Next to the tomato, the eggplant is my favourite vegetable.
My mum prepared many eggplant dishes when I was growing up: barbecue roasted eggplants marinated in olive oil and vinegar and then canned and preserved; baked eggplants stuffed with ground meat, cheese and tomato sauce; fried eggplant patties, held together with egg, parmesan and bread crumbs; eggplant parmigiana, with lots of gooey mozzarella; and eggplant lasagna, replacing the ground meat to make it a vegetarian version.
Eggplants are so versatile; available all year-round, they can be used to make amazing meals any time.
Originally from India, where it is known as brinjal, the eggplant is used in several international cuisines. In France, ratatouille is made by stewing eggplants with other vegetables; in Turkey, it is stuffed and called imam bayildi; the Chinese and Thai use it in stir fry with tofu as well as in curries; Greeks use eggplants for their vegetable moussaka; and Middle Eastern and African countries have many recipes using eggplant as well, including Iran and Morocco.
This beautiful vegetable has a unique taste and texture. It becomes very tender when cooked properly and has a rich flavour. In many recipes, the eggplant complements the other ingredients, such as tomato sauce and cheese.
In order to tenderize the eggplant and remove the bitterness, I always “degorge” them, which involves salting, rinsing and draining. After cutting the eggplant into very thin slices, sprinkle with salt and allow to rest for about one hour, then rinse the eggplant to remove the excess salt. This is a must when preparing eggplants. It really does makes a difference to your dish.
Choose eggplants that are firm and heavy. Make sure the skin is smooth and shiny, with a vivid purple colour. There should be no scars or bruises. To test for the ripeness of an eggplant, gently press the skin with your finger. If it springs back, the eggplant is perfect.
My all-time favourite eggplant dish is eggplant parmigiana. I usually make it in the colder months as it’s very hearty and rich. My mum’s original recipe involves frying the eggplant slices to a lovely thin crisp. And while this version is ever so tasty and yummy, my mum now bakes her eggplants.
When my mum initially told me she now bakes her eggplant parmigiana, I was aghast and really thought the flavour would be nowhere near as good. Well, I was wrong. When I follow my mum’s instructions, the dish comes out beautifully every single time.
I like to use the small eggplants, also called Italian eggplants, because I find this particular eggplant to be more tender than the larger ones. I’ve also taken a few liberties with her recipe. While my mum serves this dish as an accompaniment to meat, I like to make mine as a standalone dish, so I add sliced hard boiled egg between the layers for protein.
Eggplant Parmigiana
Ingredients:
5 or 6 small eggplants, sliced, degorged and rinsed
1 jar of strained tomatoes, about 175 ml
Salt, to taste
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
Sprigs of fresh basil, however much you want
1 hot chili pepper
5 hard boiled eggs, thinly sliced
Parmesan, grated, however much you want
Mozzarella, grated, about 2 cups
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Place thinly sliced eggplants on baking sheets and place in oven to bake for about 30 minutes – 15 minutes on each side.
Add the strained tomatoes to a pot, adding salt, basil, minced garlic and the whole chili pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the pepper and basil leaves from the pot.
While the eggplant slices are baking and the tomato sauce is simmering, boil the eggs.
Line the bottom of a casserole dish with tomato sauce, add the baked eggplant slices, parmesan, more tomato sauce, and the egg slices. Layer again with the eggplant slices and repeat the process until all the ingredients are used.
Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before cutting.
Another eggplant dish I really like is eggplant caponata. I tried it for the first time a few years ago, when I attended an event at the Italian Cultural Institute in Toronto which was hosting a Sicilian food and literary event. I initially went for the cannoli and the arancini, but once I tried the caponata, I fell in love with it. This makes a great side dish.
Sicilian Eggplant Caponata
Ingredients:
4 small eggplants
Salt, to taste
1 red onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 jar of strained tomatoes, about 175 ml
Sprigs of fresh basil, however much you want
Capers, however much you want
1/4 cup of pine nuts
1/2 cup of green olives, pitted
6 slices of anchovy filets
Wash the eggplants, dice, place in a strainer, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for one hour to draw out the bitterness. Once the eggplant has sat, rinse away the salt and pat the pieces dry.
Slice the onion and sauté in olive oil; once translucent, add the celery. When the celery is partly cooked, add the tomatoes and simmer.
While the tomatoes are cooking, heat a second pot of oil and fry the diced eggplant in several batches. When the last batch is done, add the eggplants to the simmering pot of tomatoes and cook for a few moments, until everything is blended nicely.
Add pine nuts to a baking sheet and bake until slightly browned.
Remove eggplants from the oven, and let cool completely. Garnish with pine nuts, green olives, capers, basil leaves and anchovy filets.
Serve the caponata cold. This recipe tastes better with age as the different flavours blend together and improve over time.
