Eggplant season is booming in Tucson! I know this because I feel like I ate eggplant every night last week from the CSA. I have gotten some queries about eggplant, so I'll let you know how I cooked the eggplant, and why I didn't mind eating so much of it! My main approach to eggplant is first to admire it's beauty. I really love the way this vegetable looks: shiny purple skin, smooth glossy coat, and a nice hefty weight. It feels good in your hand! The plants are beautiful as well: grey-green spatulate leaves that shade the vegetable as it grows, and purple flowers. Always pick eggplant that are shiny and purple (unless they are a green variety!)- the dull, brown or coppery colored ones will be bitter.
Eggplants have a very mild flavor, and a texture that soaks up sauces well. Some recipes will recommend salting eggplant, to remove some of the water, but I never do this. I use eggplant in either Italian or Asian dishes. My habit lately, when faced with lots of eggplant, is to peel it and slice it into thick slices, then marinate it for at least an hour in Italian or Asian-based marinades. I'll use olive oil as a base, then add red wine or balsamic vinegar and Italian herbs, garlic, and pepper for the Italian- style marinade. The Asian marinade will begin with olive oil, then include soy or tamari sauce, garlic, crushed hot Asian pepper (or a sauce like Sriracha), and ginger. When it's well-marinated, I grill it on a hot fire for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until it's wilty and tender. Then, I'll be set up to cook a variety of meals through out the week.
Last week, I used the Italian-style grilled eggplant like this: meal one was a melange of grilled eggplant strips with zucchini, artichoke hearts, onion, garlic, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, and penne pasta. Meal two was grilled eggplant rounds topped with marinara and asiago cheese, then browned under the broiler. This I served on pasta tossed with olive oil coated with parmesan cheese. Meal three was diced grilled eggplant mixed with sauteed mushrooms, onion, garlic, and jalapenos as a topping for a frozen pizza. (I know-this sounds like cheating!) The Asian style eggplant found it's way into a stir-fry featuring onion, ginger, green beans, grilled eggplant strips, and grilled marinated tofu served on brown rice. OK, so it's only four meals- but there were leftovers!
For those with children who think that eggplant is a highly suspicious food source, I'd recommend peeling and sautéing it, then letting it cool, and blending the cooked eggplant into prepared marinara to be served on spaghetti. They might also like broiled eggplant rounds with marinara and cheese topping (like little pizzas). You can also make eggplant parmesan, which most kids like to eat.
I think we can all get through the "eggplant season" with creativity and joy in our preparation methods. I find that if you cook the vegetables all at once, and flavor them specifically for unique dishes, that the hard part is out of the way. After that, the actual cooking feels like cheating, it's so easy, and the results are awesome!
So, since we all have eggplant, let's cook what we have!
