Poor man's caviar

Monello

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
I just grilled 2 whole eggplants with olive oil & fresh garlic. It's rich & creamy. Vrai doesn't care for it. I, on the other hand, go nutz for it. So it's hard for me to fathom that someone that likes to eat snubs the regal melanzane.

Moussaka, Baba Ghanoush, Caponata, Parmigiana, so many great dishes made with this incredible vegetable.

To look at an eggplant, you wouldn't think it to be a mysterious vegetable. And it isn't a vegetable, by the way; it really falls into the fruit category, but who are we to care? The eggplant is so beautiful, so versatile and so delicious that it really doesn't matter.Why it's called eggplant by Americans is beyond me. It has absolutely nothing to do with eggs, except perhaps its oval shape. The eggplant is a member of the potato family but botanically is described as a berry. When the eggplant was first introduced into the United States it was considered an ornamental since its verdant growth and star-shaped flower were considered its most desirable features. Eggplants are part of the nightshade family along with peppers, potatoes and tomatoes.
The eggplant is a native of India and as such is an important part of Indian cuisine. It was brought to England late in the 16th century, where it was called "mad apple," and was described in John Gerard's “Herball” as having "a mischievous quality." Anyone who has baked an eggplant without piercing air holes in it knows that an exploding eggplant is indeed not only mischievous but downright troublesome.
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Growing up in NJ, a local sub shop made an incredible eggplant parm sandwich. Still today, it's the best sandwich I've ever eaten. Later when I lived in Sicily, I was introduced to the side dish known as caponata. There are a lot of different caponata recipes and I don't think I ever had a bad one. Here in the US, they sell caponata in a jar. Somewhere a Sicilian grandmother is crying. Man I wish I had some tahini paste.
 
vraiblonde

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I've tried to like eggplant but...nope. It's always mushy. I've experimented with grilling large slices to see if I could get it to have a bit more texture. No joy. Mushy. Ick. And they're so pretty I want to like them.
 
Merlin99

Merlin99

Visualize whirled peas
PREMO Member
vraiblonde said:
I've tried to like eggplant but...nope. It's always mushy. I've experimented with grilling large slices to see if I could get it to have a bit more texture. No joy. Mushy. Ick. And they're so pretty I want to like them.
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Not mushy, creamy.
 
Bann

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
Monello said:
I just grilled 2 whole eggplants with olive oil & fresh garlic. It's rich & creamy. Vrai doesn't care for it. I, on the other hand, go nutz for it. So it's hard for me to fathom that someone that likes to eat snubs the regal melanzane.

Moussaka, Baba Ghanoush, Caponata, Parmigiana, so many great dishes made with this incredible vegetable.



Growing up in NJ, a local sub shop made an incredible eggplant parm sandwich. Still today, it's the best sandwich I've ever eaten. Later when I lived in Sicily, I was introduced to the side dish known as caponata. There are a lot of different caponata recipes and I don't think I ever had a bad one. Here in the US, they sell caponata in a jar. Somewhere a Sicilian grandmother is crying. Man I wish I had some tahini paste.
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The next time you guys are here, we can grill some eggplant! I love it. :yay: My parents pickled eggplant one summer when we lived in Naples. It was a huge undertaking, because it was jars & jars & jars. We had melanzane coming out the wazoo! I didn't appreciate it back then - I was a kid. I'd love it now, boy. :yum:
 
jrt_ms1995

jrt_ms1995

Well-Known Member
vraiblonde said:
I've tried to like eggplant but...nope. It's always mushy. I've experimented with grilling large slices to see if I could get it to have a bit more texture. No joy. Mushy. Ick. And they're so pretty I want to like them.
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Slice, sprinkle both sides of each slice with salt to draw out some of the moisture, and leave sitting on paper towels for a while. Will help with "mushy".
 
gemma_rae

gemma_rae

Well-Known Member
Monello said:
I just grilled 2 whole eggplants with olive oil & fresh garlic. It's rich & creamy. Vrai doesn't care for it. I, on the other hand, go nutz for it. So it's hard for me to fathom that someone that likes to eat snubs the regal melanzane.

Moussaka, Baba Ghanoush, Caponata, Parmigiana, so many great dishes made with this incredible vegetable.



Growing up in NJ, a local sub shop made an incredible eggplant parm sandwich. Still today, it's the best sandwich I've ever eaten. Later when I lived in Sicily, I was introduced to the side dish known as caponata. There are a lot of different caponata recipes and I don't think I ever had a bad one. Here in the US, they sell caponata in a jar. Somewhere a Sicilian grandmother is crying. Man I wish I had some tahini paste.
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You mean you make all that other stuff, but don't make your own tahini? Good lord, it's only sesame seeds, olive oil, and garlic. Get to work!:wench:









:huggy:
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
Egg plant..one of the very few vegetables I've always disliked intensely.

And, of course, Mom raised plenty of them in our garden....
 
Kyle

Kyle

Beloved Misanthrope
PREMO Member
OK. No creamed spinach or creamed onions either.

I should have let most of you make my list for me.
 
gemma_rae

gemma_rae

Well-Known Member
I love deviled eggs, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, egg salad...take it from here Bubba... But if I get one drop of runny yoke, I'm calling the dinosaurs!:barf:
 
RoseRed

RoseRed

American Beauty
PREMO Member
gemma_rae said:
I love deviled eggs, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, egg salad...take it from here Bubba... But if I get one drop of runny yoke, I'm calling the dinosaurs!:barf:
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My guy was supposed to have hard boiled eggs this morning. I didn't boil them long enough... :lol:
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
Kyle said:
OK. No creamed spinach or creamed onions either.

I should have let most of you make my list for me.
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What do you live on? How do you survive?? :huggy:


I will say that being able to eat most anything and like it has been a great asset in my world travels...especially in countries like China or Korea where I've no idea what some of the stuff is that I'm stuffing in my mouth with chopsticks.....while still obviously alive and kicking in some cases.
 
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