Easy Eggplant Recipes
luv2garden.com - Abigal Gordon's Gardens ®
I generally prefer to grow my own eggplant, but if you are Selecting store bought eggplant, look for heavy, firm fruit with unblemished skin. Seeds in Eggplant are responsible for the bitter taste that sometimes accompanies it when cooked. Male eggplants have fewer seeds than the female, they have a rounder, smoother blossom end or base. The blossom end of a female eggplant is generally indented. Smaller eggplant also have less seeds and are therefore less bitter than larger ones .
Eggplant stores poorly, use a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator where it will keep only a few days. It may however be blanched or steamed then frozen for up to six months. Eggplant is not very high in any vitamin or mineral, but is very filling, while supplying low caloric intake with very little fat, assuming you take it easy on the oils."Eggplant absorbs more fat in cooking than any other vegetable. When researchers deep-fried a serving of eggplant, they found that it absorbed 83 grams of fat in just 70 seconds—four times as much as an equal portion of potatoes—adding more than 700 calories." -Foodreference.com
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Oven-Roasting Eggplant
- Cut the stem end off from the eggplant.
- Pierce the skin with a fork to prevent it from bursting .
- Coat a baking dish with cooking spray or lightly grease. Place eggplant in the baking dish.
- Place in an oven preheated to 350°F. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, turning once through cooking time.
- Roast until eggplant is very tender when poked with a fork. Cooking time varies depending on the eggplant size .
- Remove from the oven and allow to stand until cooled.
- Peel the skin from the eggplant and then slice, chop or blend for desired use.
Stir-frying Eggplant
The smaller Asian varieties, such as the Chinese and Japanese eggplant, work well for stir-frying.
- Salt the eggplant lightly, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Be sure to wipe the salt off after allowing it to sit. Do not wash the salt off because the eggplant will absorb the water.
- Heat oil - very hot, sizzling and crackling hot.
- When oil is heated, throw the cubed eggplant into the pan and salt to taste.
- Continue to stir as the cubes cook. Cook just until eggplant is a rich golden brown. Eggplant absorbs oil like a sponge, so don't overdo it.
- Serve immediately.
- Dredging eggplant slices in flour or coating with a batter or breadcrumbs will help decrease the amount of oil they absorb when frying.
Grilling or Broiling Eggplant
- Cut into slices and salt the eggplant lightly.
- Brush both sides of the slices with oil.
- Grill or broil using medium hot heat. Turn slices as each side browns.
- Grill or broil until slices are soft and cooked thoroughly.
- Serve immediately.
Eggplant is "meaty" it's texture makes it a perfect vegetarian main-dish.
Do not use aluminum cookware when cooking eggplant because it can discolor the cookware.
Roasting Eggplant in the Microwave - chowhound.com
How to peel an Eggplant - Video - eHow.com
Cooking Tips : How to Dice Purple Eggplant - You Tube
Why do you salt eggplant before cooking? -Yahoo Answers
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