Ingredients

• 4 Japanese eggplants (1 1/2 lb. total), trimmed and cut crosswise, on a bias, 1/4" thick
• 2 tbsp. kosher salt
• 2 1/2 c. whole milk
• canola oil, for frying
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• sea salt
• 3 tbsp. honey
• finely grated lemon zest, for garnish

Preparation

Place the eggplant in a single layer on a rack set over a large rimmed baking sheet and season with the kosher salt. Top with another baking sheet and press firmly. Let stand for 20 minutes. Press again to help release the juices from the eggplant. Transfer the slices to a large bowl and cover with the milk. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat 1 inch of oil to 350°. In a shallow bowl, spread the flour. Remove the eggplant from the milk, shaking off any excess liquid. Dredge in the flour and shake off the excess. Working in batches, fry the eggplant, turning a few times, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the eggplant to a paper towel–lined baking sheet and immediately season with sea salt.

Transfer the eggplant to a serving platter, drizzle with the honey and garnish generously with lemon zest. Sprinkle with more sea salt and serve immediately.

José Andrés, Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 4 aubergines, long, slim ones, ideally
• 1 lemon, halved
• Salt and black pepper
• 120ml olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 red peppers, core and seeds removed, cut into long 1cm-wide strips
• 2 big garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin
• 1½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 400g canned tomatoes
• ½ tsp sugar
• 2 sprigs fresh oregano
• ¾ tsp dried oregano (Greek, ideally; or fresh oregano, picked and chopped)

Preparation

Shave long, alternate strips of peel off the aubergines, top to bottom, so they end up striped, like zebras. Starting 2cm from the top, make an incision halfway into the flesh and cut down to 2cm shy of the bottom.

Put the aubergines in a large bowl and cover with two and a half litres of cold water. Squeeze in the lemon, drop in the skins and stir in two teaspoons of salt. Put a plate on top, to keep the aubergines immersed, and leave to soak for 45 minutes. Drain, then dry in a clean tea towel.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan on a medium-high flame. Fry the aubergines for eight to 10 minutes (take care, because the oil may spit), turning regularly, until nicely browned on all sides. Remove from the pan, turn down the heat to medium-low, add the onion and peppers, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft but not coloured. Add the garlic and spices, cook for a minute, then stir in the tomatoes, two tablespoons of water, the sugar, fresh oregano, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Turn the heat to low, put the aubergines on top of the veg, cover the pan and cook for 45 minutes, until the aubergines are steamed through.

In the meantime, heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Carefully lift out the cooked aubergines and place them cut side up in a 20cm x 30cm ceramic baking dish; they should be nice and snug. Prise open the aubergines, so they look like long canoes, then sprinkle the insides with a generous pinch of salt. Discard the oregano from the sauce, then spoon it into the aubergines, filling them as much as you can; don’t worry if some sauce spills out around them – it’s kind of unavoidable. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and leave the aubergines to cool to room temperature. Serve topped with a sprinkling of dried oregano, and with soft Turkish bread and Greek yogurt. Best eaten the day after, at room temperature.

Ottolenghi, via Twitter

Ingredients

• 1 medium-size firm eggplant, a little over a pound or so in weight
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 teaspoon fennel pollen or seed
• 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 1 small onion, grated or very finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
• 1 chili pepper – Italian red cherry or Fresno, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• a generous handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 pound short-cut pasta, whatever shape you like
• Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Peel half the skin off the eggplant. Dice very finely into 1/8-inch pieces. Sprinkle with salt and reserve. Place a large pot of water over high heat for the pasta. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve a half cup of the starchy pasta water for the sauce. Heat the olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Add pork and lightly brown while finely crumbling it into tiny bits. Season with fennel, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, thyme and the chili pepper. Squeeze any liquid from the eggplant then stir it into the pork. Cook about 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently until eggplant is tender. Deglaze with white wine, stir a minute then stir in cream and simmer over low heat while pasta cooks. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce, adding liquid to combine. Stir in parsley.

Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing and brushing
• 3 medium zucchini (1 1/2 pounds), sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick
• 2 long, narrow eggplants (1 1/2 pounds), peeled and sliced lengthwise 1/3 inch thick
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 1 pound plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (3/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped basil
• 1/3 cup panko or coarse dry bread crumbs

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425°. Oil 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Put the zucchini slices on one sheet and the eggplant on the other. Brush the slices all over with oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the slices on each sheet in a slightly overlapping layer. Bake for 15 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the shallot and cook over moderate heat until softened, 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat until slightly softened and bubbling, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Oil a large, shallow baking dish (about 10 by 15 inches). Lay half of the eggplant in the dish and spread one-fourth of the tomatoes on top. Scatter with half of the feta and basil. Layer half of the zucchini on top, followed by another one-fourth of the tomato and the remaining basil, eggplant and zucchini. Top with the remaining tomato and feta. Mix the panko with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake in the upper third of the oven for 20 minutes, until bubbling and crisp. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve hot or warm.

Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 1 pint shucked oysters with their liquor
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Hot sauce
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small eggplant, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 ounces finely chopped tasso (about 3 tablespoons)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 ounces Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese, grated (1⁄4 cup)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 2-quart baking dish and set aside. Pour the oysters into a bowl and check for bits of shell. Strain the oyster liquor through a fine sieve into a small bowl and set aside. Set drained oysters aside in a small bowl.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and whisk in the flour. Whisk in the reserved oyster liquor and stock. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Whisk in the cream. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring from time to time, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, hot sauce, and nutmeg. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep the sauce warm.

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onion, tasso, garlic, sage, and rosemary. Cook until the eggplant is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the eggplant mixture into a colander to drain for 5 minutes. Stir together the crumbs, parsley, melted butter, oil, and cheese in a small bowl and set aside.

To assemble the gratin, spread about one-third of the oyster liquor sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spoon the eggplant mixture into the dish. Arrange the oysters in a single layer over the eggplant mixture and drizzle with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the entire dish. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Epicurious

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• Pinch of saffron
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water
• Kosher salt
• 3 large eggplants (about 3 pounds), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch rounds
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups store-bought tomato sauce (such as marinara), divided
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 2 cups), divided
• 1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan (4 ounces), divided

Preparation

Arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of oven; preheat to 425°. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Stir in saffron, then wine. Cook until wine reduces slightly, about 1 minute. Add broth; season with salt. Cover and cook over medium heat until rice is very al dente and still crunchy, about 6 minutes; remove pan from heat.

Meanwhile, divide eggplant between two rimmed baking sheets, overlapping slightly to fit. Drizzle 1 cup oil over; season with salt and pepper. Bake, turning eggplant and rotating sheets halfway through, until tender and golden brown, 20–25 minutes.

Cover the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with 1 cup tomato sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of mozzarella over, then 1/3 of Parmesan.

Cover with a layer of eggplant rounds, overlapping so no sauce is visible beneath them. Add saffron rice, spreading out in an even layer. Sprinkle over another 1/3 each of mozzarella and Parmesan, then 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce and another layer of eggplant. Top with remaining tomato sauce and remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover dish with foil; transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes. Uncover dish and bake until golden on top, about 20 minutes longer. Let stand for at least 10 minutes to set before serving.

Serves 8.

Bon Appetit, September 2012

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, peeled, cut into thick chunks
• 1 head fresh garlic, peeled
• 5-6 tomatoes (smaller, vine-ripe), quartered and seeds removed
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2-1 tsp. salt (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 tbsp. Penzey’s Tuscan Sunset or other spice blend
• 1 16-oz. can white beans
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. oregano (pref. Mexican)
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375. Place the vegetables in a shallow baking dish. Add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and spice blend. Toss well to coat. Carefully spread into a single layer and place the pan in the oven. Roast for 45 minutes. Note: Vegetables can also be roasted on a pan in a gas grill. Cool vegetable mixture, or let rest overnight in the fridge.

Rinse and drain the white beans and place in a blender with 2 c. of the vegetable mixture. The vegetables should have exuded quite a bit of liquid so make sure to include some of this in the 2 cups. Blend the beans and vegetables. Add the chili powder and oregano and the lemon juice. Blend well and pour into a bowl. Serve with any firm cracker.

Penzey’s Spices

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced very small
• Salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, very finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 red bell peppers (or one red and one green), peeled, seeded and sliced in thin strips or diced small
• 1 medium zucchini, peeled and finely chopped
• Black pepper
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or a 14-ounce can, drained

Preparation

1. Lay eggplant pieces on two layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. After 30 minutes, squeeze out liquid and pat dry.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in an earthenware casserole over a flame tamer or in a Dutch oven. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until they soften, about 8 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic, and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining olive oil along with the eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini and black pepper. Turn the heat to low, stir, cover and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes, season with salt, cover again and cook until the mixture has reduced to a thick relish, 2 to 3 more hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings. Before serving, allow to sit for at least 1 hour, or better yet refrigerate overnight.

Yield: 6 servings.

New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped mint
• 1/4 cup chopped dill
• 1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise and sliced about 1/3-inch thick
• 4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to taste
• Salt
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 4 Italian frying peppers or 2 green bell peppers, cut in 2-inch slices
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed
• 2 medium zucchinis, sliced about 1/2-inch thick
• Black pepper
• 1 pound tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped, or a 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 2 bay leaves
• Chopped fresh herbs, for serving
• Yogurt, for serving

OPTIONAL:

• 3 artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1/4 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1/4 pound small okra, ends trimmed

Preparation

1. Stir together the tomato paste, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, fenugreek, paprika and half the parsley, mint and dill.

2. Heat a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Toss the eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt to taste. Lightly brown, 3 to 5 minutes, as much eggplant as will fit in one layer in the pan, then turn and lightly brown the other side. Remove to a Dutch oven or earthenware casserole. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. (Alternatively, toss the eggplant with the olive oil in the casserole, cover and roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.)

3. Turn the heat down slightly and add a tablespoon of oil and the onions to the skillet. Stir often until they soften, about 5 minutes, and add the peppers. Stir until the peppers and onions are limp, 5 to 8 minutes, and stir in a generous pinch of salt, half the garlic and the coriander seeds. Stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to the casserole with the eggplant. Add another tablespoon of oil and the zucchinis to the skillet. Cook, stirring or turning the zucchinis often until lightly colored on both sides and translucent, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add the remaining garlic, stir for 30 seconds to a minute, and transfer to the casserole.

4. Add the tomato paste mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil. Deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon. Pour into the casserole, and add the tomatoes, bay leaves, 2 more tablespoons olive oil, if desired, and the artichoke hearts, green beans and okra, if using. Season generously with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer (over a flame tamer if using earthenware). Cover, reduce the heat and cook gently, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are very soft, about one hour. Stir in the remaining herbs and simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. If possible, refrigerate overnight before serving warm or at room temperature, with yogurt and chopped herbs.

Yield: 6 servings.

New York Times

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound ground pork

Marinade:

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• a Pinch (less than 1/2 teaspoon) cornstarch

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon red rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Other:

• 4 Asian eggplants
• 1 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed
• 1 tablespoon bean sauce (hot bean sauce if possible)
• 1/2 teaspoon chile paste with garlic, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Preparation

Combine the ground pork with the salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Marinate the pork for 15 minutes.

While the pork is marinating, prepare the remaining ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, dark and light soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Whisk in the cornstarch.

Cut the eggplant into 1-inch squares. Mince the garlic.

Heat the wok over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the eggplant. Stir-fry the eggplant until it is softened (about 5 minutes). Remove and drain on paper towels.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to the wok. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and bean sauce. Stir-fry until aromatic. Add the ground pork. Stir-fry until it changes color, using cooking chopsticks or a wooden spoon to separate the individual pieces.

Push the pork up to the sides of the wok. Add the sauce in the middle and bring to a boil, stirring quickly to thicken. Add the eggplant slices and the chile paste. Cook for a few more minutes and stir in the sesame oil. Serve hot.

Rhonda Parkinson, About.com