A different way to grill eggplant

[Jenise]

Just back from vacation and not yet to the store yesterday, I pulled a steak out of the freezer for last night's dinner and foraged the garden for the rest. There was one ripe tomato the cat sitters hadn't gotten to, some arugula (that I didn't replant this year, but pull out from all the places it is now opportunely growing as my resident weed), and three Japanese eggplants. The eggplant isn't very tender and takes longer to cook than I'm used to, so for this prep I sliced them in half and wrapped them in a foil boat along with a scant half glass of white wine, a good drizzle of olive oil and a few pinches of salt. They roasted on the grill for ten minutes before I added the steak, and cooked a total of 20 minutes.

I promise you, it will be a long time before I want eggplant prepared any other way! They were absolutely delicious. The wine not only provided a mysteriously good flavor, it gave the eggplant the moisture it needed to soften appropriately without adding an evil quantity of olive oil to boot.

Were the foil boats completely sealed? I have been experimenting with eggplant lately, without too much success. I have several good recipes, and they all involve tomatoes and cooking until the eggplant is very soft, which I like. Do you peel your eggplant? Which type did you use ?

[Jenise]

Were the foil boats completely sealed? I have been experimenting with eggplant lately, without too much success. I have several good recipes, and they all involve tomatoes and cooking until the eggplant is very soft, which I like. Do you peel your eggplant? Which type did you use ?

Karen, not completely sealed, as I preferred that the wine had a means of evaporation--I didn't want them to stew, and in fact it worked out perfectly as the eggplants on the bottom browned just a bit toward the end of cooking. No, I didn't peel them, and these are the long narrow type of Asian eggplants. Probably Japanese, but I'm not sure, as I bought the starts from a nursery. And I say probably, because these are shorter and darker in general than those called Chinese or Filipino (but could be different names for the same thing in different neighborhoods, for all I know). But their size could just be my bad gardening, too.

Pardon me, but this particular cat sitter did not realize that tomato filching privileges were included in the deal.

Jenise, Hi...


Some call it eggplant, some call it aubergine and here in the Middle East we call it chetzil (hard ch please). Your dish sounds lovely. Also can be done under a hot grill in the oven - most commonly throughout the Mediterranean basin with slivers of garlic inserted into the eggplant as it grills, the eggplant halves in a clay baking dish, the white wine as you suggest (in Israel and Lebanon, dry whites, in Greece and Turkey often a semi-sweet white), and on top of all, a few sprigs of tarragon. Often served with a dollup of goat or sheep milk yoghurt spooned over just before serving.

Best
Rogov

[Jenise]

Pardon me, but this particular cat sitter did not realize that tomato filching privileges were included in the deal.

Hey, of course they were, if it came to pick it or let it rot and I'm not here. Didn't exclude you. But I thought your garden spilleth over (thanks for the fabulous cukes, by the way)--but more to the point, I actually didn't make the offer one way or the other except to Kathy next door who came over to do a deep watering over the weekend. I think Mary might have been the one who got to them, since Anne's plants are producing well. Mary and Mike were staying with another single lady friend here in the village while they're waiting on their house to close, and I guess things got a little nutty there so Mary was thrilled to have an excuse to leave there and come here for an hour.

For me the pleasure of grilling eggplant is how well it takes on the smokiness, and how creamy-tender it becomes. I therefore I'm quite happy with slicing it, brushing with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper (sometimes oregano as well), and grilling until smokey-brown and tender.

A nearly identical treatment is great for zucchini as well.

Ryan, Hi......


Eggplant and zucchini are also delicious when sliced as you say but in a skillet with olive oil. If you want it in the Greek manner, fry whole peeled garlic cloves in the oil before removing them just when they start to brown, add the eggplant or zucchini. And don't forget to eat the garlic cloves as they take on a marvelous sweetness.

Best
Rogov

[Jenise]

For me the pleasure of grilling eggplant is how well it takes on the smokiness, and how creamy-tender it becomes. I therefore I'm quite happy with slicing it, brushing with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper (sometimes oregano as well), and grilling until smokey-brown and tender.

As am I. But this eggplant I have is very dry and would have needed far more olive oil than a mere brush to become creamy-tender. That's why the wine worked so well, as well as adding good flavor.

Sorry Jenise - missed the part about "not very tender." I might opt for Parmagiana in that case.

Jenise

Did your dish include the tomato and arugula - or were they a red herring?

[Jenise]

Jenise

Did your dish include the tomato and arugula - or were they a red herring?

Oh, silly me. No, no red herring, they were a separate salad and important to the occasion only in that our garden's little bounty kept us from having to run to the store even though we'd been away for nine days.