Friday, July 31, 2009

Friday's Last Spoonful: Eggplant


Eggplant -- an edgy veggie

The eggplant has a very subtle nutty taste. Frankly, eggplants are nearly tasteless and never eaten raw. Cooking brings out more flavor. It’s a fruit that absorbs and extends flavors in many recipes. Look for many shapes and sizes. Colors include purple and white. Japanese eggplants are long and skinny while Italian eggplants are round and robust. The name “eggplant” comes from the color of the raw flesh, which appears in eggshell color. This ingredient does well in baked casseroles. Make lasagna without pasta using thin slices of pre-cooked eggplant instead of noodles like in Moussaka. Asian cuisines call for eggplant in different stir-frys and Thai curries. Also, try frying eggplant slices in a beer batter or Tempura batter to make a simple appetizer or side dish.

Helpful Hint: Eggplant is in season right now.

4 comments:

  1. My mom takes thin slices of eggplant and dips them in an eggwash and pan fries them to serve for breakfast. It's awesome.

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  2. Same here...soo good! I'm trying to recreate it but to no avail. Does anyone have the recipe on how to cook the eggwash pan fried eggplant??
    -jenel in AZ :)

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  3. I was never in the kitchen when mama was cooking this for breakfast. But I tried to do it once when I surprised my parents with breakfast. Of course, mama corrected me and said I had to do the following: Boil the eggplants (stem on). Then, dip the eggplant in the eggwash (egg whites, or whole eggs beaten to frothy). Pan fry on low-to-med heat hope this works out for you.

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  4. the eggwash...season to taste, I suppose? Hi Jenel!

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