afo@pucc-k (Laurie Sefton) (09/29/84)
Well, it's that time of the year again; eggplants/aubergines are in season.
I'm looking for different (ie beyond baba ganouj, fried, with tomato sauce)
recipes, specifically the one for 'mock caviar'.
Any takers?
Laurie Sefton
{allegra, ihnp4, harpo, inuxc, decvax}pur-ee!pucc-k!afogreg@olivej.UUCP (Greg Paley) (10/16/84)
In response to the request for these (posted several weeks ago, just got here), I don't have any I can type in from memory, but can heartily recommend: Abby Mandel - Cuisinart Cooking Class. We've found the "Caponata" recipe (eggplant, tomatoes, onions, capers, pine nuts, etc.) exceptionally good, easy and reliable. Time/Life - Middle Eastern Cooking. One of the Time/Life "International" series, with a number of good recipes either featuring or incorporating eggplant. I believe this will supply the "eggplant caviar" recipe you want. There might also be a recipe for this in the "Cooking of Russia" book of the same series. There are also excellent recipes involving eggplant in both volumes (particularly volume 2) of the Julia Child/Simone Beck "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" set. Take a look at "Potage a la Victorine" (Volume 2) - a white bean soup with chunks of pork shoulder to which you add a separately sauteed "garnish" of eggplant, garlic, onions and tomatoes. I consider these books to be indispensible references in any case. Except for the Abby Mandel book, I've found all of these readily available at local libraries. With any unfamiliar, particularly if expensive, cookbooks I try to borrow them from a friend or check them out of the library first to try them out. If they're good, I buy them. - Greg Paley
nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (10/17/84)
We've enjoyed a couple of ones new to me : One is "Red, white, and blue-black casserole", (from "Victory Garden Cookbook" maybe? Anyway, that's an excellent source fro ideas). The gist is to cut the eggplant lengthwise once, then slice crosswise into semidisks. In a shallow casserole dish (2" deep), stand some slices of eggplant on the narrow cut edge, to make a row, then follow this with slices of tomato, then slices of mozzerella cheese. Repeat until the whole dish is full. It should appear to have bands of red, white, and black from the top. Use your favorite seasoning (basil/oregano is the default), bake until bubbly. You may wish to put a layer of onions on bottom, horizontally. Another is a delish Indian dish (Banghan Bharta, or sonething like that. We call it "Bangin' Bart") which is also eggplant, onion, and tomatoes, but not in the usual way. In this, the veggies are cooked to mush, with only a small amount of tomato - just enough to flavor it. Since I tried it in a restaurant, I don't know the exact proportions, but I would guess that you'd use one small tomato (say 1/2 cup) to one medium large eggplant and one large onion. Also guessing, saute the eggplant and onion until the eggplant is becomming trans- lucent, then add tomato (peeled if you're into it). Cook covered, stirring periodically until everything has lost its shape (about 1/2 hour). I did not detect any spices other than salt and pepper in this one, and it is very good. Finally, my favorite for eggplants out of the garden is stir-fried with garlic and hot peppers in sesame oil. Warm about 2 tbsp sesame oil (may be combined with regular oil 1/2 and 1/2), then toss in about 1/2 doz. szechuan peppers. After about 30 secs, long enough for the scent to be released, toss in the cubed eggpant and about two sliced, smashed garlics. Stir fry over moderatly high heat until the eggplant is tender. Remove the peppers before eating. Don't forget the Greeks, Turks and Armenians when it comes to eggplant. Moussaka, imam bahilde, ratatouille (sorry, did I forget the French?) are also right up there with the best. I've heard it said that the Armenians judge the value of a woman by how many ways she can cook eggplant.... Nemo