Eggplant?
Posted by TianaSenn on Dec 30, 2008 · Member since Dec 2008 · 5 posts
Can anyone please give me a detailed description of what cooked eggplant tastes like? What is it's texture like etc. Does it have a skin you have to bite through? I've never had this food, but have been thinking of trying this out. Normally I make meat lasagna, but I have seen this alternative at several restaurants and never been brave enough to try it. Anyone had any experience with eggplant lasagna? Thanks! :)
I'm not a fan of it plain, but I love it with tamato sauce. first my mom grills it, then bakes it in the oven for about 20 minutes with the sauce. the texture is somewhat chewy. like zuchinni or squash.
You can leave the skin on, or peel it. I prefer to peel it. I like it breaded, baked, and covered with pasta sauce, or blended smooth in baba ganoush. It does have it's own interesting texture, though. Slightly chewy, and if you get a big one, you'll want to salt it to get out the bitterness.
Fried, I don't care for it. Cooked long and slow in tomato sauce etc. it loses its identity and melds beautifully with other ingredients. You can peel or not peel, but I suggest you slice it thinly or cut it into small chunks.
There are those who say that you must salt it and let it sit for awhile, but I dislike all that salt...even if you rinse it off, I feel chary of it. I have learned that cutting it thin/small gets rid of the need for that. Make sure your eggplant is WELL cooked, because undercooked eggplant is Very, Very indigestible indeed.
Eggplant is wonderful in parmesan dishes, pisto (not pesto!), lasagne, any pasta type dish. There are several recipes on here for it, some of which I contributed myself (tries to look modest). Just cook it long and slow in a sauce, and you're there.
Here is a traditional Spanish recipe for pisto, I make this all the time. http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=19318.0
Once you've chopped all the veggies it's easy to throw together. Just stir it to make sure it doesn't stick.
There are many kind of eggplant as I see. Purple, green, white in color; slim long, volleyball-like, toe-like, pingpong-like in shape,ETC.
It confuses me. :D In my thought, eggplant is kind of veggie food, isn't it? Why just try it? Bake a small one, bite it!
Just make sure you bake it long enough. You don't want your first experience with eggplant to be bad :(
It's a great and versatile veggie!
There are many kind of eggplant as I see. Purple, green, white in color; slim long, volleyball-like, toe-like, pingpong-like in shape,ETC.
It confuses me. :D In my thought, eggplant is kind of veggie food, isn't it? Why just try it? Bake a small one, bite it!
You have a lot of different kinds of eggplant in the East that we don't have here in S. Europe; I dunno about the States, but here we get the dark purple ones, and just occasionally the purple-and-white ones. That's all. So we have to get a bit more inventive.
There are some really good recipes on here for baked (breaded) eggplant. I agree with making sure to cook it long enough. You can take the skin off too if you are unsure about it at first. Maybe you could try making eggplant Parmesan, where the eggplant is within the dish, instead of the main ingredient. I try to make the baked (breaded) eggplant about once a week since it is one of my favorites. Be brave!
:)
I'm probably the only one who worries about stuff like this, but isn't like the ~only~ nutritional value in eggplant in the skin?
Yes. Eggplant is pretty much devoid of nutrients except maybe a couple minerals. It's a good filler if you're dieting though. Very low calorie.
And it takes on flavours of what you cook it with very nicely. I guess that's why it's so popular in things like eggplant parm and veggie lasagne type dishes.
I'm probably the only one who worries about stuff like this, but isn't like the ~only~ nutritional value in eggplant in the skin?
Yes. Eggplant is pretty much devoid of nutrients except maybe a couple minerals. It's a good filler if you're dieting though. Very low calorie.
Well, I did not know this.
With all this talk of aubergine, I really hope the farmers maarket has some tomorrow, although I fear it's out of season.
eta: Ooops just noticed my mispelled market!
I didn't know that, either, and I also didn't know that eggplant = aubergine.
I suppose, though, if it's low in calories, and it takes on flavor nicely, as Yabbit pointed out, it is still a nice veggie to experiment with.
Pssst meggs - I purposefully said aubergine coz I thought you'd like the Britishness of it!
Pssst meggs - I purposefully said aubergine coz I thought you'd like the Britishness of it!
Shelloid :)>>>
I do like it, I do!
eta: And it was so casual- nicely done.
Pssst meggs - I purposefully said aubergine coz I thought you'd like the Britishness of it!
Apart from the fact that they STOLE that word from French... :-D 8-)
Eggplant recipe database!
3116 eggplant recipes.
Eggplant recipe database!
3116 eggplant recipes.
Awesome coolness!
eggplant parm is good, but my fav way to have it is stirfried in a chinese sauce with lots of garlic.
I like to make the long, slender Japanese eggplant because it isn't as bitter as the other one. I cut it up, saute it with garlic and ginger and white pepper, throw in some tofu cubes and some sweet chili sauce and tamari. You can eat this with rice or noodles. It is very satisfying. The key is how long you cook it. Make sure you get it tender enough or it won't be edible. HTH
Thank you all for sharing your recipes and descriptions! I had no idea it wasn't a nutritional veggie! (Darn!) I think I may try the eggplant parma first to get "acquainted" with it first! Thanks again! ;)b