Eggplant

I never bother to salt to it like they show in the video. You can just slice it thin, dip each slice in a whisked egg and then fry the slices in some hot oil with a lot of garlic until golden brown. Serve warm with some grated Italian cheese and a sprinkling of oregano and/or basil.

put it on a 2' x 2' plywood board, set the oven on 420, put it on the top rack for 2 hrs. take it out and let it cool. throw away the eggplant, eat the board.

Thanks to you both! Maybe I will get some more eggplant and try it different ways to see which my family and I like better!

ya cant eat an eggplant. Itll kill ya. All that purple is deadly. My grandad ate ;lots of eggplant and hes dead so there!

sounds a bit like my fathers recipe for carp, stuff a carp with 2 pounds of fresh cow manure, bake at 350 for 2 hours, remove from oven, remove cow manure from the carp, throw away the carp, enjoy the cow manure

yeah, carp/eggplant, same thing.

Q. I have been drinking “eggplant water” I made from floating half a dozen thinly sliced pieces of eggplant on top of two or three quarts of water. I have been drinking 60 ounces daily for about two weeks.

My weight dropped 7 pounds, and my blood pressure is down from 150/80 to 124/66. This might be helping my insulin resistance, which made it hard for me to lose weight before.

A. When cells don’t respond efficiently to insulin, blood-sugar control is more difficult. Losing weight is also more challenging, but people who shed pounds often lower their blood pressure.

You are not the first reader to mention eggplant water for hypertension, but the previous recipe called for just one ounce daily, not 60. Compounds in eggplant may work like certain blood pressure medicines (ACE inhibitors such as lisinopril) and may also help with insulin resistance (Bioresource Technology, May 2008).
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/mar/17/will-eggplant-water-lower-blood-pressure/

A question: remove the skin before cooking or leave it on?
I notice that the folk in the second video prefer to leave it on, for extra flavour, but the cook removes it.

I've always understood that leaving it on was the preferred way, but have had some awful results: tough, leathery, inedible skin. (In one dish I cooked, I actually removed the eggplant after the rest of the ingredients were cooked & gave it a hefty blast in the microwave to soften it. Then returned it to the dish.)

What do you do? Using "traditional" eggplants & also the small, long Japanese ones? Like these:


http://www.abc.net.au/tv/cookandchef/txt/s1917218.htm

Is there any way the skin can be softened before cooking?

I notice that in this recipe for Moussaka (yum!) the cook removes strips of the skin & leaves some on.


http://greekfood.about.com/od/eggplant/r/moussaka.htm

I've been leaving the skin on the small Japanese style eggplants I've harvested from my garden. The skins are still very tender.

If I buy the bigger eggplants, it depends on what type of dish I'm using it in and what type of texture I want. If I dice it up in small bits, I leave the skins on. If I'm cutting it in planks, I'll take a look at the skin to see how thick and rubbery it is and remove it if it is inedible.

Here's my old rice with eggplant recipe and thread -

http://able2know.org/topic/17425-1

I muchly prefer aubergines.

They make a tidy base for chicken parmigiana.

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/8968/chicken+parmigiana

This recipe is somewhat aptly upside down imltho.

I agree that sounds much better to me, much as courgette has a certain niftiness over zucchini. Probably comes from my not knowing a lick of french, including basic pronunciation. About time I learned at least that.

My science side prefers Solanum melongena, now that I looked up aubergine to be sure it wasn't a zucchini. Or zucchino.

I once had an amazing pizza in Mendicino. Fresh herbs, tiny tomatoes and ham on thin sliced eggplant (instead of tomato sauce) and baked in a wood fired oven. Yummy!

Best eggplant I ever had was at a restaurant, Ca'Brea - a thin slice grilled with fresh mozzarella on top. I tried to reproduce that, and it wasn't as wonderful.

I've run across another recipe, and an article that says eggplant water (huh?) is good for high blood pressure.


The recipe that looks good to me -
Polpette di Melanzane with Sugo di Pomodoro



perhaps not all that easy in terms of time, but I'm keeping the link in case I get all eggplant enthused..

http://www.sfgate.com/food/recipes/detail.html?p=detail&rid=18320&sorig=qs


From Bar Bambino chef Elizabeth Binder. The sugo can be made a day or two ahead. The eggplant balls are best served immediately after cooking, but they can be fried a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate, then re-crisp them in a 375 degree oven before finishing them in the sauce.
Ingredients:

Sugo di pomodoro:
2 28-ounce cans Italian tomatoes (preferably San Marzano variety)
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 sprigs fresh basil
Polpette:
3 pounds globe eggplant (about 4 medium-size), peeled and cut in half lengthwise
4 large eggs
1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese + shaved Pecorino for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
1/3 cup currants, soaked in warm water for 1 hour, drained
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
3/4 cup fresh lightly toasted bread crumbs + 2 more cups for breading (see Note)
-- Sea salt and ground black pepper
-- All-purpose flour for dusting, about 1/2 cup
-- Pure olive oil (or canola or vegetable oil) for deep frying
-- High-quality fruity extra virgin olive oil
-- Chopped parsley

Instructions:

For the sugo: Pour the canned tomatoes with their liquid into a large sauce pan. Bring to a slow boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
After cooking, pass tomatoes through a food mill fitted with a large blade (about 1/8 -inch holes). Alternatively, you can pass the tomatoes though a colander using a rubber spatula; discard solids and return the tomato sauce to the pan. Taste, and add salt, sugar and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 2 more minutes, then turn off heat and add several springs of basil. Let stand for about 30 minutes to infuse with flavor. Remove the basil; cover and refrigerate sauce if not using right away. Makes about 4 cups.
For the polpette: Bring 4 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add the eggplant halves, and return water to a boil. Place a heat-resistant plate, weighted with a can if necessary, on top of the eggplant to keep them submerged. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft when pierced with a knife.
Drain the eggplant under cold running water. Once cool enough to handle, place eggplant (2-3 halves per batch) in a clean, lint-free dish towel and wring gently to remove excess water. Repeat until all the eggplant has been wrung dry.
Finely chop the eggplant; place it in a large mixing bowl with 1 egg, the Pecorino, mint, currants, pine nuts and 3/4 cup bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix well. If the mixture feels wet (it should be moist, but free from excess moisture), add additional bread crumbs. Shape the mixture into about 25 balls, each about 1 1/4-inches in diameter.
Set out three shallow bowls: one for flour, one for the 3 remaining eggs (whisk to combine yolk and white), and one for the remaining breadcrumbs. In succession, coat balls with flour, roll in egg, and roll in breadcrumbs to coat completely.
Pour the pure olive oil into a medium frying pan, to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil is hot, but not smoking. Working in batches of 5 or 6 balls at a time, gently roll the balls into the oil and fry until golden brown on all sides, approximately 5-6 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining balls.
To finish: Bring the sugo di pomodoro to a gentle simmer in a large frying pan. The sauce should be thick enough to nicely coat the balls. If the sauce has over-thickened, add a little water or vegetable stock to thin it to desired consistency; if the sauce is too thin, simmer it a bit longer to reduce. Add the eggplant balls to the sauce and simmer gently for approximately 5 minutes until heated through.
Divide the balls and tomato sauce between 6 shallow bowls; drizzle with high-quality fruity extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with parsley, and top with a generous shaving of Pecorino.
Note: For fresh breadcrumbs, cut a crustless batard or similar loaf into large cubes. Pulse in a food processor to reach a medium-fine crumb. Spread the crumbs on rimmed baking sheets and dry in a low oven, stirring once if needed. Cool, then pulse once more to get finer crumbs.
Wine pairing: You won't go wrong with a Sangiovese such as the 2006 Ruffino Tenuta Santedame Chianti Classico Riserva ($33, Ruffino Imports).

Nutrition Information:

Per serving: 406 calories, 16 g protein, 46 g carbohydrate, 20 g fat (5 g saturated), 13 mg cholesterol, 898 mg sodium, 9 g fiber.

Course: Main Dish
Yields: Serves 6


On the eggplant water claim, I dunno. I couldn't immediately find the article I read, but there's plenty out there about the idea, whether or not it is a real phenomenon. For example -
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2009/02/12/will-eggplant-l/

Then there's this just in on an update from Saveur -

http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Eggplant-and-Parsley-Dip-Melintzanosalata?cmpid=enews100610


Photo: Penny De Los Santo)


Eggplant and Parsley Dip (Melintzanosalata)

Chiles lend heat to this smoky dip from Kea, Greece.
Source: Saveur Related Topics: Vegetables Grill/Barbecue Appetizers Greek Easy

2 lbs. eggplant (about 2 large eggplants)
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 green bell pepper, cored and

 roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded, and

 roughly chopped
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,

 to taste
Toasted pita, for serving

1. Build a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to high. Grill eggplants, turning, until charred and soft, 18–20 minutes. Let cool. Peel eggplants; scoop out seeds. Chop eggplants; drain in strainer for 30 minutes.

2. Heat 1⁄4 cup oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers; cook for 10 minutes. Add jalapeños and continue cooking until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl of food processor along with reserved eggplant, remaining oil, parsley, vinegar, and garlic. Process until slightly chunky. Season with salt and pepper. Chill to meld flavors. Serve with pita. 


SERVES 8 – 10