Pan Roasted Eggplant Salad

Dear Chef Kathleen,
 
What are your favorite ways to prepare eggplant?

Lauren


Dear Lauren,

Eggplant can be roasted whole, sliced and grilled, peeled sliced and sauteed, cubed and added to soups and stews and it can even be cooked start to finish in the microwave.

Here are a few of my all-time favorite eggplant recipes.

Pan Roasted Eggplant Salad With Balsamic Vinegar, Mint and Basil

This is the perfect kind of recipe to double up on. The roasted eggplant is great leftover and even better piled into a baguette with a few tomato slices and a smudge of goat cheese or jammed into any sandwich you like.

Tip: To peel eggplant, use your sharpest carrot peeler and you'll have the skin off that eggplant faster than you can skin an apple.

To prepare, peel one large eggplant and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices crosswise. Heavily spray a large nonstick skillet with oil, turn heat to medium high, and place a single layer of eggplant in pan. You won't be able to cook all the eggplant slices at once because the entire surface of each slice must make contact with pan bottom, so you'll be cooking them in batches. Season with salt and pepper and lightly spray with oil. Cook until golden brown, turning once at the halfway point, about 3-5 minutes per side. Spray eggplant slices with more oil as needed. As eggplant slices finish cooking, transfer to a plate with a lip or a shallow dish large enough to hold them.

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh basil and 1/2 cup loosely packed, roughly chopped fresh mint.

Drizzle each layer of eggplant generously with the vinaigrette.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

Eggplant With Ginger, Garlic and Soy

This is a delightful side dish that when paired with steak or chicken makes an easy midweek meal. The sauce is simple enough to whisk together, especially if you have a microplane grater to grate the ginger and garlic. The microwave does all the cooking.

Tip: It doesn't really matter what kind of eggplant you use, but this recipe is really nice with the smallest eggplant you can find, such as Japanese or baby eggplant, but don't go crazy trying to find it if you can't. If you do find Chinese or Japanese eggplant, the skins are thinner, so it's not necessary to peel them. For a more dramatic presentation, slice them lengthwise. You will only need to microwave the eggplant for about 5 minutes. Larger eggplant will require about 8 minutes.

To prepare Eggplant With Ginger, Garlic and Soy, in a small nonreactive bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons chicken stock, 1 tablespoon mirin, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon minced ginger and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Set aside.

Place 1 pound eggplant that has been peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch slices on a large plate in a single layer, but if you have to pile a few on top of one another, don't worry, the recipe will work just fine.

Pour marinade over entire eggplant. Turn eggplant slices to coat with marinade, but don't worry if some slices aren't perfectly coated with the marinade. It all works out in the end. Sprinkle 2 green onions that have been very thinly sliced, white and green parts, evenly over eggplant. Cover tightly with plastic and place in microwave. Cook on high 8 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

Remove plastic, serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Pasta With Eggplant

I highly recommend you consider making a double batch of this sauce. Homemade frozen dinners are my saving grace when I'm way too tired to cook.

Shortcut: Prep as many of the ingredients as you can anytime you get a window of even 10 minutes throughout the day or the night before. Peel and dice the eggplant, chop the onions and garlic, crush the tomatoes, cook the pasta ahead if it makes your life easier.

Tip: You're going to have to get two pans dirty for this recipe, but stay with it; it's worth it. When you go to saute the eggplant, don't panic when three of the cubes soak up all the oil in the first 10 seconds and whatever you do, resist the urge to add more oil to the pan because eggplant is spongelike. It will soak up every drop you add, certainly more than you'd ever want to consume. The eggplant will brown on all sides eventually. You just have to watch it the whole time. Don't walk away from the stove during this part and reduce the heat if you need to.

Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick pan over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 pounds eggplant (about one large), peeled and cubed into about 3/4-inch pieces.

Cook, stirring often, until golden brown on all sides, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook 1/2 pound pasta in boiling water until al dente, drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce. Place 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3 cloves minced garlic and 1/2 cup diced onions in a three-quart saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Cook a few minutes, then add 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes and their juice. Crush them through your fingers as you add them to the pot.

Add cooked eggplant and 12 pitted and chopped Kalamata olives to the pot. Cook until sauce has thickened and reduced a little, about 20 minutes. Season with salt, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup loosely packed roughly chopped fresh basil. Cook for 1 minute more. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Add pasta to sauce, stir to combine. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

kd@chefkathleen.com