What to do with Eggplant

[Le Taz Hot]

I've got several growing in the garden and any day now I'm going to be inundated with them. Now, I LOVE eggplant, the espoused one, however, is not a fan. I have a great recipe for Eggplant Parmesan which he likes but even I can only eat so much of that. So, do you guys have any recipes for people who don't like eggplant but like it the way you make it?

Thanks!

LTH

[phantom power]

1. I like stuffed eggplant

the recipe I use is pretty simple. Hollow out the eggplant, dice up the guts, saute(?) with some italian sausage. Chicken or turkey italian sausage works great. Mix with some water and bread crumbs. How much you use is a matter of taste. I tend to use maybe a cup of bread crumbs per eggplant, or less.

Dump the mix back into the eggplant shells, and cook for a while at 350, or so. You know, make it hot.

I'm sure you could put some cheese on top. I generally don't.

My daughter informs me that it looks like somebody pooped in an eggplant. What can you do.

[rocktivity]

2. I've had an excellent eggplant lasanga

Tasty and filling -- even the meat-eaters liked it!


rocktivity

[GoCubsGo]

12. My brother makes a low-carb version of eggplant lasagna.

He slices the eggplants lengthwise, and uses them in place of the noodles. He cuts them into long, 1/4" slices, sprays them with olive oil Pam, and puts them in a 375 degree oven for 5 mins. on each side. Then, he puts the lasagne together with them.

[rocktivity]

14. That just goes to show you

The eggplant can play the role of either the ground meat OR the noodles!


rocktivity

[grasswire]

3. baba ganouj (delicious spread for pita bread)

I just bought eggplants at Trader Joe's to make this!

Alton Brown's recipe:

1 eggplant
2 cloves garlic
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame butter)
1/2 bunch parsley, leaves only
Salt and pepper


Directions

Pierce some holes in the skin of the eggplant (to avoid explosion) and grill over medium-high heat turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total time for grilling is about 30 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can roast your eggplant in a 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.

Remove eggplant from the grill and let cool.

Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and discard. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and drain for 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the eggplant flesh. Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Adjust the flavor with more Tahini or lemon juice if you prefer. If it's bitter, some sugar or honey will help. Research shows that the white variety of plant is sweeter in flavor.

[grasswire]

4. I would add some olive oil at the end, probably n/t

[noamnety]

5. You have to make the peanut butter stew!

http://www.theppk.com/2008/10/spicy-peanut-eggplant-and-shallot-stew/

You can vary it up some. I put peas or spinach in it instead of green beans.

Today I made a ham/lentil soup, but I had extra roasted eggplant so I put that in the broth and hit it with the stick blender so it just became a soup thickener.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. Ratatouille, of course...

I will admit I have no recipe, but my mother used to make it years ago and it was one of the veggie dishes we all scarfed.

It's not an eggplant dish per se, but she used to be heavy on the eggplant in it, and, as with all Provencal veggie dishes, every cook on the block has the one true way to make it, so find a recipe that catches your eye and triggers drooling. If I were to make it now (and I just might with all those beautiful eggplants at the farm stands) I would probably cook the vegetables separately and layer into a casserole.

Or, maybe just mush it all together in a big pot.

To paraphrase Duke Ellington-- if it tastes good it is good.

[eppur_se_muova]

7. Fried in tempura batter, or even cornmeal.

If you've fried okra or squash, just use the same recipe. Slice the eggplant into relatively thin slices (no more than 3/8&quot .

[grasswire]

13. yeah, fried eggplant!

I used to use cornflake crumbs, now I use Italian breadcrumbs. Fry in shallow pan or grill pan -- I use 1 part olive oil, 1 part vegetable oil. I dunk the eggplant slices in egg beaten with a bit of water, then into the crumbs.

We like this with homemade fettucini alfredo and a peppery green salad.

[cbayer]

8. I made something like an eggplant Parmesan recently,

But it had polenta slices. It was really good.

[kurtzapril4]

9. Eggplant recipe

Heat oven to 425 F. Take a couple medium sized eggplants, peel, and cut into 1/2 inch disks. Salt and pepper both sides. ;-

Unwrap frozen pizza

Place eggplant in driveway

Heat pizza for 20 minutes. Enjoy! ;->

[GoCubsGo]

10. Grill it.

I usually cut it into 1/2" slices, brush it with olive oil, and sprinkle some salt and pepper on it. Sometimes, I'll use Italian dressing instead. Here are some other thing you can do with grilled eggplants:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/07/29/magazine/eggplant-recipes.html?ref=magazine

[GoCubsGo]

11. Or, stuff it.

One of my most favorite eggplant recipes: http://www.food.com/recipe/imam-bayildi-134662

This recipe is from "Sundays at the Moosewood", which means it's vegetarian, and this recipe, also vegan if one uses an appropriate substitute for the small amount of butter that's in it. The original version has a lamb stuffing, as it's a Turkish recipe. If you would like the carnivore version, just google "Imam Bayildi". There are tons or recipes out there for it.

[Le Taz Hot]

15. OK, can I just say

we have some AMAZING cooks here! Every recipe I read I think, "Oh, I'll make that!" then I read the next one and think, "Wait, I think I'll make that one!"

I'm just going to bookmark this one (as I did the Butternut Squash thread) so I can try all of them.

Thanks all who have contributed and feel free to continue to add to this one. There's no such thing as too many recipes.

[sinkingfeeling]

16. I love fried eggplant, lightly breaded.

[HopeHoops]

17. I eat it raw sometimes. We're growing the Kermit variety this year. It's good in stir fry dishes too

We also layer it into lasagna and slice it for sandwiches. It's great in an omelet too. Simply steaming it and adding some fresh herbs works well. There aren't too many things as versatile.