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Creative Things to Do With Eggplant

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Started 2 years ago by joev
Latest reply from sugarplumclarey

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joev
Merion Village
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My garden has bestowed me with a bounty of eggplant with no end in sight. Beyond the typical eggplant parmagiana, baba ghanouj and grilled eggplant, what are some other unique culinary uses eggplant? I want to stay away from frying as much as possible, as those suckers absorb a ton of oil. I did make this recipe for split peas with honey sweetened eggplant, which was incredible, but we can't eat it every week.

I have both the standard purple eggplant, the really pretty Listada de Gandia (culinarily, identical to the standard,) some long Japanese style Ping Tungs, and the pretty, small, round Turkish Orange variety.

Posted 2 years ago #
Mercurius
First Avenue
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http://www.latartinegourmande.com/2007/09/06/eggplant-millefeuille/

My sad attempt:

Posted 2 years ago #
osulew
My house...in the middle of my street
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TAH DAHHHHH!
I love this site...
http://www.tastespotting.com/search/eggplant/1

Posted 2 years ago #
Kerry
Merion Village
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The mention of the Engine House reminded me of all the yummy things I miss from there, the Crepe Aubergine is high on that list.

The recipe link below is similar to the EH version minus the spinach.

http://www.recipezaar.com/Italian-Eggplant-Aubergine-Crepes-21508

I may have the acutal EH recipe at home, I'll look tonight.

Posted 2 years ago #
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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I love eggplant lasagna but I don't know if that's unique or culinary enough for you ;)

Posted 2 years ago #
Mercurius
First Avenue
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osulew wrote >>
TAH DAHHHHH!
I love this site...
http://www.tastespotting.com/search/eggplant/1

I often turn to Flickr for inspiration
and this group

Posted 2 years ago #
joev
Merion Village
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Thanks, osulew! That's perfect inspiration. And somer, I was thinking about an eggplant lasagne. The culinary was to filter out ideas like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deadhorse/1812529404/

Posted 2 years ago #
osulew
My house...in the middle of my street
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joev wrote >>
Thanks, osulew! That's perfect inspiration. And somer, I was thinking about an eggplant lasagne. The culinary was to filter out ideas like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deadhorse/1812529404/

I just noticed there were about 7 pages there...I thought it was just that one.
yay eggplant!!!

Posted 2 years ago #
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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Oh, haha. Well I guess if worse comes to worse :)

I want this now.

http://www.imagelicious.com/blog/post/savoury-pastries-with-eggplant-and-tomato

It's like a healthy hot pocket :)

Posted 2 years ago #
joev
Merion Village
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somertimeoh wrote >>
Oh, haha. Well I guess if worse comes to worse :)
I want this now.
http://www.imagelicious.com/blog/post/savoury-pastries-with-eggplant-and-tomato
It's like a healthy hot pocket :)

That's the one I was salivating over. Of course, I hate making pastry, but I'm never above using a frozen pie crust.

Posted 2 years ago #
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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Oooooh, people are going to call you Sandra Lee ;)

Posted 2 years ago #
joev
Merion Village
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I'll have to think up a tablescape! My theme will be Eggplant Under the Sea.

Posted 2 years ago #
TaraK
probably at the coffee shop
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Yeah, I was also going to second (or third) lasagna. You might also do moussaka. The recipe I always used had layers of meat sauce, broiled eggplant, and broiled potato slices, plus spinach. Yum.

Eggplant sliced thin and long can also be neat for a few different things. I've stuffed it with a little goat cheese, rice, and sun-dried tomatoes, then drizzled w/olive oil and baked.

I always think of my S.O.'s grandfather, Pablo, who was visiting from Honduras. His dinner was going to be traditional food (i.e. beef, tortillas, plantains) and he saw the eggplant we were fixing. Having never seen an eggplant before, he thought it was quite ugly and asked why we "had to eat that thing."

Posted 2 years ago #
jennyw
Clintonville
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Oh, I'm so glad that you posted the split peas w/ eggplant recipe! I get a little thrill every time I find a recipe that I already have the ingredients for on-hand, and this one looks like a winner (if a bit time-consuming)!

Posted 2 years ago #
joev
Merion Village
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I've not had a moussaka that knocked my socks off. A vaguely ethnic casserole, but I guess I could doctor it up some. Any favorite recipes?
Those wide strips of eggplant look very cool, but in my experience, when I go to eat them, they unravel and end up not being worth the effort.

Posted 2 years ago #
joev
Merion Village
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jennyw wrote >>
Oh, I'm so glad that you posted the split peas w/ eggplant recipe! I get a little thrill every time I find a recipe that I already have the ingredients for on-hand, and this one looks like a winner (if a bit time-consuming)!

It freezes really well. I doubled the eggplant part of the recipe, too. My eggplant ambivalent wife loved it. Salting the eggplant cubes then squeezing them out really well helped the texture a whole lot. Don't skip that step.

Posted 2 years ago #
Manatee
The eternal present
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Ooooh, I had some kick a** moussaka at Andrew Hall's house, was it prepared by his in-laws? It was delicious.

Posted 2 years ago #
groundrules

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let's not forget the obvious.

Posted 2 years ago #
jennyw
Clintonville
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I have to admit it, I don't think I ate eggplant in any form willingly until I hit college and discovered the majesty that is baba ganoush. I still don't *love* it, but I'm a vegetarian and since it is often one of the only veg choices on menus, I'm trying to get myself to appreciate it more. These recipes sound like good means to propel me down that path!

Posted 2 years ago #
jennyw
Clintonville
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joev wrote >>

jennyw wrote >>
Oh, I'm so glad that you posted the split peas w/ eggplant recipe! I get a little thrill every time I find a recipe that I already have the ingredients for on-hand, and this one looks like a winner (if a bit time-consuming)!

It freezes really well. I doubled the eggplant part of the recipe, too. My eggplant ambivalent wife loved it. Salting the eggplant cubes then squeezing them out really well helped the texture a whole lot. Don't skip that step.

Oh, thanks for the tip!--I've feared preparing the dread bitter eggplant. Knowing that it freezes well is helpful, too, since we're a household of two.

Posted 2 years ago #