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Eggplant in need of help!
Wed, 04/04/2012 - 15:39 — Eve
I have lost my eggplant juju.
I now have purple shoeleather juju.
Even my famed garlic sauce has turned on me.
What to do? The yen for eggplant in brown sauce and the like is overwhelming. Have I forgotten what one does to the purple plant to be sure it arrives to the palate all tender and moisty?
How about a short compendium of hints on minding the eggplant?
bex
Justina's method
I absolutely LOVE eggplant, and so it is incredibly upsetting to make a dish with eggplant and have it be rubbery – sometimes after an hour or more of baking in a dish! What to do? After various successes and failures with eggplant, here’s what we do.
First, if you can get the Japanese eggplants (purple, yet shaped more like zucchinis), they are much more tender and forgiving, so use them. If not, and the large globe are what are available, here’s what we do – steam them to tenderness before ever using them. You can steam them on the stove top, in the microwave, whatever – but cut them into slices, chunks, or however you plan to use them, and then really steam them until they are completely tender – not almost, but completely. We do not bother with salting them and all that – just steam them well, really well. Then, use them in whatever recipe you had in mind – stir fry, lasagna, sauces, etc., etc. The flavor does not seem to diminish, and they will not fall apart in the dish, but will melt in your mouth, and that’s what the best eggplant does, right?
Good luck, and don’t give up!----------from Justina in Colorado