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Eggplant

15/1/2019

7 Comments

 
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I have been playing with eggplant (aubergines), a vegetable with which I have a strained relationship.  I love every dish I'm offered but rarely cook it myself, so here goes.
I’ve now done a Japanese-style eggplant in miso, a Madhur Jaffrey recipe with eggplant, apple and chilli, the Turkish eggplant dish that made the Imam faint it was so delicious, melanzane parmigiana and this good-looking moussaka.
The moussaka needed the minced lamb to be cooked with tomato, onion and cinnamon, the eggplant to be salted, drained and fried in olive oil, the béchamel to be prepared with milk and eggs, the cheese to be grated – all simple enough steps. Nonetheless I found I needed to spread the preparation of all the “bits” over a couple of days.  The outcome was worth it but I was reminded of an observation made by  friend, fellow chef and  observer of gastronomy.

“Traditional cooking assumes there is someone who will spend all day making something. This is not as dire as it sounds because the ‘men folk’ know that it takes all day, they taste the nutmeg, they know they can only have zucchini flowers in certain seasons and they know that maybe that day the sheets have not been taken to the river to be washed. Only if you have an appreciative audience will traditional cooking survive."  Rosa Matto

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7 Comments
Sandra Mason
15/1/2019 04:18:06 pm

This is one definitely to try. I love eggplant, though Anthony doesn't, which definitely cramps my cooking plans. I can just about get away with ratatouille ... he did approve of the eggplant dish at Parwana (afghan restaurant) which I thought was the best thing on the menu, so will try that one day, but this sounds yum. And you are so right - traditional cooking definitely takes time - think maybe you do a bit of this when you first get up, then that after breakfast, the other whilst preparing lunch, etc etc? Thank you for this, if it works out will be added to my go to list.

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Cath link
15/1/2019 04:23:52 pm

Anthony sounds a bit like me. I like them when I have them. But trust me, the eggplant is barely noticeable - he'll never know. The béchamel topping also ensures deliciousness.

I'll check out the Afghan recipe. There's an Arab-style idea earlier in the blog. Delicious but perhaps the eggplant is too "out there".

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Gus Howard
15/1/2019 04:37:28 pm

Folks - broaden your horizons. Goat is probably the most-eaten meat in the world, and eggplant in its various forms would most likely be up there as a most-widel-eaten vegetable.

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Cath link
15/1/2019 05:26:37 pm

You're probably right. But we're allowed our cultural differences! I once did a Turkish banquet and suggested that we had too many eggplant dishes. I was informed that possibly the only thing Turks didn't put eggplants in was coffee!

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ROSA MATTO
15/1/2019 09:13:42 pm

Catherine,
On the Amalfi coast (particularly my mother's stepmother's town of Maioro) they lovingly crumb and fry eggplant and sandwich the slices with candied fruit. Then serve with a bitter chocolate sauce.
Have I never made it for you? I will.

I will email you the recipe from my blog tonight.

RM

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Cath link
15/1/2019 11:11:07 pm

No, you have neglected as yet to make this for me!

But I remember exploring the "golden age" of Sicily, at a time when they were wealthy and powerful and controlled the entry into the Mediterranean. I loved an eggplant Caponata which flaunted saffron, pine nuts, raisins, chocolate and gold leaf. I must bring it out again, delicious even without the gold leaf.

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Elizabeth Ho
3/2/2019 06:07:43 am

Dear Kath
It’s a pleasure to read your blog. The fascinating Eggplant is a favourite- there are times (and certain recipes) when I salt and others when I don’t but perhaps it’s the salutary fact that this January has been the driest and hottest on record that has demanded salting in recent weeks.
The book Cheong and myself co-wrote -My Food - has a recipe for fried and then steamed eggplant with garlic. At the end it is dressed with a few strong additions, including oyster sauce and strangely, humble tomato ketchup. It’s a regular on our family table. It is simple and delicious. I was amused to be watching Raymond Blanc on Royal Recipes set at Kew where he added tomato ketchup to a wonderful looking dish - Kale with sweet and sour pork belly and quince purée. A recurring ketchup theme. Recently I left aside my usual eggplant dish and tried a Malay recipe with salted and fried sticks of eggplant with a shrimp ( blacan style) sambal paste wrapped around them and it was delicious. Three cheers for the fascinating and ubiquitous eggplant. We are tending our small patch in hopeful anticipation.

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