Eggplant
If you’ve never eaten an eggplant before, now is a good time to start! They’re in season at the moment, which means they’re fairly cheap and the flavour is at its best. Although used mostly as a vegetable, the eggplant, or aubergine, is really a fruit which doesn’t have any fat, and very few calories. The most common one available is the big, purple, egg-shaped kind, but if you shop around you’ll also be able to find white skinned or striped varieties, lady’s fingers, and the tiny pea eggplant, which is great in Asian cooking. The only problem with eggplants is that when you cook them they can soak up too much fat, unless of course you use Rosemary Stanton’s cooking method, which uses minimum quantities of oil.
Cooking eggplant – Rosemary’s method
First slice the eggplant and sprinkle with salt. Leave in a colander for about fifteen minutes, until you see drops of liquid forming – once those bitter juices are out, the eggplant tastes much sweeter. To remove the salt, rinse well in a sink full of water, then squeeze out and pat dry. Cook slices until golden brown, either on the barbecue, or in a very hot frying pan, and you’ll need only about a teaspoon of olive oil.
Baba Ghannouj
A popular dish using eggplant is Baba Ghannouj, which apparently means “spoiled old daddy”. The story goes that the lady who named the dish invented it to make life easier for her old toothless father. That story may or may not be true, but why not give this recipe a try, it’s delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1-2 tablespoons tahini
- 1-2 cloves chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- pinch of salt
Method
Either roast the eggplant in a hot oven, or hold it on a long fork over a gas flame until the skin goes black and blisters. Wrap in foil and leave for ten to fifteen minutes, then peel away the charred skin. Chop the eggplant finely, then mix with garlic, lemon juice and tahini. (Tip: Don’t use a food processor, the crushed seeds will give it a bitter taste.) Add salt to taste, and serve with pita or Turkish bread.
Other great eggplant ideas Barbecue, fry or grill Chop up and add to casserole for extra flavour Layer with tomato, mozzarella and a dab of pesto for a tasty lunch
Further reading
Rosemary Stanton’s Complete Book of Food & Nutrition (Simon & Schuster, revised edition 1995, rrp $29.95).