Eggplant

This is pronounced "Baba Ganoosh".  Just FYI!  Great as a dip for veggies or pita bread or chips or whatever you have on hand.  Or spread it on bread!  Delicious!

• 1 lb. eggplant
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 TBLS lemon juice, or more to taste
• 1/4 cup tahini, or to taste
• salt, pepper, and cayenne, to taste
• olive oil (optional)
• other spices like cumin, paprika, etc. to taste (optional)

Roast eggplant whole on tray in oven at 350-400 degrees until tender when a knife pierces through.  Remove from oven and cool.  Scoop out pulp and discard skin.  Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Check seasonings and add any optional ingredients as desired.  Drizzle the top with olive oil before serving.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Adapted from www.theironyou.com.  Since we grow the Oriental Eggplant, aka the long skinny eggplant, I suggest two options of slicing it.  Rounds are more numerous and smaller where as lengthwise strips might be easier to handle on the grill.  You choose whatever way you want to cut it!

• 1 large eggplant or multiple medium eggplants, either cut on the round or lengthwise in strips, 1/4 inch thick
• 6 TBLS olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 TBLS balsamic vinegar
• red chili flakes (optional)
• salt
• pepper to taste

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and let stand in a colander for about 30 minutes to draw moisture out.  Rinse to remove most of the salt, pat dry with paper towels. Combine olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, chili (if using), salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Add eggplant and marinate for at least 15 minutes.  Heat a grill or a grill pan to medium-high (if you’re using an outdoor grill lightly oil the grill grates) and Grill eggplant slices for approximately 2 to 3 minutes a side (or more), or until you get good grill marks.  Serve hot!

Here's a basic way to use eggplant, and you really can't go wrong by even adding in a few other veggies to this simple recipe.

• cooking oil
• Eggplant, peeled and chopped
• Other veggies, chopped (optional)
• garlic, minced
• red chili flakes
• parmesan cheese, grated

Heat oil on medium.  Add eggplant and optional other veggies and stir-fry until almost tender.  Add garlic and chili flakes and stir for 1 more minute.  Remove from heat and top with parmesan cheese.

A delicious Sicilian eggplant spread.  Recipe courtesey of CSA member Mary Sue.

• 1 ½ to 2 pounds eggplant, diced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4 stalks tender celery, diced
• 3 – 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 red peppers, diced
• 1 14 ounces can of diced tomatoes (or about a pound of fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced)
• 3 Tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 4 Tablespoons Kalamata olives, seeded and coarsely chopped (or green olives if you prefer)
• 2 Tablespoons of sugar
• 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Fresh basil, torn into small pieces
• Salt and ground pepper to taste (taste the Caponata before adding salt, as the capers and olives have already added salt).

Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a very large skillet, add the onion and celery. Cook and stir until onions and celery are soft, then add the minced garlic. Cook, stirring, for several minutes, then add the diced peppers. Add another Tablespoon of olive oil and the eggplant. Stir while cooking for about 5 minutes, until all vegetables are tender.

Add the tomatoes, capers, olives, sugar and vinegar to the pan and cook slowly until mixture has thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add torn basil and stir. Cool before serving. If possible, let it sit overnight in the refrigerator before serving so all the flavors develop. Serve at room temperature. Wonderful as a topping
on small wedges of pita bread or as a bruschetta topping.

Theoretically, it keeps well in the refrigerator for several days, but it never lasts that long in our household!

Even an eggplant-hater liked this one!  Plus it is super simple to make.  Winner!

• 1 lb. eggplant, unpeeled
• 2 garlic cloves, or garlic scapes, minced
• 2-4 TBLS plain yogurt
• 2 TBLS lemon juice, or to taste
• 2 TBLS fresh mint, minced (or substitute other fresh herb here)
• salt and pepper to taste

Roast eggplants whole in 400 degree oven until flesh is tender when you stick a fork in.  Remove and cool.  Mash or blend all the rest of the ingredients until smooth.  Store in fridge and use as a dip or spread.

• olive oil
• 1 large eggplant or 2 medium eggplants, peeled and cubed to 3/4"
• 2 leeks, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 TSP nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• pie crust (Ha!  If you don't have one, grease your pie pan well and make it without!)

Heat olive oil in skillet.  Add eggplant and saute until softened, 5-10 minutes.  Add leeks, onions, and garlic and saute until translucent, stirring, another 5-10 minutes.  Add salt and pepper and drain excess oil.  Mix milk, cream, and eggs together.  Add veggies to crust.  Pour over egg mixture.  Top with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and cooked through, 35-40 minutes.

• Eggplant, peeled or unpeeled depending on preference, and cubed into 3/4" cubes
• Summer squash, cubed into 3/4" cubes
• garlic cloves, whole and unpeeled, to taste
• olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

Toss the cubed veggies with oil, salt and pepper.  Roast at 375 degrees (in two separate dishes as one may take less long than the other) for approx 30-40 minutes, or until they are tender.  You can throw the garlic in with the veggies.  Remove all from oven.  Peel the garlic, squeeze out roasty garlic flesh, and mix everything together.  Check for seasonings and serve hot!

A friend of ours was won over by eggplant using this recipe!  Yum!

• tomatoes, chopped
• onions, chopped
• eggplant, chopped
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• fresh mozzarella cheese, grated (or your cheese of choice)
• fresh basil, chopped

Put your tomatoes, onions, and eggplant in a casserole dish. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with salt on top. Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes until the eggplant looks soft.  Stir well.  Add cheese and basil and bake another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

• cooking oil
• green beans cut into 2" lengths
• eggplant, peeled and julienned into 2" lengths
• garlic, peeled and chopped, to taste
• hot pepper, fresh or dried, minced to taste
• soy sauce, to taste
• sugar or other sweetener, to taste
• salt, to taste

Heat oil on medium.  Add green beans and stir-fry for a few minutes until they are starting to soften, 5-7 minutes.  Add eggplant and do the same.  When they are both almost tender to your liking, add the garlic and hot pepper and stir-fry one minute more.  Remove from heat and add soy sauce, sugar, and salt to taste.  Serve hot!