what does one do with an eggplant?

[Krystledawne]

I'm the proud recipient of nine minerature eggplants, freshly grown in a friends garden.

I'm quite good at arts and crafts but I have very little kitchen sense. would those of you with the gift of "cook" bless me with some ideas or recipes?

I've never had eggplant before.

[wickedtats]

Well here we do it with chilli. One of the recipies is here http://rasamalaysia.com/sambal-eggpl...rgine-brinjal/

I also find that brinjals/eggplants are good for grilling (like kebabs) - just think of a lovely skewer with brinjals, pork, asparagus, pumpkin.... seasoned how you like it (I like it with a mx of teriyaki and bbq sauce).... mmm.

[BlueDode]

Try looking for recipes for moussaka -- my recipe book is in storage, and the version I cook was written by a Buddhist in CA -- Tassajara Cooking, I think. There might be easier versions of moussaka around, but this one involved sprinkling the sliced, peeled, eggplant with salt to draw out some liquid, then baking it; meanwhile making a red sauce, a white sauce, and pressure cooking some white beans. Then the red sauce and eggplant are layered one after another in a baking dish, topped with the white sauce -- delicious.

[lalou]

down in the south we fry everything! fried eggplant, peel the skin off the eggplant, cut in circles, make a egg wash, then pass it through seasoned flour, then fry in oil.

you can also make rice - eggplant dressing, bake it and top it with etoufee (cajun for sauce) eggplant au gratin, seafood and eggplant casserole. just google any cajun chef, and then you have a hell of a meal.
good luck :) eggplant is a great veggie.

[meowy]

I love eggplant!

I dice it up and spread it out on a cookie sheet and sprinkle salt on it for about 30 minutes while I do everything else.
Put it in a pan with some cooked/crumbled sausage, zucchini, celery, black olives, fresh sliced mushrooms, a few sliced radishes, diced up carrots, onion powder or a bit of diced onion, a bit of pepper, dried parsley, dried rosemary, then mix it all up with some red pasta sauce

bake that at 350 until it bubbles. Then put some mozzarella on top, bake that a little longer

Then eat it!

It's also fun if you slice the eggplant (if they're large) into thick slices, do the salt step so they aren't extra watery and then use that as a crust and make mini pizzas by putting all the toppings on top. Hard to eat, but really good.

[Kersti]

You can also add to currys

[madhur]

Peeled, baked and subsequently mashed egg plant can be mixed into yogurt and garnished with chopped corriander leaves,salt and red pepper powder(optional) and final seasoning with freshly roasted and crushed cumin seeds and a little mustard oil.

[MercyPres]

I love eggplant, marinara, cheese casserole or fried like Aunt Ophelia used to do. We don't have often as the kids don't care for it and I don't need to eat so much left overs.

Mercy

[Ridgewoman]

I make ratatouille with my egg plant. There are many recipes for that dish and it is very good. I used to make it when I worked because I could make it in the microwave! I'll look in my books and see what I can find. hugs, Bev

[jbeich]

Eggplant is one of my faves. Try slicing them in half and roasting in a 350-375 oven until soft. Then scoop out the flesh and mash with chopped onions, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and a pinch of sugar. It's great on cracker and sandwiches.

Or, you can slice them about half and inch thick and roast with your favorite mediterranean spices and eat with some crumbled goat cheese. Yum!