The eggplant and its preparation

1 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
THE EGGPLANT
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Directions

VARIETIES

CONVENTIONAL: Dark purple and globular shape, ranging in size from1-5 pounds. Easily found. ORIENTAL: Smaller and more elongated, Japanese/Chinese eggplants usually weigh less than a pound and are a violet hue, sometimes striated with white. They have a sweeter taste and finer texture. They don't require salting to fry.. Found in Asian food stores. MINIATURE: Sometimes called "Italian" or "Baby eggplants" these are perfect for the grill and also tend to be less bitter than the conventional variety. Found in many fresh produce stores. WHITE: Available in globular and long, thin shapes, the tough skin tends to require peeling. Found in specialty produce stores. PEA EGGPLANT: These marble-sized, green and white eggplants are found at Asian food stores. Used in Thai pickles, chili sauces and curries.

THE FAT FACTOR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * Eggplants absorb more fat than any other vegetable. It's best to avoid dishes that call for deep-frying or sauteing. Try baking, roasting, grilling, boiling, steaming or stewing instead. * Or, sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt per pound of cut eggplant, let stand in a colander for 30 minutes, rinse, squeeze and pat dry. Salting reduces the amount of oil when frying and cuts down the bitterness. BAKE OR ROAST IT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * Pierce whole eggplant several times with a fork and bake in 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Or cut in halves, crosshatch the cut sides, place cut-side-down on a lightly oiled baking sheet and cook 20-30 minutes.

* Roasting gives eggplant a rich, meaty, smoky flavor. In the broiler, place halves cut-side-down on a broiler pan. On the grill, place skinside down on hot grill. Cook until the skin is blistered and blackened. Place eggplant in a paper bag for a few minutes. The steam will loosen the charred skin. Remove skin with oven gloves or under cold running water. DELICIOUS IDEA ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * DIPS: Roasted or baked eggplant makes a great dip, such as baba ghanoush, eggplant caviar, Indian dip with yogurt, etc. * SUBSTITUTES: Use it instead of pasta in lasagna, in place of meat in a pasta sauce or as mini-crusts for pizza. * INTERNATIONAL DISHES: Turn to Greek, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Chinese and Indian dishes for a wide variety of eggplant ideas. NUTRITION: TIP OF THE WEEK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eggplants may rank low in vitamin and minerals, but it's full of fibre and carbohydrates. Raw eggplant is low-fat and low-cal. From: Foodsmarts by Madeleine Greey in the Toronto Star Transcribed By: S. Lefkowitz Submitted By SAM LEFKOWITZ On 10-16-94

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