Hot or cold, roasted or grilled, stuffed, marinated or even fried, the eggplant is a thing of beauty. It doesn't taste too bad either! Its deep purple color, along with its unique slightly bitter taste and spongy texture, make it a favorite ingredient for casseroles, stews and brochettes. It works well with a host of spices including parsley, garlic, thyme, basil, oregano and sage. It also shares the stage well with tomatoes and onions.
Eggplants are at their best in season, August through October. Fortunately, they are available year round. Eggplants are more commonly known for their deep purple color, but they can also be lavender, green, orange and yellow-white. Eggplants also come in a variety of sizes and shapes, from round to oblong. Although eggplants are prepared like vegetables, they are actually considered fruit and are a member of the nightshade family, which includes potatoes, tomatoes and peppers.
To reduce the bitter taste of eggplant, try salting it. Once it's cut to the desired shape and size, sprinkle it with salt and let it rest for about 30 minutes. By doing this, the eggplant will lose some of its water content and make it less porous to avoid soaking up oil used in cooking. Make sure to rinse the eggplant to remove the excess salt.
Eggplants can be tricky to cook and those with culinary experience will know to avoid cooking the fruit in an aluminum pan as the aluminum causes discoloration. Also eggplants are similar to bananas and apples, as their flesh will turn brown once peeled. Wait to cut the eggplant just before using. When frying, coat each slice with breadcrumbs or batter so the eggplant won't absorb too much oil.
The eggplant's ability to balance multiple flavors makes it the perfect complement to any meal involving several ingredients.
Eggplant Casserole - Peggy Mengis
Serves 4 - 6 persons.
1 large eggplant
1 tsp. salt
1 cup cooked, peeled shrimp, or chopped ham or ground beef
1 onion minced
1 tbsp. bacon fat or margarine
1/4 cup French breadcrumbs (reserve enough to also top the casserole)
1 tbsp. minced parsley
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup milk
Wash eggplant, peel thin and cut into cubes, dropping into a saucepan containing two cups of boiling water and one teaspoon of salt. Cover and boil for 10 minutes or until tender (can be pierced with a fork). Drain thoroughly and mash.
Sauté minced onion until limp in bacon fat or margarine in heavy saucepan or skillet. Remove from heat and add parsley, mashed eggplant, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, paprika, milk, salt to taste, and shrimp. *
Put into a greased baking dish, sprinkle with more bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, paprika and parsley, and dot with butter or margarine. Bake 30 minutes in moderate oven (350°).
*Mixture can be run through a blender for a lighter dish. Add shrimp after blending.
If stuffed eggplant is preferred to casserole, simply scoop pulp from eggplants halved lengthwise and cook as directed above. Parboil eggplant shells for five minutes, drain and fill with casserole mixture. Bake 30 minutes.
