Axisking
Woodsman
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 163
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I have two nice medium-large eggplant and want to cook them.
I am trying to stay away from fried stuff, but don't want to spend much time cooking this.
Any help is appreciated. Quick is the main thing.
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RICK O'SHAY
Pro Tracker
Reged: 05/27/06
Posts: 1194
Loc: DALLAS TEXAS
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OH MAN FRIED IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO !!!!!
MMMMM MMMM GOOD, BUT WHAT A MESS!
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IF I AIN'T HUNTIN I'M HUNTIN A PLACE TO HUNT.
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Longhorn95
Bird Dog
Reged: 09/09/07
Posts: 275
Loc: San Antonio TX
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Grilled? Some olive oil, salt & pepper to taste?
Maybe Campcook will respond with something as appealing as if it were fried, but healthy.
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Axisking
Woodsman
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 163
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Longhorn...thanks...that's actually what i was thinking but just didn't come up with exactly how I was going to do it..
Rick...thanks...I went with your idea, it was just killin me lookin at 'em, so I just decided to cut back on the beer tonight and fry 'em
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campcook
Pro Tracker
Reged: 11/26/04
Posts: 1122
Loc: Azle TX
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Actually, I do have a couple three ideas, but as far as i am concerned, fried is hard to beat-we had it for supper matter of fact. prepare eggplant before use:after slicing or cutting into shape desired, lay it on a cookie rack and sprinkle rather heavily with salt. After about 15 minutes, rinse, flip over, and salt again. After another 15 minutes, rinse and dry.
The batter I used was:
1 can 7-up
6 tablespoons corn starch
1 1/2 cup flour
tiny bit of salt
2 tablespoons italian seasoning
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
pour the 7-up into a medium bowl and whisk for a few minutes to get rid of some of the fizz. Add the corn starch, and whisk till smooth. Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking till smooth each time. add seasonings and whisk again. Let sit for 1/2 hour, then whisk again.
slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds.
Preheat oil to 350 degrees. Dip in batter and fry till golden. (you can also cut into 1/2 inch cubes, or into strips).
OK: now some better-for-you recipes:
Eggplant lasagna:
Slice eggplant lenthwise, into L-O-N-G thin strips - no more then 1/4 inch thick. Prepare as above.
Use instead of pasta in lasagna.
Eggplant on the grill:
slice either crosswise or lengthwise, about 1/2 inch thick, and prepare as above.
Prepare the grill.
Brush both sides of eggplant with olive oil. Make a mixture of italian seasonings, salt, and lemon pepper, and sprinkle rather heavily on both sides. place on grill for 5 minutes, and flip it over. Grill on 2nd side for 2 minutes. (This also works well with summer squash, mushrooms, green onions, mushrooms and tomatoes).
Ratatoulli:
slice summer squash (zuchini, yellow crookneck, pattypan, etc), tomatoes, eggplant, and mushrooms into about the same size. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy stockpot. Saute 1 med diced onion, 2 garlic diced cloves, and 1/2 diced bell pepper till soft not golden. Add a pinch of salt. add veggies and water just to one-half volume (you want moist not wet).
Add italian seasonings, salt and pepper. Let simmer slowly until the veggies are almost soft. Take 1 tablespoon water and add 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce. Whisk 1 tablespoon flour into this till it is smooth. Add to veggies and stir, heating gently till the broth thickens.
You can add sausage - italian bulk (aka breakfast) sausage, pepperoni, summer sausage all work well, as does ham.
HAPPY?
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Founding Member - THFOFC Auxiliary
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Tres
Pro Tracker
Reged: 10/12/07
Posts: 1736
Loc: Grapeland, TX
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Try slicing it real thin and layering it with a tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese, the real stuff, and baking in the oven.  
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"I've got all the money I'll ever need, if I die by four O'clock"
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campcook
Pro Tracker
Reged: 11/26/04
Posts: 1122
Loc: Azle TX
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Also, you can add it to tomato sauces, for over pasta - just make a medium to small dice of the meaty part (cut around the center where the seeds are).
And you can cut them in half lngthwise (this works best with the "oriental" eggplants, that are long and thin, although the mediterranian ones work fine too) and scoop out the seeds.
Salt the inside rather heavily and wait for 15 minutes, and rinse out the salty bitter liquid. Fill with your favorite stuffing (one for bell peppers works fine, or you can chop leftover spaghetti and mix with leftover meat sauce) and cover with cheese. Bake till hot all the way through.
(If it doesn't want to stand upright, cut a small piece off the bottom so it will stand in the baking dish)
BTW this is good for baked stuffed squashes (any summer squash). Just microwave for 15 min 1st to soften the squash.
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Founding Member - THFOFC Auxiliary
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cajundave
Veteran Tracker
Reged: 05/15/07
Posts: 2100
Loc: Metro Mess
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Another thing is to dice it and add it to Tony Chacherie's Dirty rice mix. Brown meat, add two diced onins, 1 diced bell pepper, brown untill both are soft, and then follow the box instructions.
You can't miss with it. That being said, one of my favorite things to do is the lasagna that campcook talked about above. I usually keep the noodles though.
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That's why they call it hunting and not killing!
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campcook
Pro Tracker
Reged: 11/26/04
Posts: 1122
Loc: Azle TX
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Randall is apparently, well not allergic to, but has a sensitivity to, the gluten in wheat flour. As with other people with a slight sensitivity to an ingredient, he simply tends to avoid most flour products.
He will eat an occasional slice of home-made bread, or coffee bread, and he loves pasta. So like the guy with the Goiter said to his wife, " I'm just going to have problems twice a month"...
But we have found VERY good subsitutes for the pasta he loves:
Spaghetti Squash (I love it, Randall Loves it, Son-in-Law likes it, Tina will eat it if there is nothing else)
Rice noodles (AKA Celophane noodles). Made with gluten-free Rice flour, so no problem. Everyone loves it.
Eggplant and big squash in lieu of the wide noodles in lasagna, and canaloni and manacotti (again, Tina is not fond of squash so will eat if nothing else is available).
(Who'da thunk that MY daughter would be so stinkin' picky?)
We are having grilled squash tonite for supper as a side dish...
MMMMMMMMM
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Founding Member - THFOFC Auxiliary
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cajundave
Veteran Tracker
Reged: 05/15/07
Posts: 2100
Loc: Metro Mess
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Squash sounds great! I put my squash through a french fry maker/cutter and brown it in Olive oil, a touch of lemon, and a little salt and pepper. I can eat it just like I eat french fries.
I'm thinking of cutting and battering some of my eggplant that way on the next fish fry.
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That's why they call it hunting and not killing!
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Axisking
Woodsman
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 163
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Dang...all these ideas sound awesome!
I don't have a garden, but I'll have to mooch some more off the friends...as I did the first ones!!
I'm ready to give all these methods a shot at it
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cbump
THF Trophy Hunter
Reged: 12/02/06
Posts: 6075
Loc: Weatherford
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i have never had eggplant
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Axisking
Woodsman
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 163
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I can't explain it very well. but i sure like to eat 'em. i guess they're along the lines of squash or zuchini?
Soemone else could probably tell it better
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campcook
Pro Tracker
Reged: 11/26/04
Posts: 1122
Loc: Azle TX
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The ones most people are familiar with are about 6 to 8 inches long, deep dark purple, and thicker at he blossom end than at the stem end. These are the Mediterranian eggplants.
They also commonly come in an Asian variety which is longer and more cylindrical, can be quite long.
They also come in base-ball size and shape, white, zebra-striped, yellow and green.
You want a fruit that is firm, and heavy for it's size.
They are rather like chicken, in that they are bland, and so tend to absorb the flavors used to cook them. They can be bitter; this is why you do the advance prep of salting and rinsing them prior to use.
Have you seen the movie Rattatoulle? The fancy dish the Rat prepares at the end is either golden zuchinni or yellow crookneck, green zuchinni, and asian eggplant, all about the same diameter and sliced the same thinness. He then takes a pizza pan and alternates the 3 colors of slices in a spiral from the outside to the inside, seasons, and bakes. I have had no luck with eggplant 2 years running in my garden; however living close to big cities its not hard to find the regular eggplant in season at the local stores, and if I want one of the other varieties I just go to the Food Zoo (most folks call it Central Market) in Ft Worth.
Unless it is in a sauce, eggplant does not freeze well, so it is a summertime treat.
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kyotee1
Pro Tracker
Reged: 09/01/04
Posts: 1832
Loc: Coyotehill, TX
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The purple eggplant are good, however if they haven't received adequate watering, they're down right bitter.
Now the white eggplant, or Italian strain, has a unique, almost exquisite flavor that once you try them, it'll be dang-near harder than heck to go back to the purple ones.
The white eggplant has a milder, smoother taste with zero bitterness to them at all. If you can find them, usually can locate them at Lowe's, Home Depot in March/April and make sure to let one grow for seed.
No contest in flavor between the white vs. purple
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campcook
Pro Tracker
Reged: 11/26/04
Posts: 1122
Loc: Azle TX
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I have started to grow some of the Heirloom seeds. Like I said I have not had much luck with eggplant this year, but the beets did so well that late next month I am going to plant again. And not plain red ones, either - I have Golden, Zebra striped, and Albino beets! Same great taste, no staining!
And Randall and I are planting our second crop of corn, a supersweet sugar enhanced white that will be ready in a bit over 2 and a half months. The bi-color corn we planted (var. Early and Often) did very well - we had 10 lbs of it at the GTG, we ate 20 or so fresh, and I froze about that many. I have 26 pints of canned bi-color corn. We also had red corn, (it was good! I have some Blue Jade corn seeds on order for next year...)and planted some field corn that we are gradually feeding out, more as treats than anything else.
The sugar pie pumpkins look like they are KUDZU we have to beat them off the other plants with a stick, but we will have plenty to can and deep fry when fall comes along...
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Founding Member - THFOFC Auxiliary
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