If you are anything like me you forget about many wonderful ingredients when planning a meal. For one, eggplant always slips my mind. Did you know eggplant is a fruit and that it is native to India? It is closely related to the tomato and potato, being in the nightshade family. Most specifically eggplant is a berry. I think it is the most giant berry I've ever seen! You might have seen all different types of eggplant, but here is the low down. Commonly seen are the Japanese and Italian eggplants which are normally purple and sometimes tethered in color. The white eggplant is where the name came from, in relation to it's egg like shape. So often this fruit is peeled, but really the skin has excellent flavor and texture when it is fresh. As the eggplant ages, the skin becomes tougher and achieves that nasty bitter taste that we tend to steer clear of. So when you're at the market choosing an eggplant here is what to look for. You want a glossy, smooth-skinned, firm and heavy eggplant. Stay away from those with brown spots or bruised skins. Also, the best eggplant can be purchased in season ranging from August to September. If you want an eggplant when it's out of season or if the skin feels a bit tough definitely peel it. Oh the possibilities of this vegetable that is a berry!
When you get your beautifully picked eggplant home, what to do? The most common and successful cooking methods are broiling, baking and frying. I'm sure many of you have had Eggplant Parmesan portraying the frying and baking method. Maybe you have been lucky enough to have some broiled eggplant on a sandwich? So delicious! Last but not least Babaganoush! This dish requires baking and grilling of the eggplant. All these are delicious, but lately my favorite way to prepare eggplant is just by adding it to sautes. As long as there is salt and liquid in your dish you will find much flavor present. Let the eggplant soak up the flavors of the dish. Recently, I made a tomato based eggplant soup of onion, garlic, roasted eggplant and fresh basil. It was very simple and hearty. I just sauteed the onions, garlic and basil with a bit of salt and pepper added in my tomato base and when it was bubbly hot, dropped in the cubed and baked eggplant. It was a big hit with the fam! Also try adding eggplant to pasta dishes. It's meaty texture and absorption qualities will amaze all. Pictured below is a bowl of quinoa linguine topped with an eggplant marinara, artichoke pesto and a chiffonade of basil. For another idea to utilize eggplant try eggplant rolls.
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