Hello and welcome to this new thing we’re trying out where we help you figure out what you’re gonna put in your mouth this week. Some of these are recipes we’ve tried, some of these are recipes we’re looking forward to trying, all of them are fucking delicious. Tell us what you want to put in your piehole or suggest your own recipes, and next week we’ll check in and talk about which things we made, which things we loved, and which things have changed us irreversibly as people.
This winter has lasted literally forever. Remember the polar vortex? That was so long ago it feels like an entirely other winter but it’s actually still this same winter. I know, I don’t want to talk about it. Comfort food is a key element of making it through long winters like these, but at this point even cheezy tater tots don’t sound good anymore because you’ve eaten them eighteen times. Do yourself a favor and go pick up some eggplant. Seriously, do it. It’s earthy, hearty, takes on other flavors well, and fills out other recipes so they leave you feeling warm, full and loved instead of cold, peckish and forever alone. Also, you’re probably about to get scurvy. So fix yourself one (or more!) of these recipes, let us know how it was, and we’ll all munch while we stare out the window waiting for spring to get its shit together.
1. Sausage, Fennel, And Eggplant Rigatoni
2. Eggplant Caponatina Crostini
via Shared Appetite
3. Mexican Fried Eggplant Sandwich
via Serious Eats
4. Sweet Corn Polenta with Eggplant Sauce
via Food52
5. Ottolenghi’s Burnt Eggplant w/ Pomegranate and Tahini
via Veggies & Gin
Rachel: This is truly one of my favorite and most-cooked recipes. I love it because while a lot of vegetable recipes require you to have a lot of fresh ingredients on hand, literally the only fresh vegetable you need is one eggplant (and maaaaybe some parsley but if you leave that out it won’t be the end of the world). Everything else is nonperishable, so if it’s 2 pm and you’re starving and you want to have a delicious lunch in just like 15 minutes, congrats! All you need to have done is bought a single eggplant earlier in the week and you’re good. Also the part where you roast it over the gas stove is really satisfying?
6. Roasted Eggplant with Lemon Garlic Sauce
7. Chickpea Stuffed Eggplant with Couscous and Tahini Sauce
8. Meat & Rice Stuffed Baby Eggplants
via Busy in Brooklyn
9. Roasted Eggplant Soup
via Smitten Kitchen
10. Tunisian Spiced Roasted Eggplant & Pepper Salad
via Drum Beets
11. Greek Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata)
via Lemon & Olives
12. Vegan Eggplant Schnitzel and Coleslaw Burger
via Veggieful
13. Baked Orzo with Eggplant and Mozzarella
via Smitten Kitchen
14. Marinated Eggplant with Capers and Mint
via Smitten Kitchen
15. Thai Eggplant Rounds
16. Miso Glazed Eggplant
Rachel: This is easy, simple and delicious. It’s good for when you have an eggplant that you need to eat but aren’t up to designing a whole three-course meal around it. How can you go wrong? You can’t, is the thing.
17. Spicy Eggplant Pasta
via Food52
18. Easy Awesome Eggplant Tian
via Serious Eats
19. Charles Phan’s Roasted Eggplant and Leek Salad
via Serious Eats
20. Eggplant-Almond Enchiladas
via Serious Eats
21. Eggplant & Black Eyed Pea Curry
Rachel: This is something where it’s really nice in the middle of winter to remember that last month you made a whole bunch of this and froze some and it’s ready for you to defrost and get all up into. It’s not the most eggplant-y dish, so if you’re looking for that sweet eggplant flavor, you could be disappointed. But it’s delicious and flavorful and filling and a great addition to your curry repertoire!
22. Spicy Peanut Eggplant And Shallot Stew
Let us know if you’ll be trying out any of these recipes! And if you have some eggplant recipes of your own, share them! Instructions on how to upload images to your comments are below.
ok so like eggplant is a scary veggie for me to try cooking because it’s purple/black but not on the inside? but so many of these look so good (especially the pasta, everything looks really good when you use linguine) and maybe i can stop being afraid of it and cook it.
It’s fucking cold and these look delicious. Thanks, Rachel.
I fucking love eggplant. I love it so much that aubergine is my favorite [actual] color.
[My favorite non-actual color is grey; I spent way too much time around art snobs that I’m in perpetual fear of being corrected that grey is only a “shade.”
No, shade is what you throw on me for not being boushie like you. ugh.]
Anyway, yay eggplant! \o/
I want to eat EVERYTHING on this list. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….
As someone who has been described by friends as ‘girl who can’t say no to an aubergine’, this heavenly selection of recipes makes me very happy.
This is actually perfect! I just moved in with a vegetarian room-mate and have been totally flummoxed about what I could cook that she would eat. Definitely need to try a couple of these. Thank you!
So……..who else is hungry after scrolling?
This is perfect! I’m considering finally going vegetarian, and this is helpful.
What is this ‘winter’ you all are speaking of? My little northern Arizona town is usually cold and cloudy and wet and miserable for a month or two, but this year there have been less than a dozen days that I couldn’t wear t-shirts and jeans only on. And half of those were before December. It’s nice because the SAD didn’t hit this year, but it’s also really unsettling and we’re all slightly worried about this warmer-than-average trend continuing into summer.
http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/images/recipes/5746/5746_1_296.jpg
Middle Eastern eggplant chickpea haloumi and harissa salad
Ingredients
2 aubergines, cut into 2cm thick rounds, then into half moons
1 garlic bulb, cloves separated
1-2 tbsp harissa paste
2 tbsp olive oil
400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced(optional)
250g pack halloumi, sliced
Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
70g bag wild rocket
Handful of fresh coriander, leaves picked
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. Put the aubergines and garlic in a roasting tin with the harissa and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Toss well, season and roast for 20-25 minutes until tender and golden. Add the chickpeas to the roasting tin for the last 4-5 minutes of the cooking time.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, pour boiling water over the onion and set aside for 5 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water, then set aside.
3. Remove the roasting tin from the oven and put the contents, plus the onion, in a serving bowl.
Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the halloumi on both sides, along with the chilli (if using), until the cheese is golden. Break up and add to the serving bowl.
4. Whisk the lemon zest and 1 tbsp lemon juice with the extra-virgin and rapeseed oils. Season, then pour the dressing over the contents of the serving bowl. Add the rocket and coriander, toss gently and serve.
Nutritional info
Per serving(based on 6): 278kcals, 20.3g fat (8.1g saturated), 12.8g protein, 11.9g carbs (4.2g sugars), 1.6g salt, 4.9g fibre
I have made this many times and it is kick arse tasty, acidic, salty and fiery! I wish I had a picture of my version of it rather than this polished looking version. These recipes look fantastic and I will go through them.
oh wow that graphic is like poetry
mmm, eggplant.
this needs to include eggplant and lemon risotto: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/feb/23/foodanddrink.shopping1
i think it was the first thing i made from the Plenty cookbook, and is probably my favourite.
I’ve used the Moosewood eggplant almond enchilada recipe many times with great success (http://www.molliekatzen.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipe=eggplant_enchiladas) but with salsa verde instead of red sauce.
Moosewood’s baba ganouj recipe is really good too (love it with roasted potatoes and cauliflower) http://www.mwcooks.desirepathdesign.com/Recipe/baba-ganouj-middle-eastern-eggplant-pur%C3%A9e
I often grill eggplant slices with just a little olive oil, maybe some provençal herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano), after a half hearted attempt at salting them. It takes 10 minutes, which is just enough time to cook pasta and a simple sauce and I’ll have enough for a side dish for two more meals, or a delicious sandwich filling. You can make a good quantity at a time and preserve them in olive oil for three or four weeks, in theory at least. When you’ve eaten all your eggplant you can use any excess oil for salad dressing.
I normally use a plastic or Pyrex dish to do this, but I’m wondering if you could use a zip lock bag. You’d want to double bag it, but it could reduce the amount of oil you need to cover the eggplant.
This is my favorite thing. <3.
Perfect timing, I just noticed a couple of days ago,that I am completely underappreciating eggplant and what better time than lent to go to town on it? I super appreciate all of the aforementioned recipes and will strive to draw inspiration from them.
I want to eat all of these things (or veggie versions of them for the few that aren’t).
too overwhelmed by the deliciousness.
These recipes all sounds delicious but I think I am going to just look at them for inspiration and then make some kind of eggplant dish out of whatever I have in my pantry because unfortunately my local Kroger doesn’t carry half the ingredients listed in these recipe titles (e.g. capers, orzo, polenta). But this article was what inspired me to buy an eggplant from Kroger in the first place so yay for trying new foods and experimental cooking!