Help - Looking For A Unique Eggplant Recipe??!
Answers: I am looking for a unique eggplant recipe. Please do not provide me with a link to a website -- been there, done that. I am seeking a family favorite recipe that will make me go WOW. Show me what you have in your recipe collection.
Roast a whole eggplant (actually the white ones are eggplants and the purple ones are aubergenes). After its all soft, cut it open and scoop out the seeds. Scoop the rest-not the skin tho-into a bowl with roasted minced garlic and carmelized diced onions, and sauteed sun dried tomatos...diced or julienned.
Mix it all together and serve on crustini, endive leaves, zucchini rounds, or just crackers. Add some spices, whatever you like, except salt...I never cook with it and no one ever misses it cuz its not as important as the chefs on tv want you to believe.
Its really yummy!
Another idea...stuffed roasted eggplant! Use a small fat one for this recipe. Roast whole until just softened, then cut the top off just enough to hollow out the seeds.
Stuff with veggies, rice, meat, bread stuffing...or all of the above! Place back in the baking dish using wadded up foil to keep it upright, or a ramekin...and bake till soft. MMMMMMMM!
Here's a family favorite:
Caponata
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
box of grape tomatoes
small can tomato sauce
1 large sweet onion
3-4 cloves whole garlic
olive oil
jar of capers
jar of pitted green olives
dash of wine vinegar
Cut a large eggplant into small cubes - sprinkle with salt, and drain for about a hour on paper towels. Pour enough oil into a large pot to cover bottom. Heat up.
Saute the eggplant in small batches in the oil, and drain each batch on paper towels.
Chop the onion and put in the leftover oil (add more if necessary) with the tomatoes (they will burst as they cook) and the whole garlic. Cook over medium heat. When the onion is soft, put the eggplant back in, and add the tomato sauce. Cook until the eggplant is soft, but not mushy. Add a dash of wine vinegar, the capers, and the olives. Remove from heat. When cool, put in refrigerator.
Can be served cold or at room temperature. Great as an appetizer all by itself, in a salad, or spread on crackers or bread.
P.S. Don't tell my mom I gave you this recipe - it's a family secret :-)
Well, no guarantee you'll like it, but here's my favourite eggplant recipe:
~ Large eggplant
~ 6 eggs, beaten together in a large dish
~ Breadcrumbs mixed with a generous amount of spices and herbs (I like salt, a little fresh ground black pepper, and some dried herbs ~ lemon myrtle, parsley and a little basil is good)
~ Olive oil, or whichever oil you prefer. I like the flavour of olive but any other vegetable oil is fine, too.
Put olive oil into a heavy fry pan and heat. The oil should be deep enough for the slices of eggplant to sit in halfway.
Wash the eggplant and slice thinly.
Dip the thin slices into the egg on both sides, then into the breadcrumbs until you have a generous coating. It can take a minute to get this just right, so don't worry if the first few are a bit ordinary looking.
Place the coated slices in the hot oil and fry either side until golden brown.
Between the first slices and the next the breadcrumbs may begin burning, you will need to keep the oil clean, or the slices will burn before they cook through. Fry the slices slowly, the eggplant inside sould be soft but firm, still tasty but cooked right through.
I wipe out the pan after two or three batches, to prevent the burnt breadcrumbs making the oil dirty and 'burnt' tasting.
Also, you need to keep the oil up, as they do tend to suck up a lot of oil.
Put the cooked slices on a paper towel to cool, do NOT refrigerate before serving. They should be kept in a cool-ish place for up to four hours before serving. If you must refrigerate them, put grease proof paper between each slice, or they will stick and spoil the appearance.
This is a recipe that takes a while to cook, but it is so worth it ... the eggplant slices are absolutely scrumptious cold, but can be served hot if you have a big enough fry pan.
The only thing against deep frying is to get the timing right of cooking the eggplant and golden browning the outside, slow cooking seems to really bring out the flavours.
I like to serve them with a tomato and balsamic vinegar salad.
OK, simple, but yummy :-)
Cheers :-)
They will
When I was a child,this was the ONLY way I would eat eggplant. Now I love it in a variety of ways, but still make this one often. EASY, too!
Slice eggplant in 1/2 inch slices. Coat with mayonaisse and press into a plate of bread crumbs, coating both sides. place on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Thats it. Yummy.
To "wow" it-use italian seasoned bread crumbs. take the baked slices, layer in a shallow baking dish with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, fresh basil if you have it, parmesan, and bake for 30 minutes. Dinner.