Weekend Cooking — Eggplant
Growing Eggplant
Eggplants are a favorite of my vegetable garden. They come in an amazing variety of colors, shapes, and sizes — many more than you’ll ever see in the supermarket.
Eggplant is courteous, as vegetables go. Once a plant gets started, it produces one or two vegetables at a time all summer long — never overwhelming the kitchen with too much produce.
I’m growing four different varieties this year. Today I’m displaying the one that makes the prettiest plant. It’s called ‘Orient Express.’ The stems and leaf veins are purple. Isn’t it beautiful? It produces long dark purple eggplants.
Eating Eggplant
Eggplant made the grade in the book The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden by virtue of the purple color.
A substance called nasunin has been isolated from that deep purple pigment. Nasunin, a member of the anthocyanin category, is a powerful antioxidant. Studies show that it literally eats up free radicals, rogue molecules in your body that can cause serious damage to your cells and your DNA and are partly responsible for aging. p. 38
Of course, the purple in eggplant is only skin dip. Bowden acknowledges that “eggplant isn’t a nutritional superstar,” but since it’s low in calories and high in fiber, it fits well in any diet.
As for the cooking part, eggplant usually goes into my veggie pasta dish. I sliced this eggplant into coins and roasted them with a medley of other summer vegetables from my CSA box and the Farmers Market.
I threw the vegetables into a skillet with chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh herbs from my garden, a sauce I made up on the fly, and caramelized onions. Then I tossed in cooked pasta and swiss chard (my garden is overproducing swiss chard — so it goes in everything!). I served the veggie pasta topped with freshly grated cheese and toasted pine nuts.
Veggie pasta, in endless variety, is a dish that I make twice a week this time of year to make good use of an abundance of summer vegetables.
What is your favorite way to eat eggplant?
Check out Weekend Cooking posts from other bloggers at Beth Fish Reads.
So I’ll tell you a quick story. The first time I had eggplant, my husband and I grilled it and had it on sandwiches in 2001. It was pretty good. Then later that year, we got another eggplant to use in a stew we wanted to make, but then we didn’t get around to making the stew for about three weeks. We weren’t sure if the eggplant we bought would still be good, but it still looked exactly the same inside and out, so we made the stew. It was horrible!! Only afterwards did we find out that you’re supposed ot use it within a day or two of getting it. I avoided eggplant ever since, though back in January this year, I finally tried a stuffed eggplant at a Turkish restaurant, and really loved it. This week, Jason is planning to get an eggplant from the farmer’s market that meets at his work, to make eggplant parmesan to have with some fresh bolognese sauce and whole wheat pasta. I’m nervous – more nervous about cooking it at home than having it at a restaurant – but I hope it works out well! I need to get over the fear that stew instilled in me, haha!
I hope you’re eggplant parmesan turns out great. Sometimes, eggplant can be bitter. They say it helps to choose eggplants that are heavy for their size.
I’ve never made eggplant though my friend raves about her Eggplant Parmesan. I’ve never grown it either. My garden is producing lots and lots of little tiny cherry tomatoes (yum!) so these are the featured attractions in most of my dishes.
Here’s my first ever Weekend Cooking: Paris in July. Hope you will stop by!
Your veggie pasta sounds delicious. Our favorite way to have eggplant is as a filling for ravioli. My daughter had it in a restaurant and I had to duplicate it for her! The filling also made a nice “spread” for pita and crackers and crudites.
Hi Joy!
Beautiful eggplant! I love that you included the macro shot of the leaf so that we could see the purple stem and veins…I did not know they looked like that.
Great post!
Great post! Love your photos, too :).
I’m a big eggplant fan, though we’ve never grown our own. I like it in ratatouille, in eggplant parmesan, grilled or fried in egg batter. Haven’t tried it in a veggie pasta yet, though. Thanks for the idea :).
I love eggplant, but for some reason did not plant any in my garden this year. I guess I could buy some…lol
I like to use eggplant when I’m roasting vegetables as a side dish or in pasta, as you did. Your eggplant is beautiful, by the way.
I have never been particularly successful with eggplant.
Have a great week.
I love eggplant in ratatouille! That’s really the only time I cook with it.
Eggplant is one of those things I have been scared of for some reason! I’ll have to check out this cookbook.
The leaves and vegetable are beautiful but I’m not an eggplant fan. I’m glad you’re enjoying yours.
Your veggie pasta sounds delicious! I like eggplants roasted and broiled and in my favorite casserole, but I should probably branch out and try them other ways, too. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never had eggplant! I have no idea what it would taste like. Since you’re so enthusiastic about it, I’ll give it a try.
We use eggplant for a number of dishes. It’s such a great vegetable to use when you want substance but no meat. Eggplant season is just starting around here.
Sorry it took me so long to visit your post. I was out of town and didn’t have Internet access.