In Cook’s magazine, Alice Waters, owner of the legendary restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkley, said that the key to selecting a non-bitter eggplant is freshness. That means an eggplant which is not too large and is shiny on the outside with taut, deep-colored skin. The flesh should spring back when pressed. Dull skin and rust-colored spots are a sign of age. The inside of the eggplant should be white with few seeds and no green. Green indicates an immature eggplant. Also, eggplant that is not used right away will have a tendency to become bitter.
My favorite variety is the smaller, thinner Japanese eggplant. It is often sweeter than larger globe varieties with less tendency toward bitterness.
HISTORY
Although the name "eggplant" strikes me as a misnomer, history reveals that early versions of the eggplant were actually white and about the size of an egg. The first written record of eggplant was in China during the fifth century, though some believe India is the vegetable’s birthplace. Traders carried the eggplant from India to Europe through the Middle East which helps explain why there are so many eggplant preparations from India to Morocco.
The eggplant is steeped in lore and superstition. Society women in China used the skin of dark eggplants to color their teeth a fashionable black. Glad that's behind us! A Turkish sultan supposedly favored one of his wives over the 170 others he had taken because she was adept at preparing eggplant, which the sultan believed provided long life and sexual potency. How else would he be able to tell her apart from the others!
Sex was certainly on the minds of 16th century Spaniards who called eggplants “love apples.” Others in Europe at the time weren’t so sure. They thought eggplants caused insanity as well as a host of other nasty diseases. But King Louis the XIV delighted in surprising his court with exotic food and ordered aubergines grown in the royal garden. The Spanish brought eggplant seeds to the New World. But before the 20th century, most eggplant grown in the United States was used for ornamentation.
NUTRITION
Eggplants are like potatoes in this respect: as long as you reduce the fat in which you cook them, they’re a low-calorie food. One cup cubed has about 25 calories as well as 2 grams of dietary fiber, 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of protein. A serving also contains a smidgen of vitamin C and iron.
PREPARATION & HANDLING
Eggplant does not like severe cold --- 46 to 54 degrees is the ideal temperature range for storage. Because eggplant is ethylene sensitive, store it away from ethylene-producing items such as apples. Kept in the fridge in those light green ethylene resistant plastic bags, eggplant will last up to five days.
Depending on the type of preparation, one large eggplant (about 11/2 pounds) will serve 4 people. It will yield about 4 cups of chopped or cubed eggplant, peeled and trimmed.
When you prepare your dish, the first decision you will need to make is whether to peel or not to peel. With most preparations such as eggplant Parmesan, grilled eggplant and caponata, I like to keep the skin on. Oil can be a problem when cooking eggplant because it soaks it up like a sponge. For this reason, I like to broil or grill eggplant instead of frying it. Before doing either, I spray slices with a mist of olive oil. If you choose to pan fry slices after spraying, a non-stick skillet with perhaps a few drops of olive oil or ghee will aid in browning.
RECIPES
Eggplant lends itself to a multitude of ethnic preparations from Indian to Moroccan with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes in between. Garlic, onion, tomatoes, peppers, olive oil and sesame oils are merely a few of the many seasonings and vegetables that go well with eggplant
Eggplant Rollatini a la Giada De Laurentis
(I also use a chiffonade of spinach leaves. If I don't grill the eggplant, I saute it until soft and maleable in a skillet with olive oil spray or a little ghee.)
Eggplant/Walnut Pate
Eggplant Roll-ups
Broiled Eggplant/Zucchini
Paleo Crispy Eggplant Dippers
Eggplant Lasagna
BUON APPETITO!
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