Eggplant

Last week I had to give away most of our Tanaka Farms veggies and fruit since I was headed out of town to join my husband at my son's place to help with the grandchildren. I only kept two things from the box, the kale (which I ate Wednesday night before I left) and a jar of strawberry jam. I'll share the kale recipe in another post. I had several eager co-workers who were more than happy to take my veggies.

Yesterday when we got home, the refrigerator was bare. So we headed over to Whole Foods to eat dinner and do some grocery shopping. I'll share the customized sandwich I ordered from their deli in another post. I picked up the following veggies for meals this week:

--eggplant
--zucchini
--corn on the cob
--kale
--baby bok choy
--larger bok choy
--carrots
--parsley
--green onions
--snap pears
--bean sprouts
--red leaf lettuce
--cucumber

The snap peas and bean sprouts will join a pack of green beans that we already had to make a stir fry tonight.

Since I haven't used eggplant yet, I wanted to find out how to cut it. So I'm posting some links here in case you're interested.

I'll let you know what I do with the other veggies later on as well cook them.

How to cut eggplant into slices

http://www.cookthink.com/reference/312/How_to_cut_eggplant_into_slices

For most dishes, eggplant needs to be sliced before it's cooked. There are two basic cuts - rounds, which are great for almost every dish, and planks, which work particularly well for layered dishes like moussaka or vegetable lasagnas.

When choosing eggplants, reach for the smallest ones you can find. Their flesh is usually more tender and less fibrous than the older, larger ones.

Round slices are the most basic cut. They're great for grilling, broiling, and traditional dishes like eggplant parmesan. Remember that eggplant loses moisture and shrinks when cooked. To compensate, cut the raw eggplant into pieces about twice as large as you want the cooked pieces to be.

Lengthwise slices are good for grilling and layered dishes where you want the eggplant to have the most surface area. To make them, first stand the eggplant upright on its end and slice away a section of the peel. This isn't a must, but it gives the end slices more fleshy surface area to take on color and flavor when cooked.

Then just slice down the length of the eggplant to make slices as thick or thin as you like. You can slice away a section of skin on the other side of the eggplant when you're finished slicing.

How to cube an eggplant

http://www.cookthink.com/reference/314/How_to_cube_an_eggplant
Cubed eggplant is a good cut for any dish cooked on top of the stove, like stews, ragouts, and stir-frys. Remember that the cubes will lose moisture and size when cooked. To compensate, make the raw cubes about twice as big as you want the cooked cubes to be.
Cut the eggplant in half or thirds lengthwise, depending on the size of the eggplant and how large you want the cubes to be.

Cut each half or third lengthwise again into halves or thirds.
Now just line up the spears up and cut them crosswise into cubes. (Some of pieces will technically be triangles instead of cubes.)

Do I need to salt eggplant before cooking it?

http://www.cookthink.com/reference/19/Do_I_need_to_salt_eggplant_before_cooking_it
Sprinkling salt over eggplant slices before cooking them draws out the vegetable's moisture. It's a process known as "degorging".

Larger, older eggplants have brown seeds that contain a bitter liquid. Salting eggplants removes some of this liquid and improves their flavor. In general, it's not necessary to salt smaller eggplants since they have fewer seeds than larger eggplants.

Larger eggplants also tend to become soft and "melty" when cooked, so salting them before cooking leads to firmer, more leathery cooked texture. (Leathery in a good way, we think.)
To salt an eggplant, slice it and generously season the slices with kosher salt. Let them sit until you can see the liquid coming to the surface, 20-30 minutes. Rinse the slices well and pat them dry. It's also a good idea to use half as much salt as the recipe calls for (unless the recipe takes into account the fact that the eggplant has been salted).

Eggplant Cooking Tips and Measures

• Eggplant may be steamed, fried, baked, sauteed, boiled, microwaved, stir-fried or stuffed. They are eaten as an appetizer, main dish or as part of a melange of vegetables.

• Eggplant skin is edible. However, some find it bitter, thus some recipes require peeling.

• The flesh is very sponge-like and will soak up juices and oils. Coat slices with flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs to avoid soaking up too much oil. Let breaded patties dry for half an hour in the refrigerator before frying.

• Par-boiling slices for 1 to 2 minutes can also help reduce the absorbancy of eggplant while ridding it of moisture. Be sure to thoroughly drain and pat dry with paper towels before further cooking.

• Once cut, eggplant flesh will begin to darken with exposure to air. A saltwater bath or a brushing of lemon juice will keep the flesh light.

• Do not use aluminum cookware with eggplant as it will cause discoloration.

• Some cooks salt the cut eggplant and let it sit for up to an hour to leach out water and bitterness before cooking. Today's varieties should not need this step, but follow the directions of your specific recipe.

• Bitterness is concentrated just under the skin, so peeling will also work on especially large eggplants.

• Eggplant may be microwaved to remove excess water. Microwave slices on high for 4 to 6 minutes, remove, cover and let stand for a minute or two. Use paper towels and press lightly to soak up the water.

• If you are baking whole eggplant, be sure to puncture the skin in several places so it does not burst.

• Add eggplant to soups and stews during the last 10 minutes to avoid overcooking.


Eggplant Measures and Equivalents

• 1 medium eggplant = about 1 pound.
• 1 medium eggplant = 4 to 6 servings.
• 1 pound eggplant = 3 to 4 cups diced.
• 1 serving = 1/3 pound as a side dish.
• 1 serving = 1/2 to 3/4 pound as a main dish.

Here's an eggplant recipe I printed off to try:

http://www.monkeysee.com/play/13173-how-to-make-tomato-sauce