Best way to cook an aubergine (egg plant)?

Question

I am making something for tea and fancy an aubergine as a side dish, what is a good, simple way to cook it?

Answer 1

place it in tin foil and cook it in a fan oven for 15 minutes

x

Answer 2

They are horrid and made by the devil.

By the way bets way is to cover in olive oil and char grill.

Answer 3

you could try slicing it in to rounds sprinkle some chopped chilli salt parsley and grated garlic and plenty of pure grade olive oil then bake in the oven on 180 degrees Celsius till soft some people like to salt there aubergines because the are full of water just sprinkle with salt and leave for ten or fifteen minutes this will draw out excess water from the aubergine this stops them been soggy and you will get a more concentrated flavour (you dont have to do this i find i get a good result without doing this )

Answer 4

Baked stuffed aubergines (melanzane al forno)  

Serves 4  



Preparation time 30 mins to 1 hour

Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour

  







Ingredients

2 large or 4 small aubergines weighing about 750g/1lb10oz total

150g/5oz minced beef

60g/2½oz pecorino or parmesan cheese

30g/1oz stone in black olives

100g/4oz sliced bread from a crusty dense loaf

3 vine-ripened tomatoes

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste

2tsp dried oregano

2 eggs

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Note: for the cooking time, adjust the time downwards if you are using 4 small aubergines rather than 2 large ones.

Method

1. preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 and bake the whole aubergines for 12-20 minutes according to size, till softened.

2. When you take out the aubergines, put your sliced bread in the oven and leave to toast till quite dry, about 5-7 minutes.

3. Remove - but leave the oven on - and break into smaller pieces then place in the food processor. Whiz till you have fine breadcrumbs.

4. Once the aubergines are cool, cut each in half horizontally, also through the stalks if possible. With a small sharp knife scoop out the flesh, leaving a shell about 5mm/¼in thick. Chop the aubergine flesh scooped from the centre into very small dice (see tips).

5. Cut the garlic in half and remove the green shoot if any. Crush one of the cloves lightly and chop the other very fine. Peel and de-seed the tomato then chop the flesh into small dice. Slice the flesh from the olives in slivers (see tips).

6. Place the crushed garlic clove in a frying pan with the cold olive oil and colour till palest gold on low heat. Discard the garlic clove, add the beef mince, turn up the heat and brown well. Add the tomatoes, aubergine, oregano, tomato concentrate and the minced garlic clove, season and simmer uncovered for 10-12 minutes or till well-reduced.

7. Add a little water if needed to keep the mixture simmering rather than drying out. While it simmers, grate the cheese and mix with the breadcrumbs. Slice the olives into very small slivers.

8. Separate the two eggs, reserve the egg whites, and mix the two yolks into the meat aubergine mixture after it has been left to cool a little, making sure they are very well amalgamated.

9. Tip about 2/3 of the breadcrumb/cheese mix into the aubergine mixture with the sliced olives. The mix should be a little wet but not sloppy or runny - if it is, add more breadcrumbs and/or cheese, if too dry add a little water.

10. Fill the aubergine shells with the mixture and flatten the top. Whisk up the egg whites on a plate using a knife or fork, till they are a little frothy, then take each filled aubergine in your hand and press filling-side down into the egg whites.

11. Sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumb mixture, pressing down so it sticks well, place in a lightly-oiled baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes. Flash under a hot grill for 3 minutes until the topping is brown and crisp. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving (see tips).

Tips:

Dry peeling tomatoes: if the tomatoes have ripened on the plant in strong sun, they have a thick peel that is easily removed without blanching. Just rub all over the tomato with the back of a knife to loosen the skin from the flesh, then use the pointed tip to lift off the skin.

Removing the smell of garlic from your hands: use a safe stainless steel utensil or spoon as if it were a bar of soap and 'wash' your hands with it under cold running water. Works like magic!

Removing the aubergine fleshymay prefer to use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, a grapefruit spoon is ideal. The smaller you chop the dice, the better amalgamated your filling will be.

Answer 5

How about a eggplant dip?

Baba Ghanoush

    * 1 large or 2 medium eggplant

    * 2 garlic cloves, crushed

    * 2 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)

    * 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped

    * Juice of one lemon

    * 1/4 cup chopped parsley

    * Paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick eggplant all over with a fork. Place in oven for 45-50 minutes until very soft. Remove from oven, plunge in cold water to cool or simply wait for the eggplant to cool.

Peel and chop cooked eggplant. Place in a blender with the garlic, tahini, scallions, lemon juice and parsley. Blend until almost smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, sprinkle a little paprika on top. Enjoy with whole wheat pita bread wedges or cut vegetables.

or

Deep fried eggplant with tomato concasse

2 medium egg plant, cut in to big slices

Salt

finely crush black pepper

breadcrumbs

egg

flour

1 bottle spaghetti tomato sauce

1)Toss the egg plant with salt n pepper

2)Coat the eggplant with flour, egg and breadcrumbs

3)Heat a pot of oil up to 175c. Put in the eggplant and deep fried until golden brown.

4) wait for it to slightly cool down n put some concasse on top. Serve

Answer 6

Slice them, rub them with a little oil then..,

Grill (this is nice if you then cover them with tomatoes and parmasan and brown this off)

Place on an already hot griddle.  

Answer 7

In somebody elses house so I do not have to eat it? lol

But this is my friend's fave reciepe...

EGGPLANT PARMESAN  

1 large eggplant

10-12 medium sized mushrooms (sliced)

pasta sauce (no added vegetables; plain)

1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Italian bread crumbs

vegetable oil

3 eggs

salt (optional)

Slice the eggplant about 1/2 inch thick. Throw away both ends of eggplant; don't eat.

Beat the eggs together in a flat bowl (cereal bowl; salad plate). Use another bowl (same type) and fill about 1/4 inch with breadcrumbs.

Cover a slice of the eggplant, one at a time, with the egg and let excess drip off. Then lay the slice in the breadcrumbs, covering both sides. Repeat this process, adding more breadcrumbs as needed. If you fill the bowl with too many crumbs at on time, the crumbs will get sticky and chunky.

Add oil to a medium fry pan, but just enough to coat the bottom. Brown each slice; you can brown about 4-5 slices at a time. Don't overcook; just let them get crispy on the outside. Add oil as necessary; don't let the pan dry out or burn.

Transfer slices to a paper towel. Once all are browned, place a layer in the bottom of a rectangular casserole dish (approx. 9-11 inch dish). Top with half of a jar of sauce. Add the sliced mushrooms and a couple hand fulls of cheese. Add another layer of eggplant and the rest of the sauce. Cover with foil and put in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes (oven temps vary). Add another couple hand fulls of cheese and bake uncovered for about 8-10 minutes .

Answer 8

Try this, it's really yummy:-

Creamed Aubergine (Serves 4)

Ingredients

4 large aubergines

250ml/9fl oz milk

2 tbsp double cream

55g/2oz butter

1 tbsp plain flour

110g/4oz Kasseri cheese (cheddar will do), grated

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1.  Bake the aubergines in the oven for about 40 minutes or until blistered and softened. Leave to cool slightly.

2. Peel the aubergines, and set the pulp to one side.

3. In a saucepan warm the milk and cream. In another pan melt the butter, then work in the flour. Slowly add the warm milk and cream to the butter and flour and stir to make a thick white sauce.

4. Add the aubergine purée, the cheese, chilli flakes, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Answer 9

Metal bin, petrol and somewhere to store the chemical waste afterwards. Aubergines are nasty, are you serving it with asparagus?

Answer 10

Eggplant Appetizer --

INGREDIENTS

5 eggplants, peeled and cubed

5 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped

5 tomatoes, chopped

5 onions, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons white sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS

Place the eggplant, bell pepper, tomato, and onion into a large pot. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, salt, oil, vinegar, and water. Pour over the vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

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Eggplant Parmesan --

INGREDIENTS

3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced

2 eggs, beaten

4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided

1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.

In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

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Eggplant -- Easy, Good and Tasty --

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/3 large eggplant

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup Italian-style salad dressing

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet or pizza pan with olive oil.

Slice the eggplant into 8 round slices, each 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Trim the skin, maintaining the round shape of the slices. In a small bowl, whip together the egg and water. Place the breadcrumbs in a separate small bowl.

Dip the eggplant slices one at a time into the egg and water mixture, then into the breadcrumbs. One by one, place the coated slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet or pizza pan. Top the slices with equal amounts of tomato, Parmesan cheese and Italian-style salad dressing.

Bake in the preheated oven approximately 15 minutes. Change oven setting to broil, and continue cooking 3 to 5 minutes. Check the slices frequently while broiling to avoid burning.