Eggplant Recipes

[northwesterner]

This has been a very good year for the eggplant in my garden. Only three plants, but with at least 20 per plant, I'm giving it away, eating it regularly, and cooking eggplant parmesan to freeze. I love it, but would like some variety. :)

I found a recipe for a chickpea and eggplant tart online recently (can't remember if it was here or somewhere else--sorry!), but am starting this thread to see if anyone else has recipes. I have several Middle Eastern recipes, including a pork/tomato/eggplant casserole, and baba ganoush, in addition to the classic Italian eggplant parmesan, but wonder what other recipes are out there?

Northwesterner

[sandih]

You should try places like www.chowhound.com or www.foodtv.com

[northwesterner]

Those places abound, certainly. I like http://www.epicureous.com/ and http://www.marthastewart.com.

I started the thread more in the nature of sharing HERE, at the Dirt Doctor site. I found it useful to locate a jelly recipe here when I was harvesting wild local grapes, and I plan to post the recipe we settle on after another batch or two.

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only local gardener who has eggplant growing in great abundance, and others who planted probably also eat it, so I'd like to learn others' have favorite recipes.

I have a couple I'll post as soon as I dig them out. Until then, I have made several pans of eggplant parmesan to freeze.

Peel however many eggplants you're planning to use, slice them across the plant in 1/2 inch slices. Set them out in a colander over a sink or plate and sprinkle them with salt. Turn each piece over an salt the other side, and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Wash off the salt and proceed to breading the pieces.

I use three plates, one for the wet slices, one with some flour sifted onto it to dredge the slices in, and one for my seasoned bread crumbs. I have a bowl with an egg I've beaten with a fork and added maybe a teaspoon or two of water to it.

Using my unpatented dry hand, wet hand method, I pick up the wet slice with my right hand, move it around on the flour, and push flour onto the edges with my left hand, then turn it over. Roll it around if you have to. With my dry hand I pick it up and place it in the bowl of egg, and with the wet hand I move it around and turn it over. Holding it by a couple of edges I pick up the slice and place it on the bread crumbs, pushing crumbs up around the side and nudging it around then turning it over.

Once the slice is completely breaded I pick it up with the dry hand and place it in a skillet that has about 1/4 to 1/3 inch of canola oil that has about 2 tablespoons of butter added (for flavor. You can leave it out). Saute each side until it is golden brown and move to drain on a section of newspaper with paper toweling or a flat brown paper bag on top.

Once the slices are cooked I take a canned spaghetti sauce (I also have my own sauce, but it depends on if I remembered to thaw it) and spoon a little in the bottom of a casserole or cake pan, then a layer of eggplant. Cover this with a heavier amount of sauce, followed by a liberal sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. I sometimes make two or three layers of this if I'm eating it right now, but to freeze it I make one layer. Then I can more easily separate part if I don't want to heat the entire pan later.

I often eat it just this way, but of course you can also cook a pan of spaghetti, heat some more sauce, and serve the parmesan and the pasta together.

Northwesterner