By late summer, about the only thing still flourishing in the garden are the eggplants. And they are flourishing! But how do you eat four or more a week? Every week?
Fortunately, eggplants are a very versatile vegetable—treat them like any vegetable or use them as a substitute for meat. And they are used in a variety of world cuisines, from Asian to Italian. Here are some tips to make the most of this bounty, both now an later.
Eggplant tips:
Eat or freeze within a day or two of harvest.
Store them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
Some say you can store them in the refrigerator inside a plastic bag for up to three days.
If you can't use it right away, it's better to freeze and store it for later.
To prep for cooking, cut off the green cap end. Lightly douse the slices with salt and let them "sweat" for 30 minutes to two hours. Dab the excess water with a paper towel. This makes the eggplant more receptive to breading and/or frying, and keeps the cooked eggplant from being too watery.
The smaller, longer Asian varieties of eggplant do not need to be "sweated" as much as the globe eggplants, or even at all if they are intended for a stir fry.
Here are some recipes using eggplant that I look forward to trying in the remaining weeks of the eggplant season:
Eggplant and Tofu Stirfry
This flavor-packed, yet not-heavy stir fry is everything a stir fry ought to be. The eggplant and tofu go really well together. And while this recipe calls for a lot of ingredients that may not currently be lining your spice cabinet shelves, it's worth the initial outlay because you will want to make this dish again and again.
Eggplant Parmesan
Is there anyone who doesn't love this? Eggplant parmesan is a hit with everyone in our family—even the picky eaters who don't normally like the look or texture of eggplant. To make this recipe even more flavorful, replace the can of stewed tomatoes with homemade stewed tomatoes using this recipe. Don't be intimidated if you've never made stewed tomatoes before. This tutorial makes it simple and fast. Also, using your own tomatoes for eggplant parmesan puts more of your box to use! (Note: I thicken the stewed tomatoes with a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to give it the texture my kids prefer.)
Cold eggplant salad? Believe me this tastes so much better than it sounds. Actually, it's my current favorite eggplant recipe. It's just so cool and savory and satisfying. It's great for summer potlucks, and it keeps well for a day, so you can pack and enjoy any leftovers in your lunch box.
Eggplant has a reputation for being a lot of work. There's the smell and grease of frying, and if your oil isn't the right temperature the eggplant has a tendency to get kind of mushy. But if you bread and freeze eggplant slices ahead of time using these instructions, it eliminates the mess and stress. Just pop them in the oven, and—poof!—30 minutes later you have the ingredients for this wonderful sandwich.
This recipe, sent in by Daintry Thomas, is so good it just made me want to make it again right now. I treat it like a ratatouille, and eating it really is such a treat.
Jana's Grilled Ratatouille
Some people think ratatouille is a lot of trouble, but Jana Eake's recipe for grilled ratatouille is not! Just throw it all into a grill-safe pan (or wrap it in tinfoil), and 30 minutes later it's done.
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