Eggplant

Eggplant can be both a color and a vegetable and I happen to like both!

Facts & Historical Information

Eggplant is a member of the nightshade family along with potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. Eggplant is actually a fruit, and is classified botanically as a berry! It ranks among the most popular edible vegetables of the world since it is enjoyed throughout the Mediterranean basin, the Far East, the Americas and practically in all Latin American countries. Eggplant isn't a particularly popular vegetable in the United States, but it's a favorite in many areas of the South. Thomas Jefferson, who experimented with many varieties of plants in his Virginia garden, is credited with introducing eggplant to North America.

In various parts of Europe, people suspected that eating eggplant caused madness, not to mention leprosy, cancer, and bad breath, which is why eggplant was used mostly for decoration in England and the United States nearly up to the 20th century

Florida produces the bulk of the domestic harvest, and New Jersey is a major supplier during the summer months. Asia accounts for some 78% of world eggplant production. Turkey produces more eggplant than all of Europe combined.

Cooking Eggplant

Ever get tired of slicing up eggplant and frying the slices prior to using them in other recipes? Well I sure do. It adds time to the preparation, increases the fat content and decreases the vitamin content. After many years of searching, I have compiled a short file of easy, quick, good eggplant recipes that do not require frying. I have lost copies of these recipes so often that I gave up and decided to put them somewhere that was less likely to get thrown away by accident or misfiled. I will continue to add to the page as other scraps of paper resurface in my kitchen.

BAKED EGGPLANT

(From Simply Delicious, p. 155, recipe by Janet Revenew)

1 medium eggplant

¼ cup butter

½ cup bread crumbs

1 tsp. minced onion

2 eggs, well beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

Pare eggplant. Cut into ¼ inch slices. Cook in salted water until tender. Drain and mash. Add butter, crumbs, onion and eggs. Season to taste. Mix thoroughly. Pour into well oiled baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees until thoroughly heated and browned.

BRAISED ARTICHOKES AND EGGPLANT

(From Alicia's Country Recipe Kitchen)

4 c. artichoke hearts, canned

1 eggplant, peeled, diced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. olive oil

Cut artichokes into quarters. In a large skillet, add olive oil and place over high heat. Add artichokes and eggplant and braise well until eggplant is tender. Add salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately when all ingredients are well blended. Serves: 4.

EGGPLANT-ARTICHOKE PARMIGIANA

(From Mable Hoffman’s Crockery Cookery, p. 179.)

1 medium eggplant

½ teaspoon salt

1 (14 oz.) jar tomato pasta sauce

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered

2 tablespoons capers, drained

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or ½ tsp. dried

¼ teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cut eggplant into ¾ inch slices (notice that says ¾ and not ¼ inch). Cut slices in half; sprinkle with salt. Alternate layers of eggplant, pasta sauce, artichoke hearts and capers in a slow cooker. Sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Cover and cook on HIGH 4-5 hours or until eggplant is tender. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

EGGPLANT CASSEROLE

(From Alicia's Country Recipe Kitchen)

1 medium eggplant

12 saltine crackers

1 egg

1 c. grated cheese

1 c. milk

3 tbsp. margarine

Cook diced eggplant in water until transparent or done. Drain and add broken crackers, beaten egg, cheese, milk and melted margarine. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven 30 minutes. Top with grated cheese or cracker crumbs.

EGGPLANT CREOLE

(From A Collection of the Very Finest Recipes Ever Assembled into One Cookbook)

1 large eggplant

2 Tbs. flour

2 Tbs. butter

1 can tomato sauce

1 can water

1 clove

2 bay leaves

1 Bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp. salt

½ cup grated cheese

½ cup bread crumbs

Cut eggplant in cubes; cook in boiling water for 8 minutes; drain. Place butter and flour in skillet; when blended, add tomato sauce and water; stir until smooth. Add clove, bay leaves, bell pepper, onion, and salt. When sauce thickens, fold in eggplant and sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for ½ hour at 350 degrees.

EGGPLANT SALAD

(From Reminisce Magazine)

1 medium eggplant (about 1-1/4 pounds)

4 medium tomatoes, cubed (3-1/2 to 4 cups)

3 hard cooked eggs, cubed

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup prepared French salad dressing

1-1/2 teaspoons salt, optional

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Place with cut side down in a greased 9-in. square baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Cool, peel and cut the eggplant into 1/2-in. cubes; place in a large salad bowl. Add tomatoes, eggs and onion. Add dressing, salt and pepper; toss. Cover and chill 1 hour before serving. Yield: 10 servings.

EGGPLANT SUPREME

(From Simply Delicious, p. 155, recipe by Al Mauler)

1 eggplant, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick

1 onion, finely chopped

1 lg. green pepper, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. margarine

Chili powder

Salt

4-5 eggs

Heat margarine in 10-inch skillet. Place 4 slices eggplant symmetrically in skillet. Add some onion and green pepper in spaces between eggplant. Sprinkle with chili powder and salt. In bowl, beat eggs until foamy. When eggplant softens, pour into skillet some of beaten egg, just enough to cover eggplant. Fry over low heat, without stirring until egg is cooked. Turn “pancake” and brown other side. Remove to platter and hold in warm oven. Repeat, adding more margarine to skillet until eggplant and eggs are used. One “pancake” serves one person as a main dish. Optional: add chopped tomatoes and/or minced garlic.

EGGPLANT WITH GROUND BEEF

(From Alicia's Country Recipe Kitchen)

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 med. onion, diced

1/2 c. bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 c. tomato sauce

1 sprinkle of parsley

1 eggplant

Peel eggplant and cut into thin slices. Brown ground beef; add diced onion. Add 1/2 cup bread crumbs, tomato sauce, parsley, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons grated cheese. Layer eggplant, ground beef mixture, eggplant, ground beef, etc. Cook in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

EGGPLANT - ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

(From Alicia's Country Recipe Kitchen)

2 zucchini

1 lg. eggplant

1/2 c. chopped celery

1/2 c. chopped green pepper

1 c. spaghetti, broken in pieces (cooked)

2 cans tomato sauce

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz. sliced Mozzarella cheese

1/4 c. water

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. oregano

Peel and slice eggplant. Slice zucchini. Mix tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic and oregano. Put 1/2 of eggplant in shallow baking dish. Cover with 1/2 of zucchini, green pepper, celery and spaghetti. Put on 1/2 cheese and 1/2 of tomato mixture. Repeat layers. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

FRANKFURTER-AND-EGGPLANT SUPPER

(from McCall’s Book of Wonderful One-Dish Meals. Edited by Kay Sullivan. New York: Saturday Review Press, 1972, p. 182-183.)

1 eggplant (1¼ pounds)

Flour

1/3 cup olive or salad oil

¼ tsp. dried basil leaves

1 small clove garlic, crushed

1 pound frankfurters, cut in 1 inch pieces

½ cup chopped onion

1½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 can (1 pound) tomatoes, undrained

Cooked white rice

1. Peel eggplant; cut into 1-inch cubes. Measure 5 cups. Toss eggplant with flour to coat lightly.

2. In hot oil in large skillet, sauté onion until tender – about 5 minutes.

3. Add eggplant, salt, pepper, basil, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally until eggplant is lightly browned.

4. Add frankfurters and tomatoes, mixing well. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.

Makes 6 servings.

MARINATED CHICKEN AND EGGPLANT

(From The Advocate, November 10, 2005, Recipe is by Julie Kay)

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 whole eggplant, skinned and cut into cubes

1 (12 oz.) jar marinated artichokes, with liquid

¼ cup chopped green onions

2 cups canned tomato and basil sauce

1 cup wide egg noodles, uncooked

Put chicken into slow cooker and add in eggplant cubes. Add marinated artichokes with liquid. Mix in green onions. Pour tomato and basil sauce over all. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Turn to HIGH and add in noodles in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Serves 4-6.

MEXICAN EGGPLANT

(From Colorado Cache)

1 large eggplant

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 15-oz. can tomato sauce

1 4-oz. can green chiles, chopped

¼ cup green onion, chopped

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated

6 ripe olives, sliced

1 cup sour cream

Peel and slice eggplant. Bruch both sides of each slice with oil. Place in a single layer on a greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Combine tomatoe sauce, chiles, green onion, cumin, and garlic salt in a saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. In a greased 9 x 13 x 2-inch casserole, layer eggplant, sauce and cheese. Top with sour cream and olives. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

MICROWAVED ITALIAN EGGPLANT

(From Quick Cooking – also available online at http://www.lightandtasty.com )

1 small eggplant, peeled

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 cup spaghetti sauce

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cut eggplant into 3/4-in. slices. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and oregano. Brush one side of each eggplant slice with mayonnaise. Dip mayonnaise side into crumb mixture, then place crumb side up in a shallow 2-qt. microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Drizzle with spaghetti sauce and sprinkle with cheeses. Cook, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with an 850-watt microwave. Yield: 4 servings.

Eggplant Humor

I am not a cook! - Richard Milhous Eggplant

For those of you who might be looking for humorous uses for eggplant as opposed to actually eating them, you may be interested in VegiForms. Vegiforms are molds which are placed over vegetables to shape them into a variety of humorous designs as they grow. Commonly available vegiforms include molds to shape them into ears of corn or elf faces – type the word vegiforms into your favorite search engine to locate merchants.

Cooking Tips and Growing Tips are available from a variety of reputable sources.

Bibliography of Recipe Sources:

Alicia's Country Recipe Kitchen at:

http://www.aliciasrecipes.com/egg_plant_recipes.htm

The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) has a Recipe section – mainly focusing on dishes that are regional specialties. Recipes do not remain online indefinitely, so if you are trying to track down a particular recipe it helps to know what date the recipe was published. Newspaper available online at:

http://www.2theadvocate.com/

A Collection of the Very Finest Recipes Ever Assembled into One Cookbook. Hayward, CA: Becker Publications, 1979.

Colorado Cache: A goldmine of recipes from the Junior League of Denver. Denver, CO: The League, 1978.

Mable Hoffman’s Crockery Cookery. Revised edition. New York: HP Books, 1995.

Simply Delicious Recipes from KULSA Gourmet. Lawrence, KS: Kansas University Library Staff Association, [2000].

Taste of Home’s Light and Tasty website – http://lightandtasty.com – this site reprints recipes from a number of magazines published by Reiman Publications. Most recipes are freely-accessible but some are available only with a subscription.

Facts and historical information from the CDC 5 A Day: Vegetable of the Month: Eggplant page at:

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5ADay/month/eggplant.htm

Eggplant image taken from Arthur’s Colour Vegetable Clipart at:

http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/Vineyard/9032/veggiescol.htm

Richard Milhous Eggplant image and quote from Food Humor at:

http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/index/html/gp15.html

Page created: December 28, 2005

Links last checked: June 17, 2007

Last updated: May 1, 2008