Wednesday, July 18, 2012


The Wonderful World of Eggplant!

Eggplant - or aubergine as the lovely French call it - comes in all shapes, sizes and colors. The most common variety is the globe which is deep purple egg shaped fruit that widens at the bottom. We start out the season with the purple variety of globe but may see white later in the summer (which is actually the namesake for the fruit). Another variety that we will probably receive this year is the Japanese eggplant which is much smaller and slimmer with its purple skin streaked with white. 

Storage tips: Eggplant can be stored for several days outside the refrigerator but only if the skin has no punctures. Uncut eggplant will keep in the refrigerator for around one week. To freeze, wash the eggplant, peel and slice the eggplant (about 1/3 inch slices), blanche in hot water for about 4 minutes, then chill in ice. Store these in vacuum-sealed bags and freeze. (You can also store them in plastic bags). Freezing will preserve it up to 5 months.

Cooking tips: Bake, grill, roast fry, stuff with vegetables or rice, use in stews, or as dip  

Recipes:
The Classic Ratatouille
Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Mint
Roasted Eggplant Salad with Smoked Almonds and Cashews
Eggplant Chips with Cilantro Pesto

I couldn't resist ;-)

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