NEWS
By LOS ANGELES TIMES | October 1, 2003
For a vegetable that can look like such a brute, eggplant is surprisingly fragile. It bruises easily and those flaws quickly turn bad (cut open a dented eggplant and you'll see the flesh is brown and corky in the affected area). It also loses moisture quickly, leading to dry and pithy flesh. When choosing eggplant, pick ones that are heavy for their size. They'll be the freshest. Also feel the skin. If it is a round eggplant, it should be taut and almost bulging. In Asian markets, the long, thin eggplants often are slightly softer.
FEATURES
By Steve Petusevsky and Steve Petusevsky,FORT LAUDERDALE SUN-SENTINEL | January 31, 1996
Everyone's mother always has a favorite recipe that is appropriate for all occasions. My mother's is an eggplant mixture called caponata.You can use caponata as a dip, sandwich filling with mozzarella or Provolone cheese on top and then baked, or as a pizza topping, omelet filling or pasta sauce.CaponataMakes 6 servings2 medium unpeeled eggplants, washed and cut into 1/2 -inch dice (2 1/2 pounds total)1 tablespoon kosher salt, for soaking3 tablespoons pure olive oil1 medium onion, chopped5 stalks celery, chopped3 cloves garlic, minced1 (3-ounce)
FEATURES
By Jimmy Schmidt and Jimmy Schmidt,Knight-Ridder Newspapers | August 14, 1991
Eggplant -- an edible member of the nightshade family -- is a sun lover that matures to its true beauty when the days are long and hot and the nights are warm.But even in this prime weather, it is highly perishable. Indeed, a truly fresh eggplant will keep in the refrigerator for only three days.Eggplant is low in calories, about 30 in one cooked cup, depending on the type and quantity of oil used in cooking.Be sure when selecting eggplant to do so carefully, following these guidelines:* Smaller is better with a sweet and rich flavor.
NEWS
By Erica Marcus and Erica Marcus,Newsday | September 19, 2007
I want to make baba ghannouj. Can I roast the eggplants in the microwave? Roasting an eggplant whole is the easiest way to turn its flesh into a soft, succulent puree - the base for baba ghannouj and other eggplant salads. But it cannot be accomplished in a microwave oven. Unlike the ambient heat generated by conventional ovens, so-called microwaves penetrate only about 1 1/2 inches into foods. If you microwaved a ball of rice that was 3 inches in diameter - about the size of a baseball - the center would get hot because the center is only 1 1/2 inches from the surface.
NEWS
By Joe Gray and Joe Gray,CHICAGO TRIBUNE | October 20, 2004
Sometimes I'll have in mind something for dinner and a vague idea of how I want it to end up, but no idea of how to get there. So, I head to a favorite cookbook or sometimes two or more. Skimming through recipes, I often meld the ideas from several into one dish, or I find a cooking method that I like and adapt it. This time, with eggplant on the menu, I opened a classic, Ada Boni's Italian Regional Cooking. This recipe is inspired by her melanzane a fungetielli, or eggplant cooked in the style of mushrooms, from the Campania region.
NEWS
By Rob Kasper | August 27, 2000
I BELIEVE IN "sweating" eggplant. Usually I slice it, sprinkle salt on the slices and let them sit for half an hour or more. The salt draws moisture and bitterness out of the eggplant. At least that is what the pro-sweat contingent believes. This is not a universal view. There is also a "no sweat" camp. Its members contend that there is no need for such roughhouse tactics, especially when dealing with fresh eggplant. Patricia Wells, for instance, pleaded with readers of her 1993 cookbook, "Trattoria," to spare the salt and to treat eggplant gently.