Siegel - The totally eggplant cookbook

Copyright 1996 by Helene Siegel. Illustrations copyright 1996 by Carolyn Vibbert. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information or storage and retrieval system, without the express permission of the publisher.

Celestial Arts Publishing an imprint of Ten Speed Press P.O. Box 7123 Berkeley, CA 94707

Interior design and typesetting: Susan Hernday
Interior illustrations: Carolyn Vibbert

The Totally Eggplant Cookbook is produced by becker&mayer!, Ltd.

Lyrics from Eggplant by Michael Franks 1977 Mississippi Mud Music Co. (BMI). Reprinted with permission.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Siegel, Helene.
Totally Eggplant Cookbook/ by Helene Siegel.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-89087-787-6 / ISBN-10: 0-89087-787-4
eBook ISBN: 978-0-8041-5303-4
1. Cookery (Eggplant) 2. Eggplant I. Title.
TX803.E4S54 1996
641.65646dc20 95-139671

v3.1

The Totally Picnic Cookbook
The Totally Pizza Cookbook
The Totally Tomato Cookbook

My lady sticks to me like white on rice

She never cooks the same way twice

Maybe its the mushrooms, maybe the tomatoes.

Cant reveal her name, but eggplant is her game.

from Eggplant by Michael Franks

D uring a steamy summer in Los Angeles, while nibbling on assorted salads at a sidewalk cafe in the kind of neighborhood where nobody (female) weighs more than 120 pounds, I came to an important realization. I realized that one of the most perfect summer foods is eggplant, or more precisely, grilled eggplant marinated with olive oil, fresh herbs, and garlicthe dish I was nibbling on at the moment.

What more could a health-conscious yet serious eater ask for? Its lighter than meat, it absorbs flavors brilliantly, and it melts in your mouth while sending pleasingly complex messages to your brain.

Since those salad days, I have had the continued pleasure of experimenting with eggplant. And while grilling remains a favorite way of cooking it, I have also discovered, like the lady in the song, that eggplant is a vegetable of many possibilities. Grill it, fry it, stuff it, roll it, bake it, or braise it. As the Turks know, who have more than a hundred ways to cook it, eggplant is a very versatile vegetable. And its economical, to boot!

My greatest eggplant moment, however, came when I realized that frying could more or less be eliminated in favor of healthier and quicker roasting. Here is how to do it: Simply lay slices on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with oil and salt, and bake in a very hot (450500 degrees F) oven. Voil, cooking with eggplant is no longer a time consuming oily mess, but an everyday affair.

So if, like the lady in the song, you feel an affinity for the unctuous purple vegetable (that is really a fruit), just peruse the recipes contained herein and then start cooking. Who knows? Eggplant may become your game too.

When my baby cooks her eggplant

She dont read no book

Shes got a giocnda kind of dirty look.

Michael Franks

Curry and eggplant are a terrific combination from the Indian kitchen.

2 medium eggplants

olive oil for coating

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2 slices fresh ginger, peeled, crushed, and chopped

2 teaspoons curry powder

teaspoon sugar

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil and cup buttermilk as garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Remove stems, cut eggplants in half lengthwise, and score in a crisscross pattern. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, cut-side up, 1 hour, until soft. When cool to touch, remove pulp and chop.

Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper until onions are soft and golden. Stir in curry powder and sugar, turn heat to high, and cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes longer. Pour in chicken stock, water, and eggplant. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and cook 10 minutes. Skim and discard foam.

Transfer to food processor and pure in batches until smooth. Return to pot to heat through, and season with basil and buttermilk.

S ERVES 4 TO 6

This soothing, smoky pure is perfect on cold winter nights.

1 large eggplant

3 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoons paprika

teaspoon cayenne

teaspoon ground cumin

salt

4 cups chicken stock

1 pounds boiling potatoes, unpeeled and chopped

cup plain yogurt for garnish (optional)

Preheat broiler and move the rack about 8 inches from the heat. Broil eggplant until charred all over, about 40 minutes. Let cool, peel, and roughly chop.

Melt butter in stockpot over medium heat. Saut onion and garlic until soft. Stir in paprika, cayenne, cumin, salt, and eggplant. Turn up heat and stir for 1 minute. Pour in chicken stock and potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and cook until potatoes are done, 35 to 40 minutes. Pure in food processor and rewarm if necessary. Ladle into serving bowls and swirl in yogurt, if desired.

S ERVES 4

Purchasing and Storage

Look for smooth, taut, shiny skin when purchasing eggplant; wrinkled and blemished eggplants should be avoided. A good eggplant should feel heavy in your hand, and should bounce right back when pressed with a thumb. Eggplants are best stored at room temperature, not in the refrigerator. They do not keep long; 2 or 3 days at most.

Serve this robust roasted eggplant dip with strong black olives, crudits, and thin slices of baguette for dipping.

2 medium eggplants, trimmed

olive oil for coating

salt and freshly ground pepper

5 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

medium onion, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise and score in crisscross pattern. Rub all over with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake, cut-side up, about 1 hour, until soft. When cool enough to handle, scrape out pulp and roughly chop.

With food processor on, add garlic to mince. Add eggplant, olive oil, and lemon juice, and pure until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and pulse to combine. Transfer to mixing bowl, stir in onions, and serve at room temperature or chilled.

S ERVES 6

Eggplants by Size

Japanese eggplants are the long, thin, purple variety stocked in the supermarket. They never need to be salted or peeled. For the purposes of this book, eggplants under 1 pound are classified as small, 1 to 1