggies to be sweeter.

 

[La Garden]

I make a big show of the slicing dicing chopping and cutting. Then when no one is looking I take it and quickly slide it into the trash can then replace with an eatable vegetable, like squash or potato.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I make a big show of the slicing dicing chopping and cutting. Then when no one is looking I take it and quickly slide it into the trash can then replace with an eatable vegetable, like squash or potato.

Why?

 

[DirtMechanic]

I make a big show of the slicing dicing chopping and cutting. Then when no one is looking I take it and quickly slide it into the trash can then replace with an eatable vegetable, like squash or potato.

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