By Clare de Boer, The New York Times
Eggplant is much maligned. It’s known for being bitter and seedy, woolly and dry, even greasy at times. And, of course, it can be all of these things when it isn’t treated right. Eggplant is a diva, and with some attentiveness to its needs, it can become a crisp, creamy delight.
To get your head around cooking eggplant well, handle it more like a winter squash: Add plenty of seasoning and time in the oven to reveal its sweet, tender side.
Choose a good eggplant. Eggplant’s purple skin camouflages signs of decay. Buy eggplants that feel dense, not hollow, and don’t have any sunken spots — they’ll have fewer bitter seeds. And don’t let them hang around in your fridge; they turn bad faster than they let on.
Consider the end goal when you cut your eggplant. Maximizing the amount of exposed flesh means more caramelization, but slicing or dicing too small will make any creamy middles disappear and leave you with crinkly skins. Slice rounds a good inch thick, and dice a similar size.
Use eggplant’s spongy quality to your advantage. Any generous seasoning will be absorbed. What might seem like too much olive oil or salt will dial up eggplant’s delicate flavor, not cover it up. Unlike frying, which can saturate the eggplant with too much oil, an oil-glossed roasting at high heat leaves the surface of the slices golden and tambourine taut. Lay the eggplant on a parchment-lined baking sheet to roast so tender pieces don’t stick and tear when you flip or stir.
Roast the eggplant for longer than you think. With its high water content, eggplant caramelizes deeply only after heat drives off its wetness. High heat evaporates the water in the eggplant quickly, breaking down interior cell walls and collapsing the flesh to the consistency of baba ghanouj. Both sides of the slices, or all sides of your dice, need heat to caramelize, so flip or stir halfway through cooking to give all sides a chestnut-colored finish.
There are many places to go with roasted eggplant. You could eat it as a side, or serve it as a main with lentils and yogurt, and lots of herbs. But you could also use it to begin ratatouille, pasta alla Norma or Imam bayildi. Its caramelized exterior and soft inside add richness to dishes and can take on any flavors you want your summer vegetables to carry.
Recipe: Spiced Roasted Eggplant
By Clare de Boer
This simple eggplant recipe yields soft and deliciously spiced rounds. Eat them as a side with meat or fish, or as a vegetable main, with seasoned yogurt and chopped herbs. Don’t be afraid to use your broiler for extra crispness at the end of roasting, and consider leftovers an excellent start for your favorite eggplant dishes, like moussaka or ratatouille.
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 small Italian eggplants (1 1/2 pounds)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Preparation
1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. Prepare eggplants by slicing off their tops and a fine layer of skin from their bottoms. Slice the eggplant into 1-inch-thick rounds and place on the lined pan.
3. Make your spice oil by combining the olive oil, garlic, cumin, salt and red-pepper flakes in a small bowl. Brush the spiced oil onto the faces of all the eggplant slices, then flip each one over and repeat on the second side.
4. Roast for 20 minutes, then use a spatula to flip over each round. Roast for another 10 to 20 minutes, or until soft, browned and crisp. If you’re looking for a little extra color, broil the eggplant, watching carefully, for about a minute.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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