# ISO Eggplant Recipes



## carolelaine (Jul 10, 2007)

I am overwhelmed by eggplants at the house.   I usually don't have this many, they must like drought.  Has anyone frozen them before?  Please tell me all of the great things you make with them.  I grill them, make a casserole with tomatoes and cheese, and eggplant parm.,  but I really could use some other suggestions. Thank you!


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## bowlingshirt (Jul 10, 2007)

I was thinking eggplant lasagna, but couldn't help but wonder if it would be more or less the same as your casserole with tomatoes and cheese that you mentioned.


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## miniman (Jul 10, 2007)

Make a traditional mousaka - a little bit like a lasagna but with layers of eggplant between the meat layers. The topping can vary as well. I used have a recipe for a great yoghurt based topping which made almost a cake top.


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## StirBlue (Jul 10, 2007)

Deep fried breaded eggplant is very good.  You can also cut the fried eggplant into small pieces and use for salad or top the traditional green bean/mushroom soup casserole.  (of course you can use it raw in a salad, too.) 

You can cut it into slices, top with thin white fish fillet, brush lightly with peanut oil, and grill or broil until fish is cooked (about 10 minutes or less).  Sprinkle with thyme and lemon juice. S&P.  

Add baked eggplant to cooked wild rice and add walnut dressing.  

Top a slice of eggplant with a slice of onion, another eggplant and top with the onion.  Wrap a bacon slice around the bundle and a second one around the other side.  Secure bacon with tooth picks.  Grill or cook in a skillet turning once.  

If you cube up eggplant for the freezer, use it by Thanksgiving as it will not have a long storage life.  

Give some to the food bank.  They are very dependent on gardeners during the summer.  

Eggplant is selling for .99 cents a pound at the grocery store.  The least that I paid for it last year was .79 cents per pound.....enjoy!  

There some decent eggplant stuffings but not many.


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## silentmeow (Jul 10, 2007)

They can be frozen.  Do a google search.  If I remember correctly they need to be blanched in water with lemon juice to prevent discoloration.  The frozen ones are mushier and tend to be used in casseroles and such.  If you love eggplant it's worth the work!


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## amber (Jul 10, 2007)

I put a recipe on here ages ago, but basically I just sliced the peeled eggplant, dip in egg, then italian bread crumbs, fry in a bit of canola to brown, drain, and then layer it up like lasagna, using eggplant slices, hard salami, sliced fresh tomatoe, mozzarella, and continue layering until you have used all the ingredients.  I think a bit of fresh basil would add lots of flavor.


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## kadesma (Jul 10, 2007)

_One of my family favorites is to slice your eggplant into rounds, dip in a mix of bread crumbs and flour,salt,pepper,then into egg and back into the crumb mixture..Set on parchment , wax or foil, cover with more of same then press lightly to set the breading, fry in hot peanut oil til golden and then place on a sprayed with pam cookie sheet, now top with swiss,or mozz, or monterey jack or any cheese you love, top with another eggplant slice to make a sandwich..While this is baking to melt the cheese in the oven I make a butter,white wine,lemon juice ,crushed garlic reduction and when serving the sandwich drizzle some of this over it..If you don't want to heat up the kitchen do this in a covered fry pan and use the lid to help the cheese melt._

_kadesma _


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## expatgirl (Jul 11, 2007)

They are wonderful grilled with or without other veggies------ peel them, slice them, salt them, place in colander lined with paper towels, more paper  towels on top, and some weight on that (heavy plate or pot, etc) to extract the bitter juices for about 30 minutes.  Then you're ready.  I like to marinate them and other veggies for about 20-30 minutes--no longer---in a marinade of:  1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup soy sauce  3 Tbsp. brown sugar, 3 mashed cloves garlic, 1 T grated fresh ginger, 2 T sherry or dry white wine---adjust amounts to how much on hand---a whole lot less if it's just eggplant but you have the general idea of ingredients) and grill them on the barbie until done.  Yum!


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## *amy* (Jul 11, 2007)

Eggplant Rollatini

Eggplant pizza

Capanata

Bruschetta (w roasted tomatoes or roasted red peppers, chopped red onions, evoo S&P, top w mozzarella & place under the broiler til cheese is melted)

Pasta topping - eggplant, garlic fresh diced tomatoes, evoo, s&p 

This is a yummy-looking recipe that's on my list, because of the mixture of pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, raisins Romano and bread crumbs:

Eggplant Bundles


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## Uncle Bob (Jul 11, 2007)

Slice, peel, sweat. Wash off, cut into "french fries" bread in cornmeal. Fry until golden brown. You will be glad you did!


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## buckytom (Jul 11, 2007)

carolaine, i have a few eggplants ready to be picked in the garden, so i'm gonna try out a new recipe that i'm stealing/modifying from a "giada" episode.

halve the eggplant lengthwise, carve out the center but not all the way through so you make 2 boats. dice the removed centers, and set aside. in a skillet, sweat some diced fennel, then some diced onions and garlic. add the cubed eggplant centers, sautee for a minute more, toss in some capers, then use this mix to fill the eggplant boats. drizzle with evoo, then top boats with toasted breadcrumbs. bake at 350 until the boats are soft and cooked thru.


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## Uncle Bob (Jul 11, 2007)

Hey BuckyT

Next eggplant throw in some green pepper, cayenne, parsley, a pinch of thyme, and a big handful of crab and/or chopped shrimp! Get Back!!!

BT. The capers will be a nice addtion. Also if you Creole-ize the stuffing sometimes, drop the fennel

Enjoy!


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## buckytom (Jul 11, 2007)

wow, sounds great uncle bob! thanks.

oops, i just realized that i forgot to add capers. going back to edit.


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## BreezyCooking (Jul 11, 2007)

This is one of my favorite ways to prepare eggplant. I played around with several different Szechuan eggplant recipes, but this one is definitely my favorite so far. Sometimes to add a bit more color to it, I'll add some sliced bok choy in along with the eggplant pieces.

*Braised Eggplant, Szechuan Style*

(*Adapted* from Madame Chu’s Chinese Cooking School by Grace Zia Chu

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, or several small oriental-type eggplants
2 tablespoons of fermented black beans, soaked in warm water to cover for 20 minutes
1 tablespoon hot Asian chili paste/sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 pound ground meat (beef, pork, chicken, or turkey)
Vegetable oil
Water
Wok or large skillet with a cover
White, brown, or Jasmine rice for serving

Preparation:

Slice eggplant, unpeeled, into approximately 1-1/2” thick slices, then cut the slices into quarters. Make 2 cuts not quite all the way through on each quarter. This will allow the eggplant pieces to cook quickly & evenly, as well as help them to absorb more of the sauce.

Drain the soaked fermented black beans & mash with the minced garlic to a rough paste. Add the chili paste, sugar, soy sauce, & ¼ cup cold water. Stir.

Cooking Procedure:

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a wok or large skillet until hot, but not smoking. Add ground meat & stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add minced ginger & continue stir frying for another minute. Add eggplant pieces & continue stir frying for another 5 minutes. Add in the sauce mixture & stir thoroughly until well mixed. Sprinkle 3-4 tablespoons of water over all, turn the heat down to low/medium low, cover, & allow to cook for another 5 minutes or until the eggplant pieces are tender to your preference. Serve hot over rice.


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## StirBlue (Jul 11, 2007)

BreezyCooking:  I was thinking black beans earlier but couldn't quite figure the recipe through.  This will be a TNT recipe for sure.  I have some black beans begging for a new recipe....Thanks.


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## BreezyCooking (Jul 11, 2007)

StirBlue - just a note that the black beans in the recipe are Chinese "fermented" black beans, not just regular black beans.

I only mention this because a friend of mine couldn't figure out why her recipe didn't turn out like mine until she realized that regular black beans weren't the same as the Chinese preserved/fermented type.

If you can't find plain fermented black beans (which, by the way, last virtually forever in the pantry if you stuff the plastic package they come in into a glass jar), you can substitute "Black Bean Sauce", which is available in many supermarket Asian food aisles.  Just nix the soaking part in the recipe.


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## StirBlue (Jul 11, 2007)

Thanks for the heads up on the black beans.  I will look for the Chinese "fermented" black beans.  Yes, that would make a big difference.


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## CharlieD (Jul 11, 2007)

Sautee one red pepper and one tomato with couple cloves of garlic just till it soft, season it with some salt cayne pepperand paprika to taste.  Sat aside. Deep fry or fry on both sides slises of eggplant, spread the tomato/pepper mixture over the egg plant, sprinkle with more fresh garlic. Servw it hot.


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## carolelaine (Jul 13, 2007)

Thanks everyone for all of the great ideas.  I forgot about Mousaka, I've never tried fermented black beans, but I will.  I made the Giada boats last year, I liked them but the family didn't.  I hope yours come out well. Thanks, Carol


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## QSis (Jul 13, 2007)

Mmmm! I love eggplant and grow Ichibans every year. I've made all of the recipes the others have listed here, including Amy's roll-ups http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/QSis/Eggplantroll-ups.jpg 

and Breezy's szechuan (excellent!).

You can stuff the boats with anything (except FENNEL, BT! Yee- uck!) I love a ground lamb/rice/tomato/onion mixture with Greek oregano and mint. Serve with a Greek salad.

And don't forget Baba Ganoush with pita bread.

Here's one recipe RecipeSource: Baba Ganoush

Lee


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## buckytom (Jul 14, 2007)

awww, no finnochio, qsis?

i love the stuff. bulb and seed.


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## Constance (Jul 14, 2007)

Uncle Bob said:
			
		

> Slice, peel, sweat. Wash off, cut into "french fries" bread in cornmeal. Fry until golden brown. You will be glad you did!



Bob, when you say "sweat", do you mean salt and draw the juices out?

What's really amusing is that I was just getting ready to post the same question. My cleaning woman brought me two buckets full of produce from her garden today, and there's a good amount of eggplant...both the egg-shaped type, and the long ones. 

Kim turns his nose up at the mention of eggplant, but he's never really eaten it. I'm sure he'd like it fixed Bob's way.

I wonder if anyone here has fixed eggplant parmesan or ratatoulle?


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## QSis (Jul 14, 2007)

BT: No fennel, no star annis, no tarragon, no annisette, no ouzo, no sambucca! Plecch!

Oddly, I don't mind an occasional (maybe, once every 5 or 10 years) small piece of black licorice, but nothing that TASTES like licorice.

But now, thanks to you, I'm going to be singing "Faniculi, Fanicula" all night.  Eh, that's okay.  I like that song.  Even though those are the only two words I know. 

Lee


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## BreezyCooking (Jul 14, 2007)

Constance - I can only assume that you are truly joking/kidding about the eggplant parmesan/ratatouille remark/request.

Please do a search here & I'm sure you will be inundated with more recipes than you can shake a stick it.


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## *amy* (Jul 14, 2007)

caroleaine, another easy tasty ep dish - eggplant patties/croquettes. You can nuke the eggplant and mash, or remove the skin (or not), dice and fry in oil, then drain. Add the cooked ep to italian flavored bread crumbs, beaten egg, chopped onion, shredded cheese of choice (parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar), and fry in a little oil. Or, bake them at about 350 till they're brown on both sides/cooked through.) Serve the patties as a side to pasta and tomato sauce or on a bun with lettuce and tomatoes.


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## Constance (Jul 14, 2007)

BreezyCooking said:
			
		

> Constance - I can only assume that you are truly joking/kidding about the eggplant parmesan/ratatouille remark/request.
> 
> Please do a search here & I'm sure you will be inundated with more recipes than you can shake a stick it.



I will do that right now. Duhhh...


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## Constance (Jul 15, 2007)

Breezy, I did a search on both of them, and came up with nothing.


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## BreezyCooking (Jul 15, 2007)

I just did a search here too, & "Ratatouille" came up with several threads with recipes, & "Eggplant Parmegian" came up with pages of stuff, but I didn't go thru each one.


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## BreezyCooking (Jul 15, 2007)

However, when I make Eggplant Parmegian, I don't bread &/or fry the eggplant.  Gave that up long ago for a healthier & just as tasty version.

I slice the unpeeled eggplant(s) about 3/4" thick & put them in a single layer on a baking sheet.  I then brush each slice with some extra-virgin olive oil & sprinkle with granulated garlic, dried oregano, & crushed red pepper flakes, & bake in a 450-degree oven until just starting to soften &/or brown.  I then flip the slices over, rebrush, reseason, & bake until tender.

The slices are then layered in a casserole dish with homemade or favorite jarred brand of pasta sauce & grated mozzarella cheese, finishing up the layers with sauce, mozzarella, & some freshly grated parmesan & baked in a 350-degree oven until hot & bubbly.

This method can also be used to make great Eggplant Parmegian Sub sandwiches as well.


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## Constance (Jul 16, 2007)

Thanks, Breezy. I don't know what my problem is with the search engine here. I did discover that I was not spelling ratatouille correctly. 

Your recipe looks good, and a lot easier than the ones I found online. How is the taste, compared to the the fried eggplant version?


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## BreezyCooking (Jul 16, 2007)

To be honest, I like my unfried version better than the fried ones I used to make & the fried ones I've gotten in restaurants.  I just don't miss the breading & all that extra oil.  Plus, it probably doesn't hurt that I have a pretty heavy hand with the seasoning on my baked slices - lol!!!  Let's face it - eggplant is a fairly bland-tasting vegetable.


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