ISO: ISO: simple recipes for Japanese eggplants please

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deb-in-mi

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My neighbour grows lovely Japanese eggplants - but she doesn't know what to do with them. She is a good cook, yet a simple cook. And a wonderful neighbor. I'd love to surprise her with a few recipes. (I couldn't get my husband to eat eggplant - even if I deep fried it or covered it in hot fudge (he'll usually anything these two ways:)so it is not something that I cook or am knowledgeable about.

Thank you,

Deb

 
Deb, just try it this way>>>>>>

Wash, dry thoroughly & cut top of stems off.... slather with evoo & sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and roast in a shallow pan at about 475 for about 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the size). Yummmmmmmmo.... you can dot the pan, with unpeeled garlic cloves & squeeze the garlic on the eggplant as you eat it.

 
I sliced some into chunks, along with some zucchini and onions and roasted it with

olive oil. Then put it in a casserole and covered with shredded asiago and baked.
I had half way planned to add some tomatoes and herbs to make ratatouille.

 
REC: Tunisian Eggplant Chickpea and Tomato Casserole

I got this from a friend...made it last week and now my son is asking for it again...it will use up those tomatoes coming in soon also...great for a vegetarian main dish over basmati rice or couscous with a dark green salad or as a veggie side dish:

1 15 or 16 ounce can chickpeas, partially drained
olive oil
1 medium to large eggplant (2 small would do fine), cut into 2 inch cubes (you can peel or not)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 medium onions, finely chopped
5 or 6 small to medium sized tomatoes, chopped

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss eggplant with about 2 Tablespoons olive oil, spread in a flat roasting pan sprayed with Pam or oiled lightly. Sprinkle with a little salt. Roast for about 20 minutes, stirring after first 10 minutes. Remove from oven and put into a square glass baking dish in one layer(I use a large Corningware casserole that measures about 9x9x3).

Mix spices together and sprinkle over eggplant.
In a frying pan, saute chopped onion in a little oil until light brown. Spread or spoon over seasoned eggplant. Season with a little salt & pepper and then spread the chickpeas over the onions. Cover with chopped tomatoes. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season lightly with salt & pepper. Bake uncovered at 400 for 30 to 35 minutes.

 
'Greek' eggplant... loosely termed

My friend from Cyprus says this is how she ate it growing up. It's one of my all time favorite dishes and I serve it with pita bread which you use to "pinch up" bits of this:

Extremely forgiving and no measured amounts - put in as much as you like of each, but this is the basic:

3 Japanese eggplant, sliced into a colander and salted. Let set about 1 hour to drip out the excess liquid. Dab with paper towels and put into casserole or big skillet.
Add:
1 big potato-cubed,
1 onion-chopped,
1 BIG well-rounded spoonful of chopped garlic,
liberal amount of black pepper,
16-oz. can of whole tomatoes (use hands to tear into smaller pieces).
Sprinkle about 2 tbl. olive oil over it and then bake (uncovered) for an hour or more, or cook stovetop in skillet, covered, for an hour on low.
I like the baked method better.

 
Oops! My computer is possessed- posted before I was done...

anyway, feta, and I want to say serve it with tzatziki and warm pita...

I love japanese eggplant, I much prefer the flavour to the regular kind. I buy them all summer from the farmer's market and use them any way I'd use any eggplant. The rounds you get are smaller, but that works out fine for us, especially when we prefer the taste and texture so much. I don't find it necessary to salt and drain them before frying.

Another idea is to roast them as Moyn suggested, then scrape out the flesh and mash it with roasted garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, perhaps some parsley. I love this with crackers, pita chips, or warm squishy pita wedges.

 
Our garden is giving us 5-6 eggplant a day.....

I'm giving a lot away and hope to freeze a little but we love it like Gretchen mentioned above (baked with evoo and garlic with pita) or in stir fry. I use EVOO, and fresh garlic. Saute until browned, then remove. To the pan I add sliced zucchini, yellow squash and onion. Saute until brown then add the eggplant back to the pan, and add some fresh chopped tomato and cook until heated though - a few more minutes. Top with grated cheese of your choice. (or not)

HEAVENLY

I also love the old fashioned Wyatt's Cafeteria 'Baked Eggplant'. Can post recipe if you're interested.

We live out of the garden all summer. Made a huge batch of fresh salsa today. Yum

 
We usually grill it until mushy, and pour soy sauce on it and eat smileys/smile.gif

I like the smoky flavor added when you grill eggplants, and we enjoy it quite simply with soy sauce. You could also make Baba Ganoush with the grilled eggplant.

I never wrote down how many of the Japanese eggplants I needed for this recipe, but I just make sure I have enough to yield about 2 cups of pulp, since the recipe yield is 2 cups.

Lay the eggplants on the grill (no oil, no nothing) and grill until the skins are charred all over (turn them so all sides are charred).

Dont forget to punture the skins with a fork - exploding eggplant can be quite dangerous smileys/smile.gif (Don't ask me how I know smileys/smile.gif

While they're on the grill poke them with the tongs to make sure they're all soft and mushy inside. I'm not sure how long they take (maybe 10 minutes or so?).

Then peel off the charred skins. The flesh is really soft, so you might just have to scrape it away from the skins. I usually them cut it into 2" lengths, to make sure I don't have any long stringy things in the baba ghanoush.


Here's the REC for the Baba Ghanoush, as printed in Joy of Cooking:

Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip)
Yield: about 2 cups

You can stir 1/2 cup yogurt into the eggplant puree just before serving, then garnish.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Pierce in several places:

3 medium eggplants (about 4 pounds)

Roast on a baking sheet until the skins are dark mahogany in color and the flesh feels soft, 45-60 minutes.

Let stand until cool enough to handle. Split the eggplants and scoop the flesh into a colander. Press lightly to extract the excess liquid. Remove to a food processor and add:

1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pulse until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Remove to a shallow serving bowl and garnish with:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chooped fresh parsley
several pitted black olives (optional)

Serve with warm pita bread.

Enjoy!

 
Thank you very much!

I have printed all your recipes and passed them on to my neighbour. She was thrilled!

Thanks again,
Deb

 
REC: Roasted Eggplant Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
from Vegetable Heaven by Mollie Katzen

“Freshly roasted eggplant soaks up the delicious vinaigrette. Frizzled leeks add the perfect finishing touch.”

olive oil, for the baking tray
4 small eggplants, halved lengthwise (~ ¼ lb each)
Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
salt
pepper
½ lb small cherry tomatoes, halved
Frizzled Leeks (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking tray with foil and brush it lightly with olive oil. Place the eggplants facedown on the tray and roast until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Remove tray from the oven, turn the eggplants over and spoon a little vinaigrette over the open surfaces. Set aside to cool to room temperature. (You can chill the eggplants if you choose to serve this dish cold.)

To serve, arrange the eggplants on individual plates (2 halves per serving) and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Divide the tomatoes among the plates and drizzle on a little more Mustard Vinaigrette. Top with a sprinkling of Frizzled Leeks, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

Mustard Vinaigrette:

2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 T prepared grainy mustard
3 T fresh parsley, minced
3 T fresh dill, minced (or 1 T dried)
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 T fresh lemon or lime juice
½ c apple juice
1 tsp salt
½ c extra virgin olive oil

Combine everything in a jar with a lid, cover and shake well. Shake again before each use.

Makes 1½ cups.

Note: You can prepare all the ingredients up to several days ahead. The vinaigrette can be made weeks, or even a month, ahead. Assemble shortly before serving.

If you have any left over, try cutting the eggplant into small pieces and serving it on top of Crostini.

 
REC: Japanese Grilled Eggplant

Japanese Grilled Eggplant
posted by mariposa13 @ Recipezaar.com

4 med Japanese eggplants, sliced into ½” diagonal pieces (~ 1 lb)
cooking spray (5 x 1 second sprays/serving)
2 T low sodium soy sauce
1 T fresh lemon juice
1½ tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp gingerroot, freshly grated
¼ tsp garlic, minced
¼ c scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Preheat outdoor grill, stove-top grill pan or broiler.

Coat eggplant with cooking spray. (Note: If you can’t find any Japanese eggplants, buy regular eggplants that are small in size.) Grill or broil eggplant turning as needed until lightly charred and tender, about 7 to 9 minutes.

Whisk soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, ginger and garlic in a small bowl until blended.

Drizzle over grilled eggplant and sprinkle with scallions.

Makes 4 servings. Yields about ¾ cup per serving.

 
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