DiningBuzz! - What is the point of Aubergine?

Does anyone like it? If so why and how?:confused:

Was it invented by the Greeks because they were envious of lasagne and couldn't work out how to make pasta - so invented moussaka by substituting pasta with aubergine?

Let's be honest - aubergine is completely pointless.:)

Here's a crazy fact: The U.S. State of New Jersey grows 1/3 of the world's aubergines. Seriously.

I love eggplant. I bake it with oregano and basil. I cook it until it is a bit dry and then eat it.

I love eggplant. I bake it with oregano and basil. I cook it until it is a bit dry and then eat it.

Why not just eat the oregano and basil?:confused:

Here's a crazy fact: The U.S. State of New Jersey grows 1/3 of the world's aubergines. Seriously.

Just confirms my prejeudices doesn't it!

Uhm, so you don't like eggplant, is what you're saying?

I would suspect that most Italians would disagree, and where it comes to food, I will take their opinion over anybody's with "UK" in their name. Just sayin'. :p

BTW, I make an awesome Melanzane alla Parmiggiana. Ridiculously good. So I am biased.

It is my favorite vegetable.

Once the local farms start picking it in August, we have it several times a week.

Aubergines are lovely.

They're also very light, but with a tight skin. I like to imagine you could replace the air in them with hydrogen, to form a levitating, explosive vegetable, but I probably have too much time on my hands.

Only proviso is that it has to be eaten just as soon as it's cooked, with a degree of urgency slightly greater than other veg...

They're also very light, but with a tight skin. I like to imagine you could replace the air in them with hydrogen, to form a levitating, explosive vegetable, but I probably have too much time on my hands.



I hadn't thought of that. You must have got that from one of those terrorist on-line sites we are told to fear so much! :D



32.7.03 Exploding Aubergines

The aubergine can be your friend in our fight against the infidels! No one chooses an aubergine and no one expects them to blow up! Choose a tight skinned aubergine. They must be purple. Insert nozzle .......

I'm going to have to try that out now :D

I hadn't thought of that. You must have got that from one of those terrorist on-line sites we are told to fear so much! :D

Ssssh. Next thing we know the TSA will ban roundish tight-skinned fruits.

My husband loves eggplant. I don't. Therefore, he orders it in restaurants and I don't. It is a beautiful vegetable to look at or photograph. I see the beauty of the form; not the taste.

Aubergines are my favorite vegetable. Tonight I ate a whole one for dinner. I sliced it and put it in layers with tomatoes and grated cheese (sometimes I use slices) and microwaved it for 12 minutes.

I love them.

When prepared in the middle-eastern style - smoked and then into a salad of sorts - they are phenomenal. Ditto for sliced and grilled then drizzled with some olive oil. Or any of dozens of other preparations.

One of the great delicacies when properly prepared. For years I didn't have any properly prepared and thought much like uk1, then I finally came across eggplant/aubergine done right. Heavenly!!!! Better than almost any other food. Actually several different styles of cooking works, but one of the simplest is to barbecue it, charring the surface completely and letting it collapse into a creamy mush. Bitter, soft, crispy, sweet -- all the basic food groups, in one simple dish that cooks itself.

Love em. Babaganoush is my favourite mezze dip and aubergine makes a fantastic curry too.

Well - OK then.

As you well know I'm a person of potentially enormous inconsistency and I pride myself in my ability to confuse my "enemies" by changing my mind without any hint of indignity or any blushiness - but only in the face of overwhelming contrary evidence. But we're clearly not quite there yet.

So here is the deal.

This weekend I have planned my cheats version of donner kebab which I like with khobez rather than (or more accurately as well as) my own home-grown lebanese flat bread with lovely salad and all my trimmmings.

I'm going to grill some aubergine on the bbq (lava grill).

I plan to slice into thickish slices and simply paint with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and course fresh black pepper - and grill and eat.

Do I then drip some chilli oil on the cooked result or are we au naturel? Any other variations taken on the chin.

I'm giving this my bestest shot.:)

Several have ponted out the lovely and appealing uses of eggplant in all of its multple varieties and manifestations, from simply grilled through baba ganoush, 'spread' for mezze, caponata, and the suave luxury of iman bayeldi, but to cement the place of the vegetable in the pantheon of culinary delights, the "Pirogue" from Galatoire's in New Orleans sets a high standard.

Several have ponted out the lovely and appealing uses of eggplant in all of its multple varieties and manifestations, from simply grilled through baba ganoush, 'spread' for mezze, caponata, and the suave luxury of iman bayeldi, but to cement the place of the vegetable in the pantheon of culinary delights, the "Pirogue" from Galatoire's in New Orleans sets a high standard.

New orleans is rather a long way for a Brit to go who has indicated a strong lack of appreciation for the Purple Bomber.:D

I love aubergine cooked well, in italy I woudl never hesitate in ordering it, and I love it as someone else described, smoked, until it is soft and delicious. However, I cook a poor aubergine. I've tried it a variety of ways, and none are ever as good as in restaurants, so I tend to save it for restaurants. The closest I get to good is when I use a griddle pan, good olive oil, and salt. Even then, it is just ok.

Make sure to use good eggplants too.

The younger ones are firmer, have less acid, and less seeds. Personally I don't mind the seeds and acid, but some people do. They also tend to have less of a bitter flavor.

....

I'm going to grill some aubergine on the bbq (lava grill).

I plan to slice into thickish slices and simply paint with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and course fresh black pepper - and grill and eat.

Do I then drip some chilli oil on the cooked result or are we au naturel? Any other variations taken on the chin.

I'm giving this my bestest shot.:)It all depends on how big it is, but the way I do it is to cut in half, use very good quality olive oil, and place cut side down on a griddle (solid surface, like a frying pan). Grill on low heat, for a long time (up to an hour). Turn once; don't touch it unnecessarily (can be never turned). Surface will be charred completely; inside will be divine mush (like porridge). Lots of other ways to cook it, but this satisfies me and my food snob passions. Seasoning is up to you, but easy on the salt unless you want all the bitterness to go away.

I've never cared for the large purple eggplant even though my parents did and tried to foist them upon me regularly when I was young. However the small green/white Thai eggplants about 1" diameter are outstanding when still somewhat crispy in curries and soups. I even grew some last year.

Here's a crazy fact: The U.S. State of New Jersey grows 1/3 of the world's aubergines. Seriously.thanks for the tidbit, I would have never guessed.

Good luck OP, I hope it turns out for you.

I love eggplant, thankfully present in many cuisines.

I love eggplant. I bake it with oregano and basil. I cook it until it is a bit dry and then eat it.

I always order it in Chinese restaurants in Singapore. I believe the dish is called "Eggplant with minced meat in claypot." Yummy stuff. :)

Love em. Babaganoush is my favourite mezze dip and aubergine makes a fantastic curry too.

I was going to post that while I'm not that thrilled with eggplant parmesan, lasagna, etc. I love it in Indian food as Baingan Bharta and as a Turkish/Greek mezze.

It does seem to me that from what people have said that it is inherrently without taste and people like it for the flavours they add to it. A bit like tofu.

. . . . . except that Tofu does not grow in the garden.

I had no interest in Aubergine until my wife and I went hiking down in the Ticino region here 15 years ago. We crossed the frontier from Lugano into Italy and had lunch at a Ostelo called La Primula. They served baked Aubergine in sauce for lunch.

One year later we returned, enrolled in the cooking class (hands on) then offered by the managers at La Primula. ( They have moved down the road 1KM to La Marianna ). The same honest question was put to our Master Chef, Tiziano, by a fellow German student: " But why eat Aubergines ? "

The answer was that in "lean times " anything that grew was eventually eaten out of necessity. Tiziano explained that even tomatos from the new world were avoided for 400 years as poisonous, until people had to make a choice of eat or starve. Lombardia was blessed he said with an abundance of vegetables in comparison to Southern Italy, but still experienced some famine over the centuries. When you had no food, the Aubergine and other plants could be eaten to sustain life. So we learned to lightly fry it, then bake it in layers, grill it, and also employ it in sauces and stews.

Today, having a thick slice (or two) of Aubergine fried with a crisp coating of Pecorino Romangna cheese, a few sauteed mushrooms, and a good glass of wine, overlooking Lago di Como has become a memorable experience we enjoy and look forward to.

. . . . . except that Tofu does not grow in the garden.

I had no interest in Aubergine until my wife and I went hiking down in the Ticino region here 15 years ago. We crossed the frontier from Lugano into Italy and had lunch at a Ostelo called La Primula. They served baked Aubergine in sauce for lunch.

One year later we returned, enrolled in the cooking class (hands on) then offered by the managers at La Primula. ( They have moved down the road 1KM to La Marianna ). The same honest question was put to our Master Chef, Tiziano, by a fellow German student: " But why eat Aubergines ? "

The answer was that in "lean times " anything that grew was eventually eaten out of necessity. Tiziano explained that even tomatos from the new world were avoided for 400 years as poisonous, until people had to make a choice of eat or starve. Lombardia was blessed he said with an abundance of vegetables in comparison to Southern Italy, but still experienced some famine over the centuries. When you had no food, the Aubergine and other plants could be eaten to sustain life. So we learned to lightly fry it, then bake it in layers, grill it, and also employ it in sauces and stews.

Today, having a thick slice (or two) of Aubergine fried with a crisp coating of Pecorino Romangna cheese, a few sauteed mushrooms, and a good glass of wine, overlooking Lago di Como has become a memorable experience we enjoy and look forward to.

Thanks for your post.

Reading your post gives the clear impression it's more the occaision than the taste of the actual aubergine itself that you find memorable! And who wouldn't enjoy almost anything accompanied by Lake Como and a glass of wine .....

And by the way, tofu does pretty much grow in the garden ......soy beans ......?!:D

I never appreciated aubergine/eggplant until we travelled to Istanbul. Wow. ^

They do it right all over the Middle East, IMHO.

But, we are still missing the answer to the OP's question:

The point of the aubergine is the end where the flower closes. ;)

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Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

sautee them in a pan with oil---let sit on some paper towels, top with a tomatoe-onion sauce and garlic yogurt--sprinkle dried spearmint on it.....serve with pita bread .........yummmmmmy..

It's my favorite vegetable, by a long shot. If you're going to
do it on the grill, I'd suggest the following, especially if you
have mature ones where the seeds have developed.

Slice them maybe an inch thick, rub a moderate amount of
salt into the cut sides. Let stand at least half an hour, then
rinse well and pat, almost squeeze, dry. My sister, who liked
the bitterness, laughed at me for doing this. For me it
enhances the taste. If you like garlic, rub them with a cut
clove of it. Brush them with oil, strew on whatever seasoning
you like, and cook until tender and the ugly cottony texture
is gone from the entire thickness of each slice. Eat at
whatever temperature you prefer, sprinkled with more
seasoning - you're right, chile-infused oil might be nice.

There are those who insist on peeling the things before
cooking them. If you are going to use direct heat, do not
do this - it'll cause them to fall apart.

To appreciate eggplant one really must visit Turkey. The average housewife has at least 100 ways to make eggplant. Many of those recipes totally disguise the vegetable.

I also believe that an eggplant purchased in a super market is completely unrelated to an eggplant plucked from the field or purchased from a fresh food stall in Istanbul.

The final delight of this vegetable is the exotic label aubergine.

It does seem to me that from what people have said that it is inherrently without taste and people like it for the flavours they add to it. A bit like tofu.Absolutely false. It has great flavour, when properly grown. But just as unripe tomatoes, bananas, etc. can have no flavour, so with aubergine. And using bad ingredients will always diminish the dish. Preparation can either highlight or suppress the flavour of eggplant, and as this thread shows some love the bitterness, others hate it. Both ways have equal merit. A lot of complexity and versatility from such an unpromising vegetable.

To appreciate eggplant one really must visit Turkey. The average housewife has at least 100 ways to make eggplant. Many of those recipes totally disguise the vegetable.

I also believe that an eggplant purchased in a super market is completely unrelated to an eggplant plucked from the field or purchased from a fresh food stall in Istanbul.

The final delight of this vegetable is the exotic label aubergine.


My mom always hated eggplant ... until she had it as Turkish food.

It all depends on how big it is, but the way I do it is to cut in half, use very good quality olive oil, and place cut side down on a griddle (solid surface, like a frying pan). Grill on low heat, for a long time (up to an hour). Turn once; don't touch it unnecessarily (can be never turned). Surface will be charred completely; inside will be divine mush (like porridge). Lots of other ways to cook it, but this satisfies me and my food snob passions. Seasoning is up to you, but easy on the salt unless you want all the bitterness to go away.

Ah, I just put it in the oven for a fairly (ie: more than 1 hour) long time as a whole, cut it open when it's done, scrape out the mushy stuff, add garlic, parsley, olive oil, a bit of fresh coriander as well, and a bit of lemon or lime juice. Leave it to cool, and then eat on bread, use as a dip or as relish. Heavenly if you are into Middle Eastern cuisine.

Ah, I just put it in the oven for a fairly (ie: more than 1 hour) long time as a whole, cut it open when it's done, scrape out the mushy stuff, add garlic, parsley, olive oil, a bit of fresh coriander as well, and a bit of lemon or lime juice. Leave it to cool, and then eat on bread, use as a dip or as relish. Heavenly if you are into Middle Eastern cuisine.Sure, babaganoush is a classic use of eggplant. I prefer more smoky charred kind of flavour and less other spices, but both styles are equally good, just different. Also as someone pointed out there are dozens of kinds of eggplant, not just the 1 or 2 kinds sold in supermarkets in the west.

Just made a big pot of it: Peel then large dice a large eggplant; saute it in a little olive oil until it is soft. Meanwhile, saute in a little olive oil in a large pot diced garlic (at least 6-8 cloves; more to taste). Add tomato (about 2 lge cans stewed/peeled -drained, ripped up pieces, plus 2-3 cans petite diced - drained), parsley (chopped - about a bunch), salt. Boil for a few minutes. Then add fresh hot peppers to taste (whatever is available - works with anaheim, cubanelle, serranos, jalepenos, a mix - we de-seed the larger peppers), a couple of dried hot red peppers, and boil for a few more minutes. Then add a couple of zucchinis and yellow squash (about 3/4 inch slices, then cut into 1/2's or 1/4's, depending on size). Cook them for another few minutes and then add the eggplant and cook the whole mess until the squash is at a point where it is cooked but still has some texture. We make it with a lot of heat. Also works well with more eggplant and less squash.

Interestingly, since I read this thread, I've been craving aubergine - and everytime I've gone into a shop it has been sold out - over a month and no shop I have entered has had any aubergine :mad: :mad: :mad: :(

Interestingly, since I read this thread, I've been craving aubergine - and everytime I've gone into a shop it has been sold out - over a month and no shop I have entered has had any aubergine :mad: :mad: :mad: :(You live in the wrong country :)

I've still managed to resist. One nearly got me in Waitrose, but I managed to stare it out.

Love em. Babaganoush is my favourite mezze dip and aubergine makes a fantastic curry too.

+1

Love both of them :)

1. Stuffed Chinese eggplant:

http://www.foodbuzz.com/photos/0160/6780/Shrimp_Stuffed_Eggplant.jpg?1290117001

2. Stir-fried spicy eggplant with minced meat and garlic sauce:

http://www.chinesefoodrecipes.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Eggplant-with-Garlic-Sauce.jpg

I am soooooooooooo hungry right now!

Spanish style Berenjenas rebozadas (kind of similar to aubergine tempura) are delicious. This was how I was introduced to this vegetable as a child, so I was off to a good start.

Japanese aubergines with miso (nasu miso) can be melt in the mouth heaven

Nasu agebitashi (なす揚げびたし) are lovely and there's something really satisfying about the unique 'squeaky' sensation you get when biting into nasu tsukemono (なす漬物) -which is kind of like aubergine pickles.

And then there are all the different shapes, tastes and textures from the various kinds of aubergines used in Thai cooking. I don't care to imagine Thai curries without these little fellas.
http://international.stockfood.com/pix/GEMU/110/327276_T.JPG

I'm surprised (unless I missed it) no one mentioned ratatouille.

I'm surprised (unless I missed it) no one mentioned ratatouille.

Although I mentioned up-thread, that I do not like eggplant, I do like it in ratatouille.

I.
Consider please this dish of ratatouille.
Neither will it invade Afghanistan
Or boycott the Olympic Games in a huff.
It likes the paintings of Raoul Dufy.
It feeds the playboy and the working-man.
It has no enemies, no, no even
/Salade Niçoise/ or phoney recipes,
Not Leonard Brezhnev, no, not Ronald Reagan.
It is the fruits of the earth, this ratatouille,
And it has many friends, including me.
Come, lovers of ratatouille, and unite.

II.
It is a sort of dream, which coincides
With the pacific relaxations called
Preferred Reality. Men who forget
Lovingly chopped-up cloves of /ail/, who scorn
The job of slicing two good peppers thinly,
Then two large onions and six aubergines -
Those long, impassioned and imperial purples -
Which, with six courgettes, you sift with salt
And cover with a plate for one round hour;
Or men who do care to know about
The eight ripe /pommes d'amour/ their wives have need of,
Preparing ratatouille, who give no thought to
The cup of olive oil that's heated in
Their heaviest pan, or onions, fried with garlic
For five observant minutes, before they add
Aubergines, courgettes, peppers, tomatoes;
Or men who give no thought to what their wives
Are thinking as they stand besides their stoves
When seasoning is sprinkled on, before
A /bouquet garni/ is dropped in - these men
Invade Afghanistan, boycott the Games,
Call off their fixtures and prepare for war.

III.
Cook for one hour, and then serve hot or cold
Eat it, for preference, under the sun,
But, if you are Northern, you may eat
Your ratatouille imagining Provence.
Believe me, it goes well with everything,
As love does, as peace does, as summers do
Or any other season, as a lifetime does.
Acquire, then, for yourselves, ingredients;
Prepare this stew of love, and ask for more.
Quick, before it is too late. /Bon appétit!/

I'm surprised (unless I missed it) no one mentioned Ratatouille.

Good movie.

But this thread is about aubergine/eggplant.

:p

In this area right now eggplants are about $1 or $1.29 a lb in the places that sell them by the pound.

Yesterday in one of the stores we go to they had a bunch of ones in the day old veggie rack for fifty cents each.

Be making eggplant something tomorrow.

eggplant baked in the oven with a miso topping is great

aubergine as a color is very nice too!!

aubergine as a color is very nice too!!

I feel a Swiss Tony moment coming on ...... "you know aubergine is a bit like a beautiful woman ...... gorgeous on the outside, but when unwrapped often dissapoints ................":D

I'm surprised (unless I missed it) no one mentioned ratatouille.

Apparently, the original version (before nouveau cuisine manifested itself) requires it and peppers and onions to be cooked to a mush and put through a food mill. A very tasty spread on good bread.

I just made a baba ganoush with 6 eggplants that I roasted then charred the skins.

We also get the tiny Indian eggplants (come in regular and light green colours) which I like to put whole in curries.

Apparently, the original version (before nouveau cuisine manifested itself) requires it and peppers and onions to be cooked to a mush and put through a food mill. A very tasty spread on good bread.

I just made a baba ganoush with 6 eggplants that I roasted then charred the skins.

We also get the tiny Indian eggplants (come in regular and light green colours) which I like to put whole in curries.


Heh, I had some old ratatouille in the freezer that I decided to thaw out... wasn't really appetizing-looking enough to eat a side, so I stuck it in the power blender and out came a nice dip. Not quite as creamy and smooth as babaganoush, but tasty nonetheless... ^

I don't mind eggplant, but i really am not keen on it in ratatoiulle, so I make a version without (more of a courgette appreciation dish really!)

I don't mind eggplant, but i really am not keen on it in ratatoiulle, so I make a version without (more of a courgette appreciation dish really!)

While I don't mind eggplant, I often saute onions, green peppers, sliced zucchini (and sometimes yellow squash), and tomatoes and spice it up with fresh ground black pepper and a little hot sauce to finish.

While I don't mind eggplant, I often saute onions, green peppers, sliced zucchini (and sometimes yellow squash), and tomatoes and spice it up with fresh ground black pepper and a little hot sauce to finish.Ok, where's the FT cookbook? :)

While I don't mind eggplant, I often saute onions, green peppers, sliced zucchini (and sometimes yellow squash), and tomatoes and spice it up with fresh ground black pepper and a little hot sauce to finish.

I'll have to give the hot sauce a go - I like basil and oregano in my courgette appreciation version (which sounds largely the same, except I prefer red peppers to green).

I'll have to give the hot sauce a go - I like basil and oregano in my courgette appreciation version (which sounds largely the same, except I prefer red peppers to green).

Well, any color of pepper will do. I added a can of tomato sauce and basically had a spicy soup and no fat other than what is naturally in the vegetables and the tablespoon or so of olive oil I used when I sauteed the onions.