Revisiting the Ever-Adaptable Eggplant

Are you one of those who doesn’t like eggplant? Or who doesn’t know how to prepare it? Or, if you think of the poor eggplant at all, maybe you associate it with one of those gooey, cheese-laden preparations – or fried and fattening. Well, I’m here to suggest that you might consider giving it another look. After all, it is eggplant season, and you are looking for variations in your menu, aren’t you?

The thing about eggplants is that they’re a chameleon fruit. (Yes, fruit – same family as tomato.) Eggplant has the ability to absorb the flavors of the ingredients around it in cooking, lending it a lot more interest. That’s the beauty of it; it can be almost anything. And it can be prepared in almost any fashion: steamed, stir-fried, pan fried, roasted, stewed, pickled, smoked, or curried. If I have the grill going for a cookout, I’ll put an eggplant on early and grill it whole to be pureed for tasty Smoky Eggplant Dip to serve with pita chips or crudités.

I’m highlighting eggplants because I’m now picking the last few of my own homegrown purple beauties. This week, two of them will become Eggplant with Cashew Butter and Pickled Peppers (pictured). How’s that for an imaginative combination. I’ll also be making this Greek-style stuffed eggplant.

An international favorite

I came to eggplants later in life. They were not part of my childhood, and only in the past few years have I come to appreciate their usefulness and adaptability – as an appetizer, side dish, or main. After all, this is a plant that’s used in cuisines all over the world.

In Indian cuisine, where eggplant probably originated, it’s curried, stewed, and pickled. For example, imagine a mélange of eggplant, tomatoes, pumpkin, and lentils as a hearty autumn stew. In the Philippines, locals favor eggplant omelets and an eggplant adobo dish with garlic and soy sauce. If you like Thai restaurants, you might recall that many Thai dishes often include eggplant; my favorite is with basil and chili paste. Here in the U.S., we’re probably more familiar with the European approach to eggplant – French ratatouille or Italian eggplant parmigiana or Greek moussaka. On a visit to Barcelona, I sampled an eggplant dish called escalivada – strips of roasted eggplant, sweet peppers, onion, and tomatoes.

What about you? What’s your favorite version and why? Is it something outside the ordinary?