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Old July 8, 2011   #4
nctomatoman
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7
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Eggplant is somewhat of an acquired taste, and what you think of it will strongly depend upon your expectations, experience, and how it is prepared - and of course, the freshness of the eggplant!

To me, there are two "starter" recipes that can win you over. The first is easy - take one of the globe shaped eggplant, peel, slice into 1/4 inch rounds...dip in a mix of egg and milk, then bread crumbs, then layer then on a cookie sheet - sprinkle with Parmesan cheese...spray with some olive oil spray. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until browned. These are great to eat just as an appetizer, or use them to make much healthier eggplant parmesan (layer them in a pan with sauce, mozarella and parmesan, repeat and bake).

Second one - and the one that won me over - is Ratatouille - if you have your own zucchini, eggplant, sweet peppers and tomatoes, there really isn't anything like it. We use the Joy of Cooking recipe.

We never salt/drain ours - they have no bitterness when home grown and picked at the right time.
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