Eggplant Overload
Help! Between my CSA basket and a very productive plant in my own garden I have a refrigerator filling with eggplant. Is there any way to preserve it for future use or should I just reach for the elastic waisted pants?
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
9 Comments:
My suspicion is that you can freeze it, but I don't have my reference books handy. This is the time (in reference to another thread) that Joy of Cooking comes in handy - they have all that stuff. Also, I think, if you're really in for some steamy work, that caponata-like things can be canned.
lemons at 9:51AM on 07/07/08
I misread the title of this post. I'm thinking of an eggplant dressed up like a mean Mr. Potato Head. "Bwahahaha...I am your Eggplant Overlord"
Anyway, I like to peel it, cube it, and saute. Add it to some fresh or canned tomatoes with zucchini. Then freeze to enjoy during the winter months. Serve over pasta, with or without sausage. Thin it out with chicken broth, add homemade garlic croutons and eat it as a soup. Reduce it and make bruschetta or a pizza topping. It will taste fantastic and summery in January!
Kerosena at 10:41AM on 07/07/08
Caponata, Baba Ghanosh, make cutlets but do not fry them. bread them and freeze them breaded.
What you can make ahead is a nice asian eggplant dish
Ingredients:
2 regular or 4 asian eggplants; sliced 1/2" thick on bias
2 tb Sesame oil
1 tb Vegetable oil
1/4 c Soy sauce
2 ts Dark brown sugar
1 1/2 c Snow peas
5 Scallions; cut on bias in 1 1/2 inch long pieces
2 Red peppers; sliced thinly
Instructions:
Heat a wok or large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Heat the oils
and when almost smoking, add eggplant and peppers. Cook for 4 minutes,
until softened, and add snow peas and scallions. Dissolve the sugar in the
soy sauce, and add to pan. Cook for 2 minutes and serve over rice.
That is good and good for you. Remember eggplant is a nightshade veggie and too much can make your tummy a bit ill.
JerzeeTomato at 10:46AM on 07/07/08
I also suggest caponata. If you have a pressure canner, you can make a big batch and can it in mason jars.
Library Lady at 11:10AM on 07/07/08
i love eggplant parmesan... and there's a greek eggplant dip on the sweet side that's, IMHO, 10x better than baba ganoush.
I would also do as suggested above, prepare them breaded and freeze them for further use - in a pastelon, in a sandwich, as a milanese, in a parmesan...
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 5:14PM on 07/07/08
When she was alive, my stepmother had the most amazing of green thumbs when it came to eggplant and zucchini. The first time she grew eggplant, she planted 3 plants and we had so much, we gave it to everyone we knew. The next year she only grew 2 plants and again we had waaay too much eggplant. Every place we went we took veggies with us to pawn off on our friends. (You learn how tolerant people are when you try and give away veggies in church.) There is only so much baba ghanosh you can eat, especially when you're 9. (There was also zucchini bread and zucchini pancakes, which were good, interestingly, with bbq sauce.) The 3rd year she grew only 1 plant and it produced a bumper crop. After that we begged her to never grow it again. She used to slice it and freeze it to use the next summer for baba ghanosh, because she figured that the next crop wouldn't be as good. Strangely she never made eggplant parmesan, or anything else really other than baba ghanosh. When I hear it mentioned, I think of her (fondly), but I still can't bring myself to eat eggplant.
KDBlue at 7:37PM on 07/07/08
I make and freeze baba ganoush every summer and it turns out surprisingly well...just be sure that the container in which you freeze is airtight, as freezer-burnt baba is no ganoush (I couldn't resist)!
rosezilla at 8:16PM on 07/07/08
I highly recommend both these recipes from Epicurious.com. The fritters are to die for, and are always a hit when I serve them at parties or on holidays. And, the crisps are just so unusual, they defy description... just salty, sweet, umami... and crispy, too, all at the same time:
crispy eggplant fritters with smoked mozzarella
2 large eggplants (2 pounds total)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
Olive oil (for brushing and frying)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cups plain dry breadcrumbs, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese,* cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 20 cubes)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place on layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt; let stand 30 minutes. Brush 2 large baking sheets with oil. Pat eggplant dry; arrange in single layer on prepared sheets. Brush lightly with oil. Bake until eggplant is tender and dry, about 1 hour. Cool slightly; chop coarsely.
Whisk 1 egg, grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Stir in chopped eggplant (mixture will be soft). Spread 1 cup breadcrumbs on plate. Whisk 1 egg and flour in another bowl. Press and shape eggplant mixture into 1 1/4 -inch-diameter balls. Press 1 piece smoked mozzarella into center of each ball, making sure eggplant mixture covers cheese. Dip balls, 1 at a time, into egg batter; roll in breadcrumbs to coat.
Pour enough oil into large skillet to reach depth of 1/4 inch; heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add balls to skillet; sauté until browned, turning often, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt and serve.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CRISPY-EGGPLANT-FRITTERS-WITH-SMOKED-MOZZARELLA-239053
crisp eggplant chips
6 tablespoons confectioners sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 lb thin Asian eggplant (2 inches in diameter; about 2 medium), trimmed
About 3 cups vegetable oil
Special equipment: an adjustable-blade slicer; a deep-fat thermometer; a large sieve
Cooks' notes:
• To take the temperature of a shallow amount of oil with a metal flat-framed deep-fat thermometer, put bulb of thermometer in skillet and turn thermometer facedown, resting other end (not plastic handle) against rim of skillet. Check temperature frequently.
• Chips can be made up to 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/CRISP-EGGPLANT-CHIPS-235729
There are helpful hints, and beautiful pictures at the links, so go take a look! Seriously yummy.
Brownie at 9:49AM on 07/08/08
Thanks, SE posters for all the great suggestions. I will check with the Eggplant Overlord to see if he has any preferences about being frozen into tomato sauce or canned as caponata.
If I can't find a canning recipe for caponata per se, do y'all think following the time specified for a chutney type concoction will do? I have canning jars on hand but the whole salmonella thing this summer is giving me the willies. I'd love to hear from an experience canner about processing time.
texasdeb at 9:53AM on 07/09/08