I've always had a love affair with eggplant. Not necessarily with the taste (I'm actually trying to improve in that department... it always comes out so bitter!), but with the overall appearance.The shape - oval, narrow at the stem and chubby at the bottom. The leaves draping down, a little like a strawberry. The skin - a beautiful deep purple, and tight and shiny.
The shape is so pleasing to me.
It's shapely.
I'm participating in "The Sunday Creative" as a way to stretch my creative wings and share a little more of myself with all of you!
This week's prompt...
Shapely
OH, I love love love eggplant. I grow it in my garden. You must try japanese ichiban eggplant-- it is never bitter-- you can even eat the skin. Don't know it you would find it as shapely though since it is longer and thinner.
ReplyDeleteKate, I have a great recipe for you to try! (You too, Lesa, if you want!) I made it while my kids were gone to visit my parents (so no one would complain about eating something weird) and I LOVED it. You can find the recipe here. Also--I wouldn't have known this except that it is mentioned at the bottom of that recipe--I wonder if eggplant is coming out bitter for you because you are cooking it a little too long?
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathy! I already planned to make a big batch of pesto today and I will try this recipe! Ichibans are more zucchini sized and brushed with a little olive oil roast so quickly in the oven that I can cut out the pan frying step, I bet.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of cooking to long causing bitterness-- but even the regular shaped eggplant is rarely bitter to me-- maybe I don't cook it too long. The frugal gourmet used to say to salt it and let it sit -- which I tried years ago but didn't like the too salty end result-- then I discovered I was an eggplant fiend and didn't worry about it anymore.
Kathy - the recipe looks very yum! I actually think I may have undercooked it a little bit. I'm doing a CSA (community supported agriculture) program and we got more eggplant this week, so I'll try again! My Mom gave me the idea of this week doing a grilled eggplant and portabello mushroom stack with a balsamic glaze.
ReplyDeleteLesa - You inspired me to do a homemade pesto this week! I bought pine nuts, and we have a tone of basil over here! I had also heard that salting the eggplant and letting it sit will take out the bitterness. I'll try that this time around - making sure to rinse the salt off before cooking so it's not too salty - in combination with not overcooking it!
Is that a community garden type program? I'd love to do that if I lived in a town---it would especially be fun to beautify vacant lots.
ReplyDeleteOn the eggplant: Yum on your Mom's idea! eggplant absorbs liquids like a mushroom so be careful washing the salt off-- maybe a light sprinkle wouldn't need to be washed off-- I think I used way too much salt when I tried that trick yrs ago-- peeling the eggplant might do the trick too-- but you may find that it isn't bitter to you anymore
Pesto: Try roasting the pinenuts--makes the pesto more delicious. I like to roast the garlic too-- just because I love roasted garlic and it gives the pesto less bite and more depth of flavor-- but it takes more roasted cloves than raw cloves. Another delicious but less healthy trick is adding 3 tablespoons of butter along with the olive oil ect. I got that from a Marcella Hazan cookbook.
Happy Cooking! btw, I ended up making a big batch of fresh salsa (the uncooked kind) instead-- I'm making pesto on Sat when I have more time to pick leaves off stems.