I tasted eggplant for the first time during college. I volunteered to cook for a weekly dinner shared among friends and decided to take on eggplant parmesan since there were non-meat eaters and meat eaters among the group. I knew only that eggplant had a hardiness about it that made it well suited for vegetarian entrees. I didn't know how it should taste, let alone how to cook with eggplant to bring out the best flavors and textures. That batch of eggplant parmesan wasn't very good. Maybe "mehhhh," but certainly not delicious in a way that spurs conversion. I remember the recipe called for a good deal of breading, each bite a sad myriad of oil-saturated breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, and gobs of pre-shredded mozzarella cheese. The eggplant was hidden in the mix, save for its unmistakable texture. It was baba ganoush that won me a few months later because it brought the eggplant to the forefront and let it shine.
What are your favorite ways to cook with eggplant? Here are a few of mine:
- Adding smokiness to eggplant is like a sprinkle of salt on a late summer tomato. I love charring or grilling eggplant for smokiness. This perfectly Smoky Eggplant Soup by David Tanis starts with charred eggplant, gets a bit of brightness from lemon juice and finishes with garnished texture and spice from za'atar and fresh parsley (also, I love any excuse to grab for za'atar).
- I adore this spicy Eggplant Jam by David Lebovitz, which he adapts from a recipe by Joanne Weir from her book, From Tapas to Meze. A drizzle of pomegranate molasses brings a concentrated sweetness to the richly spiced eggplant. Spread over warm grilled bread or add a dollop to a salad.
- Eggplants and pomegranate are wonderfully suited. This recipe for Mahogany Eggplant with Labneh and Pomegranate shared by Maureen Abood on The Splendid Table calls for glazing the eggplant with pomegranate molasses before roasting and finishing the dish with lebneh (homemade yogurt) and pomegranate seeds.
- In the spirit of roasting a glaze into eggplant, I love this take on Ginger-Miso-Glazed Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku) from Bon Appetit. Smear a paste of ginger and white miso onto pre-roasted eggplant, broil for 4-5 minutes, then top with sliced scallions and sesame seeds. The roasted eggplant melts with each bite.
- There's a slight distinction between two delicious smoky eggplant dips. As I understand it, baba ganoush is made with walnuts and pomegranate molasses (sometimes tomatoes, too), whereas moutabal brings together yogurt, garlic, and tahini. I appreciate The Food Lab's ardent quest for the best Baba Ganoush, this go-to recipe for baba ganoush from Yotom Ottolenghi, and Yossy Arefi's version made with white chocolate. Seriously! I also really like this recipe for Moutabal by Monica Shaw.
- This recipe for Fried Eggplant with Walnut Sauce (Badridzhani Nigvsit) over on Saveur is a dreamy mix of fried eggplant, sans any breading, topped with a pesto-like spiced walnut sauce. It's divine.
- For a twist on Shashukua, I love this recipe for Spicy Eggplant and Egg Tagine, from Vegetarian Times. Tender pieces of eggplant in a harissa-spiced tomato sauce are the bed for poached eggs, ready to be scooped up with fresh bread any meal of the day.
- "Caponata is like the Sicilian ketchup." Eggplant caponata is a tangy, sweet-and-sour relish made with caramelized garlic and onion, tender eggplant, olives, currants, pine nuts, and vinegar. It's wonderful piled onto crusty bread, but Chef Dave Pasternack's recipe for Grilled Steak and Eggplant Caponata is unreal.
- I haven't always thought of eggplant as a go-to ingredient when cooking for a dinner party, but these delicious Grilled Vegetable Towers are great for snacking amid socializing. They're made with grilled eggplant, goat cheese, and sundried tomatoes, sandwiched between toasted bread. Similarly, I love this recipe for Roasted Eggplant and with Goat Cheese Tahini and Pine Nuts as an appetizer.
- I've said it before, but I can't get enough of recipes by Yotam Ottolenghi, author of Plenty, Plenty More, and Jerusalem: A Cookbook (all of which contains some beautiful eggplant recipes). This recipe for Sweet Corn Polenta with Eggplant Sauce is absolutely stunning. You can see the original version in Plenty, and the slightly adapted version on Food52 as part of their Genius Recipes column.
P.S. This list extends beyond #10RecipesILove, but I hope you don't mind a few extras.