Eggplant

Eggplant (Solanum melongena) or aubergine is a species of nightshade grown for its edible fruit.

"Eggplant" is the common name in North American and Australian English but British English uses "aubergine". It is known in South Asia, Southeast Asia and South Africa as brinjal. Other common names are melongene, garden egg, or guinea squash.

The fruit is widely used in cooking. As a member of the genus Solanum, it is related to both the tomato and the potato. It was originally domesticated from the wild nightshade species, the thorn or bitter apple, S. incanum, probably with two independent domestications, one in the region of South Asia, and one in East Asia.

CRISPY EGGPLANT FRITTERS WITH SMOKED MOZZARELLA

JIMMY BRADLEY
BON APPÉTIT AUGUST 2007

YIELD: Makes about 20 fritters

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggplants (2 pounds total)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• Olive oil (for brushing and frying)
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/4 cups plain dry breadcrumbs, divided
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 4 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese,* cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 20 cubes)

• *Also called mozzarella affumicata; available at some specialty foods stores and at cheese shops.

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt; let stand 30 minutes. Brush 2 large baking sheets with oil. Pat eggplant dry; arrange in single layer on prepared sheets. Brush lightly with oil. Bake until eggplant is tender and dry, about 1 hour. Cool slightly; chop coarsely.

Whisk 1 egg, grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Stir in chopped eggplant (mixture will be soft). Spread 1 cup breadcrumbs on plate. Whisk 1 egg and flour in another bowl. Press and shape eggplant mixture into 1 1/4 -inch-diameter balls. Press 1 piece smoked mozzarella into center of each ball, making sure eggplant mixture covers cheese. Dip balls, 1 at a time, into egg batter; roll in breadcrumbs to coat.

Pour enough oil into large skillet to reach depth of 1/4 inch; heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add balls to skillet; sauté until browned, turning often, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

NOT MINE.CREDIT AND SOURCE: EPICURIOUS

EGGPLANT FRITTERS WITH HONEY

BY CLAUDIA RODEN
EPICURIOUS JUNE 2011
THE FOOD OF SPAIN

I have eaten several versions of these eggplant fritters, which are a specialty of Córdoba, and have loved them all. The combination of savory and sweet is sensational. In the town of Priego de Córdoba, which is in the mountains on the Ruta del Califato (the tourist route of old Muslim Spain), where there is an old Moorish quarter, the eggplant slices I ate were very thin and crisp and served with a dribble of honey. I learned from the chef at the restaurant Rio a new way to prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil, which is to soak the slices in milk, then drain them and cover them in flour.
These are best eaten as soon as they are done, but they are also very good reheated in the oven.

YIELD: Serves 4 to 5

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggplants (about 1/4 pounds)
• About 2 cups milk
• Flour for dusting or dredging
• Salt
• Olive or sunflower oil for deep-frying
• Orange blossom honey or other aromatic runny honey

PREPARATION

Peel the eggplants and cut them into slices about 1/3 inch thick. Put them in a bowl, add enough milk to cover, and put a small plate on top to hold them down. Let soak for 1 to 2 hours; drain.

Cover a plate with plenty of flour mixed with a sprinkling of salt. Working in batches, turn the eggplant slices in this so that they are entirely covered with flour, then shake them to remove the excess. Deep-fry in sizzling but not too hot oil, turning the slices over as soon as the first side is brown. Drain on paper towels.

Serve hot with a dribble of honey, and let people help themselves to more honey if they like.

variationIn Córdoba, I had the eggplant slices dipped in batter. The coating was crisp, the eggplant was moist, and they were served with molasses.

not mine.credit and source: EPICURIOUS

Nasu no miso dengaku: Japanese slow-roasted eggplant with dengaku sauce

It's still summertime, but I can feel the cooler days of fall coming, especially in the evenings when the temperature is dropping just a bit more than it did a few weeks ago. This is one of the best times of the year for food lovers, especially if you love vegetables.

Eggplants (aubergines) are in high season now and will be around for at least another month or so. While you can get them year-round, they are at their best of course in their natural season.

This is a classic Japanese way of serving eggplant, and it's really easy. All you do is to slowly roast the eggplant until tender, either in the oven or on the stovetop in a frying pan, then serve with a glossy, salty-sweet dengaku (田楽）sauce. I could eat this every day, with a bowl of plain rice and some coldmugicha to wash it down.

Recipe: Slow roasted eggplant (aubergine) with dengaku sauce (nasu no miso dengaku 茄子の味噌田楽)

Serves 1-2, depending on what else is served at the same meal.

• 1 large, round or 2-3 small, fresh eggplants. Try to get ones with thin skins.
• Olive or sesame oil

For the dengaku sauce:

• 3 Tbs. miso. Here I've used a haccho miso (八丁味噌）with some texture to it, but any miso you like will do. See Japanese miso primer.
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1 Tbs. sake
• 1 Tbs. mirin
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. olive oil or sesame oil
• water

Prepare the eggplant, according to the type:

If you're using a big round one: Cut off the blossom end, and reserve to use as a decoration.

If you are using a big long one (e.g. the standard Italian or American type eggplant): Take off the blossom end (optionally reserve for use as decoration) and cut the eggplant into thick slices crosswise, or into half lengthwise. (Note that I don't recommend this type of eggplant for this, since the skin tends to be rather tough. Choose one of the other kinds if you can.)

If you're using a small thin Asian-type eggplant: Cut in half lengthwise, keeping the blossom end on for decorative purposes.

Rub the cut surfaces of the eggplant with a little sesame or olive oil. Roast it in an oven at 200°C / 400°F, cut side down and tented with some loose foil until tender (the time depends on the size of the eggplant, but it's about 10 minutes for a small eggplant, 30 minutes for a big eggplant, with the slices somewhere in between). It's tender when you can pierce through easily with a skewer. You can try cooking the eggplant in a toaster oven too, but I haven't tested this myself so you're on your own as to timing and so on.

Alternatively, you can slow-roast the eggplant in a dry frying pan. Place cut-side down in a non-stick pan, and cover loosely with some aluminum foil. Pan-roast until tender over medium-low heat, turning once. This method is especially suited for small eggplant - it takes 5-10 minutes and doesn't heat up the kitchen as much as the oven method.

While the eggplant cooks, prepare the dengaku sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a small pan, and set over low heat. Mix the sauce vigorously with a wooden spoon, until the sauce turns glossy. Adjust the consistency by adding drops of water. It should not be too runny, but should flow thickly, rather like a thick ketchup.

Serve the eggplant warm, coated with sauce.

About dengaku sauce

Dengaku (田楽 - the characters mean 'rice paddy' + 'harmony' or 'music' or 'play') is a classic miso based sauce. There are many variations, but the basics are the same: miso with sweetener, a little oil for adding gloss, and sake and/or mirin for added flavor. Sometimes a little soy sauce is added, or dashi stock instead of water, or even MSG. My version comes from my mother, of course, and is quite simple.

You can make dengaku sauce in quantity and keep it in a closed jar in the refrigerator, but I don't bother since it's so easy to make fresh. If you do make it and store it, warm it up a bit before using.

Dengaku sauce is terrific on other grilled or roasted vegetables, firm tofu, blanched konnyaku, and so on. It's a bit sweet for my taste for serving on meat and fish, but you can try it out!

Add spice to dengaku-sauced foods by sprinkling on some shichimi tohgarashi (7-ingredient pepper, seeEssential staples of a Japanese pantry).

Big, fat, round eggplant

These are the eggplants I used for the version at the top of the page, bought at my favorite farmer's market in Provence:

You might be thinkng, "But Japanese eggplants are small and thin and cute!" Well the standard ones are, but in Kyoto (the home of Japanese haute cuisine) there is a variety of eggplant that is similar to the one in the photo called kamonasu （賀茂茄子）- big, round, and quite thin-skinned. Here's a photo of one.

There's nothing like the combination of juicy, soft eggplant with that sweet-salty, thick dengaku sauce. Wait, I think I need to go to the market today...

Other favorite eggplant recipes from the archives:

• Japanese country style stewed eggplant (nasu no inakani)
• Steamed eggplant with spicy peanut sauce
• Grilled eggplant and mushroom miso soup(you can make this just with eggplants)
• Ratatouille

Submitted by maki on 2009-08-14 09:02.

not mine.credit and owner: JUSTHUNGRY