A new and exciting way to make eggplant.

Slice it up into rounds and grill on a panini grill. Amazingly simple, no oils needed, comes out perfectly so long as you don't over cook it -- and then it's only a little charred, still excellent.

Only caution: cut each slice the same thickness; otherwise they won't cook evenly.

I tried plain eggplant on the grill once...it was horrid. Eggplant, to me, is one of the few foods that needs additions. Olive oil is one and it is so much better accompanied by parmesan, tomato sauce, or if plain, tossed with roasted red bell peppers, onion, evoo and garlic.

[Robin Garr]

I tried plain eggplant on the grill once...it was horrid. Eggplant, to me, is one of the few foods that needs additions. Olive oil is one and it is so much better accompanied by parmesan, tomato sauce, or if plain, tossed with roasted red bell peppers, onion, evoo and garlic.

I love eggplant too, Karen, but I'm inclined to agree. Even if it's good au naturel, olive oil and garlic do so much for it. Or ... tahini and garlic!

My title may be misleading: after grilling it I made little towers of eggplant with warm tomato sauce and mozz, then melted the cheese over the tower in the microwave. Quick and easy.

I could have used the grilled rounds in a variety of preps -- I've been exploring dozens of ways of eating eggplant over the past four months.

I grill eggplant, top it with pancetta and a poached egg. Finished with either hollandaise or a white sauce with dijon mustard.

One of the most popular comestibles throughout the Mediterranean basin, eggplant (or aubergine as the French and the English call it) has a miraculous quality - whether grilled, fried, steamed, and regardless of no matter how overdone it may be, it will still taste magnificent.

One of my own rituals is on Saturday mornings to place three or four eggplants under a hot grill (first puncturing each generously with the tines of a fork), to let them grill until almost charred, to then scoop out the flesh (discarding the seeds), to mix the flesh with tchina (dammit it ain't tahini, it's tchina, with a hard ch!!), crushed garlic, fine olive oil, a bit of pepper and to serve it with toated pita.

Other favored ways - sliced and fried in olive oil together with garlic (let the garlic brown but discard it before serving the garlic slice); fried as above and served with a tomato sauce that ranges from mildly to outrageously hot; grilled until just soft, scoop out the seeds and stuffed with a mixture of pre-cooked rice, lamb, spice and herbs.

Sorry guys...you've got to realize that throughout the Med basin there would be no life without eggplant, parsley, garlic, olives and olive oil. And let us not forget the Arak that so nicely accompanies all of the above dishes.

Best
Rogov