We were talking about how so many Americans really don't seem to know what to do with an eggplant. Our kids are excited when they see eggplant, but I know that most people either are perplexed or repulsed by them here. I think Americans tend not to cook them enough. There can be crispness to them from frying or roasting, but there should never be crunch on the inside. They should be soft and silky, otherwise, they will be too astringent. Anyway, I thought I'd give you some ideas on what to do, all in one place.

We had about eight eggplant left in our fridge (after using about eight or nine already) because of our gleaning club last week, so I took the time to make caponata, as it freezes so well and can be made into so many meals. I use it as a pasta sauce on abstinent days, it can be a side dish with grilled or fried sausages, I add it to lasagne, you can brown up ground beef or Italian sausage and add it to it for a meat sauce. We froze two gallons of it. The other thing I made was Baba Ghanooj. Rich was really wanting some, and even though Jerome can't enjoy it right now, I made it. Between the two of those, we made short work of those eggplant. Here is how I made the caponata:

Caponata

6 medium sized eggplant, cubed
6 zucchini or summer squash, sliced
3 large sweet peppers, cut into chunks
6 tablespoons capers, drained
3 dozen kalamata or green olives, pitted
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 28-ounce cans chopped tomato (or equivalent amount fresh tomatoes, chopped, with all their juices collected and saved)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
6 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3 red onions, finely chopped
12 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
chopped parsley, to garnish

Lightly season eggplant cubes with salt, set aside.

In a large pan heat olive oil then pan fry eggplant cubes until they are turn golden on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add additional olive oil to the pan, then sauté onion, peppers and celery. Add summer squash and brown slightly.

Add the garlic, and cook a minute or two. Add oregano, basil, red wine vinegar, capers, olives and chopped tomato. Bring to a boil, then add fried eggplant and simmer for 15 minutes on low heat.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper then garnish with chopped parsley.

There are so many ways you can make eggplant, though. I like to just shallow fry slices, crisply, and eat them salted. You can get fancy and fry them in garlic oil with chile peppers, too. I like to make a green curry with shrimp or chicken and eggplant. Also, I roast eggplant, peppers, onions, summer squash, seasoned with salt and pepper, garlic and oregano, and toss them with balsamic vinegar and olive oil and top flat breads or pizza dough with it and bake. Here is a list of my recipes and other recipes that I love which feature eggplant:

• Eggplant Gyros
• Tomato and Eggplant Sauce So, somehow, I ended up sharing this recipe on the blog twice. It really is that good, but this is the better written version.
• Mediterranean Braised Vegetables
• Eggplant and Chickpea Curry
• Melanzane al Forno
• Slow Cooker Ratatouille (plus summer squash)
• Zaalouk It has a typo, you should cut the eggplant in 3/4” slices. I add a couple teaspoons of minced ginger with the onions and garlic. You can substitute parsley for the cilantro if you like.
• Maghmoor
• Chickpea Salad with Za'atar Fried Eggplant
• Caramelized Onion and Eggplant Pastry Tart
• Eggplant "Meatballs" I put far more parsley and basil in it than they recommend, just because we have it and I like fresh herbs, and I don’t put Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, just plain. We make our own sauce with canned, diced tomatoes, and canned tomato sauce, sautéing the garlic first, then adding the tomatoes and tomato sauce, stirring in a spoonful of pesto I've made before (I freeze it in ice cube trays and then bag them up for later use), dried oregano, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, and fresh basil and parsley at the end.
• Thai Ginger Chicken
• White Bean and Eggplant Gratin I double everything, use cannelini beans instead of navy, increase the eggplant from two large (for a doubled recipe) to five small, I use one can (instead of two, because of all the liquid) of crushed tomatoes and I use panko instead of regular bread crumbs, but mix them with a little olive oil before putting on top.
• Eggplant Tomato Gratin with Mint, Feta and Kalamata Olives

Labels: Frugality, Homemaking, Preserving the Harvest, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen