eggplant help?

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Jason brought this home from work yesterday. I have only eaten eggplant once or twice in my life, and never cooked it myself. I know some of you must have some tried and true recipes to link me to- what should I make this weekend?

13 comments:

  1. Um, ratatouille? :o)

    Personally, I think I'd dip it in egg wash, then bread crumbs with some Italian Seasoning, fry it in olive oil in an iron skillet and put it on some nice buns with some marinara and mozzarella ...vegetarian parmesan sammies, yummm

    Peel the eggplant and slice, lay on a pan and slightly salt. Let sit about half an hour and then blot with a towel to remove excess moisture. Then you're ready to fry.

    If there's not enough eggplant for that, try http://southernfood.about.com/od/eggplantrecipes/Eggplant_Recipes.htm
    for some more ideas.

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  2. you must make baba ganouj!
    there is a link to it on muff. you will love it!

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  3. Grill it whole and make baba ganouj for sure! Or slice it, rub with olive oil and salt, and grill the slices - oh my, eggplant takes on that smokey grill flavor so nicely and the flesh turns creamy and just oh so delicious!!!

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  4. Wish I liked eggplant. When you figure out how to cook it, you will have to let me know and maybe we can try it again. I've never had good luck with it. I think it's a texture thing.

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  5. When you're trying to figure out what to do with the left overs from Amanda's eggplant parm...then check out my veggie burger idea I wrote about last week. That's a very squat and fat eggplant!

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  6. slice it super thin and use as you would lasagna noodles.

    or baba ganouj. mmmmm. we made some the other night and it was divine!

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  7. Caponata!!
    Fantastic spread or just layer over pasta.
    Here's the link
    http://www.italianfoodforever.com/iff2008/index.php?view=article&catid=43%3Acantipasti&id=80%3Acaponata&option=com_content&Itemid=65

    Connie

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  8. soooo....what did you make?!

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  9. I love eggplant parm...I've eaten it more times than I can remember.. Where's my previous post? Haben Sie Ihren Sinn für Humor verloren? Oder sind Sie aufgebracht, wenn jemand Ihre Praxis befragt, Ihre Kinder zu erziehen?

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  10. Pops- it sounds like maybe you tried posting a comment and it didn't show up? Sometimes that can happen. I only delete them if they are obvious spam.

    Mein Sinn für Humor ist gerade fein, ich versichere Sie! Ich würde lieben, Ihre Gedanken bezüglich der Ausbildung meiner Kinder zu hören.

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  11. Ok! Sorry! LYT!

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  12. Another Caponata recipe (there are a gazillion variations out there):

    1 medium eggplant, peeled & cubed
    1.5 tsp. coarse salt
    3 Tbsp. olive oil
    1 small onion, chopped
    2 garlic cloves, minced
    black pepper to taste
    1 celery stalk, diced
    1/2 red bell pepper, stemmed and diced
    2 ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
    1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
    1-2 Tbsp. toasted pine nuts (optional)
    1-2 Tbsp. golden raisins (optional)
    handful fresh parsley, chopped

    1. In a colander, toss the eggplant with the salt; let it stand in the sink for at least 30 minutes. Rinse well under cold running water; drain and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

    2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat the oil and add the eggplant, stirring and shaking almost constantly, until it absorbs all the oil and begins to brown and soften. Add the black pepper, onion, garlic, red pepper, celery and tomatoes, and continue to cook until all the vegetables soften and the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Do not overcook - the vegetables should remain distinct.

    3. Add the vinegar, nuts, raisins, and parsley; remove from heat. Serve over pasta or toasted bread.

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