There was a time when everybody seemed to be afraid of cooking eggplant. Rumors were rampant about bitterness and annoying seeds and the difficulty of cooking it well. As it turns out, that’s all a lot of nonsense. Our colleague Chef Jerry Pellegrino is eager to set us straight on eggplants.
First of all, many of the eggplants you see in the market have been bred for mildness of flavor and smallness of seeds. So, the old tales about excessive bitterness are no longer valid.
As for seeds, if you follow this one little tip, you’ll be ahead of the game. Only buy “male” eggplants. They’re the ones with the pointy ends. The “female” eggplants have a very broad bottom when compared to the males. As a male of the species, they have no use for seeds, so their seeds are far smaller than the female’s.
Eggplants do have a well-deserved reputation for being difficult to fry. The reason is they soak up the olive oil like a sponge. Some cooks recommend salting your eggplants slices for about a half hour. This draws off excess moisture. Rinse or blot off the extra salt when you are ready to go to work.
Here are several recipes Jerry recommends.
CHARRED EGGPLANT PUREE
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Purple Eggplant
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup garlic purée
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
salt & white pepper to taste
Cut the ends off of the eggplant and cut into 1-inch slices. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and place slices of eggplant in the dry hot pan. Burn the eggplant until completely black and then flip and burn the other side. Continue to char all of the pieces and place them in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to steam for 30 minutes. Remove the eggplant, peel off the skin, and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place in a colander and allow to drain over the sink for 30 minutes. In a food processor set with the chopping blade, combine the eggplant with all the remaining ingredients and purée until smooth. Push the purée through a fine mesh sieve, adjust the seasoning and serve with a drizzle of olive oil.
MELITZANOSALATA
Ingredients:
4 large purple eggplants
½ red onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
To prepare this super easy melitzanosalata recipe, start by baking the eggplants in a preheated oven at 200C. You could either bake them whole or sliced, depending on the time you have available. If you choose to bake them whole, use a fork to make some holes on the eggplant, place on a tray and bake for about 1 hour. Alternatively, for a quicker version of this melitzanosalata recipe, cut the eggplants in slices and place them on a baking tray, lined with parchment paper. Coat with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh thyme, season with salt and pepper and add 1-2 cloves of garlic. Cover with parchment paper and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, until tender.
For this melitzanosalata recipe you need to use only the flesh of the eggplants. Peel the eggplants and dice the pulp.
Place the pulp and the other ingredients in a large bowl and vigorously mix with a wooden spoon. (If you prefer your melitzanosalata to have a creamier texture, then add the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse, adding the olive oil gradually on a steady stream. Alternatively mash the eggplants using a fork). Let the melitzanosalata cool down, spoon into a serving bowl and garnish with a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA
Ingredients:
2 medium eggplants, washed and cut into ½ inch thick rounds (about 2½ pounds)
½ cup Wondra or other finely ground flour
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
5 large eggs
4 cups breadcrumbs
Pomace olive oil, for frying, as needed
2 pounds fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into thin slices
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 qt. Sunday Gravy
Spread the Wondra flour on a sheet tray and season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and pour them onto another sheet tray. Season the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper and spread out evenly on a third sheet tray. Place the eggplant slices, one at a time, on the Wondra and coat both sides. Then, dip in the egg mixture, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Make sure to coat both sides of each slice of eggplant. Arrange them in single layers on sheet trays.
In a large skillet, pour enough oil to accumulate about ¼ -inch in the bottom. Heat the oil until it begins to smoke lightly. Use a pair of kitchen tongs to add a single layer of eggplant to the pan. Cook them until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil and transfer to a sheet tray covered with a few layers of paper towels and allow them to drain as the others cook. Repeat this until you’ve fried all of the eggplant slices. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Assemble the dish in a 9 by 13-inch oven proof, deep sided casserole dish. Spoon a thin layer of Sunday gravy on the bottom. Top with a layer of fried eggplant; the eggplant slices can overlap slightly. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan. Repeat this process until you’ve used all the eggplant and cheeses. Carefully press the layers down firmly into the dish once assembled. Place the dish in the top part of the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven, place the fresh mozzarella slices on top of the eggplant in a single layer. Return the dish to the oven and cook until the cheese begins to melt and brown on the edges, about 20 minutes.
