Purple passion
Misnamed eggplant is versatile, works in many recipes
Whether you call them eggplants or aubergines, this is one summer crop that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The word aubergine, used in England, is French. It comes from the Catalan “albergina,” which can be traced to the Persian badenjan.
July and August are peak months for the heat-loving crop, which comes in a range of shades, from white to deep purplish black.
Eggplant can be grilled, roasted, fried, broiled, boiled or baked. And though subtle on its own, the Mediterranean favorite plays well with assertive flavors such as anchovies, lemon, chile peppers, cheese, garlic, vinegar, tomatoes, onions, ginger and yogurt.
Despite being cultivated for a millennium — eggplant has been grown in China and India since the fifth century B.C. — it has a bit of a checkered past. The bulbous fruit was once thought to be an aphrodisiac and a poison. This member of the nightshade family (which also includes potatoes, tomatoes and bell peppers) was even believed to cause insanity and was called the “mad apple.”
Fortunately, modern cooks and diners know better.
But old wives’ tales about eggplant still abound — that male eggplants are less bitter than females, for example. To be clear: Eggplants are fruits. Fruits are created when male flowers deposit pollen into female flowers. The resulting fruit is neither male nor female.
Eggplants do fall on the bitter end of the flavor spectrum. This can be attributed to many factors: freshness, age and size, to name a few. Much of the bitterness comes from the skin and seeds. So seedy eggplants tend to be more bitter than those with fewer seeds. And older eggplants — fruit that has been hanging out in the produce bin and those that ripen longer on the vine — can have a more pronounced bitter flavor.
The easiest way to mellow the bitterness is to slice the eggplant as directed in the recipe, then sprinkle the slices with salt and let them drain for about 15 minutes. Then proceed as directed in the recipe.
Baba Ghanoush Soup
1 large eggplant Salt 1 red bell pepper, cut in half, stem, core and seeds removed 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling Ground black pepper ½ red onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 ½ cups vegetable stock ¼ cup roasted sesame tahini 1 teaspoon ground coriander Ground red pepper (cayenne) 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Heat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Cut the eggplant into ½ to ¾ -inch-
thick slices. Sprinkle eggplant lightly with salt and place in a colander. Set the colander over a bowl or in the sink for about 30 minutes to drain.
Meanwhile, place the bell pepper, skin side up, on the foillined baking sheet and broil until skin is charred. Peel, roughly chop and set aside. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Dice the drained eggplant and place it in a single layer on the same baking sheet used for the bell pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender.
In a Dutch oven or medium pot, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute 5 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add stock, roasted diced eggplant and red bell pepper. Stir in the tahini and coriander. Bring to a simmer. With an immersion blender (or a traditional blender) puree the soup to desired consistency. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of red pepper.
Makes about 4 cups. Recipe adapted from eatliverun.com
Tartine is French for openface sandwich, but this one is chock-full of the flavors of Italy.
Eggplant, Mozzarella and Tomato Tartine
Olive oil 1 eggplant, cut into 8 wedges Salt 8 large slices rustic bread such as whole-clove roasted garlic, sourdough or Italian 8 cherry OR 4 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced Ground black pepper Prepared pesto, optional Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat enough olive oil to coat over medium heat. Add the eggplant and a little salt and gently saute on both sides until softened and golden brown, about 6 minutes.
Lightly toast the bread. Arrange the toasted bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Top each piece of toasted bread with sliced tomato, then a wedge of eggplant. Top with cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and tomatoes are warmed through. Drizzle with pesto or olive oil. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings. Recipe adapted from Le Pain
Quotidien Cookbook by Alain Coumont and Jean-Pierre Gabriel Grilled Eggplant With Garlic and Rosemary 6 cloves garlic 1 cup olive oil, plus more if necessary 2 large (1 ½ to 1 ¾ pounds) round eggplants 2 long sprigs fresh rosemary Salt
Using a very sharp knife, slice the garlic crosswise as thinly as you can. Reserve the tops, bottoms and odd-shaped pieces in a bowl and cover with a bit of olive oil.
Trim the tops and bottoms of the eggplants, and cut the eggplants into 1-inch-thick crosswise slices.
Working with one slice at a time, use a paring knife to cut 5 shallow slits into the eggplant — four at the compass points and one in the center; they should be about ½ -inch deep and should not go all the way through. Eggplant Wraps
Insert a garlic slice and a tuft of rosemary in each of the slits. The fillings should be as close to flush with the surface as you can make them. Repeat with the remaining eggplant slices.
Sprinkle both sides of each eggplant slice with salt and brush generously with the garlic olive oil. Grill over a moderate fire until browned on one side, 4 to 5 minutes.
Brush with more olive oil and use a spatula to turn to the other side and brush that with oil as well. Continue cooking until the eggplant is browned on both sides and tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove to a platter, brush with any remaining oil and serve.
Makes 4 to 6 servings. Recipe adapted from Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times
Eggplant, Red Bell Pepper and Quinoa
1 eggplant, ½ -inch dice 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into ½ -inch pieces ½ yellow onion, ½ -inch dice 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil Sea salt and ground black pepper 1 cup uncooked quinoa Handful of cilantro, roughly chopped 1 teaspoon cumin ½ lemon
Heat oven to 450 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the eggplant, bell pepper and onion pieces onto the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a big pinch of sea salt and pepper.
Cook the vegetables until browned on all sides, 20 to 30 minutes total. Let cool.
Meanwhile, bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Stir in a pinch of salt and the quinoa. Reduce heat, cover and cook 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest for 15 minutes or until the quinoa absorbs all of the water. Fluff. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, combine the quinoa and roasted vegetables and toss to mix. Stir in the cilantro and cumin. Squeeze in juice from the lemon. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately or refrigerate until chilled. Makes 4 servings.
Eggplant With WalnutBasil Pesto
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper 2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided use 1 ¼ cups olive oil, divided use 1 cup walnuts ¼ cup chopped basil 1 teaspoon paprika 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 ½ pounds eggplant, sliced Heat grill or broiler. In a small bowl, combine the crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon of the garlic and 1/2 cup of the olive oil; set aside.
In a food processor, pulse the remaining garlic with the walnuts and basil to form a paste. Add the paprika and lemon juice and pulse to combine. With the motor running, slowly add the remaining olive oil and process until smooth.
Brush the sliced eggplant on both sides with the red peppergarlic-olive oil and grill or broil, turning occasionally, until tender. Serve with pesto.
Makes about 4 servings.
Recipe adapted from the Los Angeles Times
Eggplant Wraps
Olive oil spray 2 medium to large eggplants 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons dried mixed herbs such as herbs de Provence or Italian blend 2 to 3 tablespoons sunflower oil or olive oil 14 to 16 ounces baby spinach 16 sun-dried tomatoes marinated in olive oil, chopped 3 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted 5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 16 slices Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil spray or line a nonstick mat or parchment paper.
Cut the woody stem off each eggplant and discard. Slice each eggplant lengthwise into eight pieces (16 in all) about ¼ - to ⅓ -inch thick. In a small bowl, mix together the dried herbs and oil.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, lightly brush each slice of eggplant on one side with the oil mixture and place in the hot pan. Fry until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Brush the top side lightly with oil and turn and fry until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes more. Set aside.
Wash the spinach well in cold running water, spin dry and then heat in a large skillet to wilt, using just the water that is clinging to the leaves and drain off the excess liquid.
To assemble wraps: Lay an eggplant slice on a work surface. Place a mound of spinach at one end. Then top the spinach with a few pieces of sun-dried tomato, a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts and a slice of cheese. Fold the eggplant over to form the wrap and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices. Sprinkle each with salt and black pepper.
Bake 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is bubbling. Serve immediately.
Makes 16 wraps (4 maindish servings). Adapted from Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking by Mary McCartney