Photos by Jake Griggs

We grow the Black Beauty (pictured top), Mangan, and Orient Charm (pictured bottom) varieties.

The sections below were copied with permission from Mi Ae Lipe’s Tastes from the Valley to Bluff: The Featherstone Farm Cookbook (2008).

Storage

Refrigerate eggplants in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator vegetable crisper. They do not keep well should be used within a few days.

Complementary Herbs, Seasonings, & Foods

Aioli, anchovies, bacon, balsamic vinegar, basil, bechamel sauce, breadcrumbs, capers, cream, cumin, garlic, goat cheese, Gruyere cheese, ham, lamb, lemon, mint, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, olive oil, olives, onions, oregano, Parmesan cheese, parsley, peppers, pesto, pine nuts, rice, ricotta cheese, rosemary, shallots, thyme, tomatoes, walnuts, yogurt, zucchini.

Serving Suggestions

• Here's a salty, savory, simple dish: Heat a preferred oil in a saucepan until hot (peanut or vegetable are good choices). Add eggplant that has been cut into 1-inch chunks and brown them on each side. Then add garlic, shallots, and tamari or soy sauce. Top with chopped scallions and serve hot or cold.

• Because of their substantial, rich texture, eggplants have been used as a meat substitute for centuries. Try using grilled, seasoned slices in sandwiches, lasagna, and casseroles.

• Grill or broil eggplant slices and use them in combination with mushrooms in sandwiches or other dishes.

• Top a pizza with strips of eggplant, sweet red peppers, and ripe tomatoes.

• Eggplants stuffed with shellfish (such as shrimp, crab, and lobster) and combined with a cream sauce make a delicious, filling meal, rounded out with a green or tomato salad and good crusty bread.

• For a twist on a traditional dish, mash and whip eggplants the same way you prepare mashed potatoes.

• Baba ghanoush, that traditional Middle Eastern preparation of pureed, roasted eggplant, make a delicious dip or sandwich filling. Combine the eggplant with garlic, tahini, lemon juice, sea salt, and olive oil.

• Add tender eggplant cubes to an Indian curry or Asian stir-fry.

• Hollow out eggplant "shells," stuff them with ground meat and spices, and bake them in the oven.

• Create a delicious, hearty, vegetarian spaghetti sauce by steaming eggplant slices until tender; sauteing garlic, onion, and Italian-style stewed tomatoes; combining the eggplant with the tomato mixture and adding chopped fresh basil; and simmering on low heat for 20 minutes.

 Links

Cook out of the Box - Focus: Eggplant

Cook out of the Box - Tried and True: Ratatouille

More information on eggplant from Jack's journal entry, Fall is Just Around the Corner, "A staple in cuisines of many continents (moussaka and ratatouille in southern Europe, curries and stir fries throughout Asia), the eggplant can be used in many ways.  My absolute favorite, however, is baba ganouj.  And the best way to make this by far, is over an open gas flame (indoors on on the grill, either works fine).  Just roast the entire eggplants until they are completely softened, rotating often, perhaps 10 minutes for narrow asian fruits and 20 for globe types.  Then scrape the charred skins off, mash with tahini, lemon juice and garlic, and away you go!  The smoky flavor of the eggplant prepared this way is indescribably wonderful."

Recipes

Roasted Eggplant Salad with Beans and Cashews (serves 6)

2 eggplants, diced into 1-inch cubes

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground peppers

1/2 cup roasted cashews, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 475°F.

2. Toss the eggplant in olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the coarse salt. Place the eggplant in a single layer on a cookie sheet in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until it becomes golden brown.

3. Cook the beans in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until they become crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Transfer them to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain, and pat dry with paper towels.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vegetable oil, curry powder, the remaining salt, and pepper. Toss the eggplant, beans, cashews, and cilantro with dressing and serve immediately.

Credit: Featherstone Farm

Eggplant, Tomato, and Red Potato Casserole (serves 8 to 10)

This is hearty for a vegetarian dish and even satisfies folks who usually prefer meat dishes.

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

4 to 5 medium-sized red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans, or 1 (8-ounce) can, drained and well-rinsed

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, sliced into medium pieces

1 medium-sized garlic head, cloves quartered

1 red bell pepper, sliced into small pieces

10 to 15 cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced

5 medium-sized tomatoes, dices, or 1 (16-ounce can diced tomatoes)

Oregano, fresh or dried

Basil, fresh or dried

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Slice all of the ingredients in advance, preparing the eggplant and mushrooms last to prevent discoloration.

3. Place the eggplant, potatoes, and garbanzo beans in a large casserole dish.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onion, adding the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms when the onions have almost turned translucent. Do not brown. Add the tomatoes and saute just until they are heated through. Add generous amounts oregano and basil.

5. Pour the skillet ingredients over the casserole ingredients and mix them all together. Cover the casserole and bake for 45 minutes.

Eggplant Potato Curry

Will serve about six, served with rice.

4 cups cubed eggplant (If you are using Asian style eggplant, it is probably not necessary to peel.  (Asian style is longer and thinner than most Italian varieties)  Sometimes it is recommended to lightly salt eggplant, let sit an hour or so and drain to remove any bitterness.  If you are working with a young Asian style eggplant this salting and draining is probably not necessary)

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups cubed potatoes

1 cup chopped fresh green beans

2 T. oil

1 t. salt

1 t. ground cumin

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 8

Roasted Eggplant

Trim stem and bottom ends of eggplant.  Cut into 1/2 inch slices.

Lightly salt slices - this removes any bitterness in the eggplant.  After about half an hour, rinse and drain.

Dry the slices.

Lightly oil a baking sheet with olive oil.  Place eggplant slices on sheet, turning each once so both sides are very lightly coated with oil.  Add a bit more oil if necessary.

Roast at 400 degrees about 30 minutes.  (Bottoms should be lightly browned).  Remove baking sheet from oven.  Brush a marinade (4 parts olive oil, one part red wine vinegar and chopped fresh garlic) on the eggplant slices while they are still warm.

When they are cool, remove to a serving plate or refrigerate for later use.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 9

Eggplant Stew

Ingredients:

Cubed eggplant - about 3 cups (No need to peel) If you are concerned that the eggplant might be bitter, salt the cubes and drain about 1/2 hour - then rinse and use)

Sliced onion - about 1 1/2 cups

Fresh or canned chopped tomatoes - about 2 cups

Chickpeas - canned or cooked fresh - about 2 cups

olive oil

Saute eggplant in about 1/4 cup olive oil for about 5 minutes.  Add onions and saute another 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes and chickpeas.  Bake in a heavy covered dish or pot in the oven at 350 degrees about 45 minutes - until all vegetables are very tender.   Serve with rice.  Excellent served the next day.  Optional - add cubed feta cheese and/or calamata olives at the end of the baking.  If dish seems too soupy, remove cover and bake another 15 minutes or so.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 14

Eggplant Moussaka

This dish requires a little time and assembly but is well worth it.  It has three basic parts: the eggplant, a tomato meat sauce and a bechamel, or white, sauce - with some cheese. (Note - I am going to talk about bechamel on Thursday in my Hands On post.)

1.  Eggplant - slice one large eggplant into 1/2 inch slices.  Roast on a well oiled baking sheet until it is tender - about 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  (Note: some people like to lightly salt the slices first, let sit about an hour, rinse and dry.  This removes any bitterness which might be present in the eggplant. )  You could also dip the slices in beaten egg and then crumbs and bake or fry.  I think roasting is the simplest.

2.  Meat sauce - make a basic tomato meat sauce - use about a pound of lamb or beef.  Saute some onion and garlic in olive oil, add a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes or equivalent amount of fresh chopped tomatoes and about 1/2 cup red wine.   (If you use fresh tomatoes, you will need to simmer the sauce longer.)  The key thing in this sauce is the seasoning.  Simmer with one bay leaf.  Also add about 1 t. ground cinnamon and 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

3.  Bechamel - make a basic white sauce.  Melt 1/4 cup butter.  Whisk in 4 T. flour and cook on low heat about 10 minutes.  Add 3 cups warm milk (whole milk is nice for this recipe.) You want a fairly thick sauce.

4.  Grated cheese - use kefalotyri if you can find it.  If not - asiago or romano or other sharp tasting cheese.

Assembly --Make two layers of meat sauce and eggplant (Note - if you don't have enough eggplant you can supplement with sliced roasted zucchini or sliced cooked potatoes.)  Spread half the meat sauce on the vegetables.  make another layer of vegetables and meat sauce.  Spread the bechamel on top and add a generous sprinkling of grated cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven about 45 minutes - until top is lightly browned.  Let stand about ten minutes before serving.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 14

Ratatouille 

Makes about 8 servings.

Serve hot or at room temperature. Use as a side dish or serve over pasta or polenta with grated parmesan or asiago or similar cheese for a main course.

For best flavor use fresh garden vegetables. Make a double or triple batch – this freezes beautifully. Saute 2 cups of chopped onion and 4 cloves of minced FRESH garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil about 5 minutes over medium heat. Then add about 3 cups EACH of eggplant, zucchini squash and bell peppers and 4 cups fresh tomatoes – cut into approximately 1/2 inch cubes or pieces. Season with 1 1/2 t. salt, fresh ground pepper and about 1/2 c. chopped fresh herbs ( a combination of basil, thyme, oregano, parsley and rosemary is nice if you have these. Often I use just fresh basil and parsley.) Simmer covered until all vegetables are tender, about one hour. Stir occasionally while simmering. Even better the next day. A few Mediterranean olives on the side would be a great idea, too.

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Tried and True: Ratatouille

 Caponata

If you can manage to stash a half dozen pints of this in the freezer you will be happy you did.  This is a great antipasto for special winter meals. 

Ingredients

About 4 cups unpeeled eggplant, diced into 1/2 inch cubes, lightly coated with oil and roasted on a baking sheet in a 375 degree oven until lightly browned and tender

1/4 cup olive oil for sauteeing (plus 1 T. for roasting eggplant)

3/4 cup thinly sliced or diced celery (I like to use fennel bulb if I have it)

1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup raw)

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (best if seasoned with garlic)

1/2 cup green olives, pitted and chopped

1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained

2 salt packed anchovies, rinsed, filleted and chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 T. sugar

Saute onions and celery in olive oil in a heavy pan until soft and translucent - about 7 minutes.  Add tomato sauce and simmer another 7 minutes.  Stir in eggplant and all the other ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes.  Taste and add salt, vinegar or sugar as desired.  Tastes even better after one day.

Optional embellishments:  Add a few tablespoons fresh chopped basil or parsley or both.  Garnish with toasted pine nuts.

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Focus: Eggplant

Eggplant Potato Curry

Will serve about six, served with rice

4 cups cubed eggplant (If you are using Asian style eggplant, it is probably not necessary to peel.  (Asian style is longer and thinner than most Italian varieties)  Sometimes it is recommended to lightly salt eggplant, let sit an hour or so and drain to remove any bitterness.  If you are working with a young Asian style eggplant this salting and draining is probably not necessary)

1 cup chopped onion

2 cups cubed potatoes

1 cup chopped fresh green beans

2 T. oil

1 t. salt

1 t. ground cumin

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 8

Roasted Eggplant

Trim stem and bottom ends of eggplant.  Cut into 1/2 inch slices.

Lightly salt slices - this removes any bitterness in the eggplant.  After about half an hour, rinse and drain.

Dry the slices.

Lightly oil a baking sheet with olive oil.  Place eggplant slices on sheet, turning each once so both sides are very lightly coated with oil.  Add a bit more oil if necessary.

Roast at 400 degrees about 30 minutes.  (Bottoms should be lightly browned).  Remove baking sheet from oven.  Brush a marinade (4 parts olive oil, one part red wine vinegar and chopped fresh garlic) on the eggplant slices while they are still warm.

When they are cool, remove to a serving plate or refrigerate for later use.

Credit: Cook out of the Box 2010 - Week 9

Eggplant Stew

Ingredients:

Cubed eggplant - about 3 cups (No need to peel) If you are concerned that the eggplant might be bitter, salt the cubes and drain about 1/2 hour - then rinse and use)

Sliced onion - about 1 1/2 cups

Fresh or canned chopped tomatoes - about 2 cups

Chickpeas - canned or cooked fresh - about 2 cups

olive oil

Saute eggplant in about 1/4 cup olive oil for about 5 minutes.  Add onions and saute another 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes and chickpeas.  Bake in a heavy covered dish or pot in the oven at 350 degrees about 45 minutes - until all vegetables are very tender.   Serve with rice.  Excellent served the next day.  Optional - add cubed feta cheese and/or calamata olives at the end of the baking.  If dish seems too soupy, remove cover and bake another 15 minutes or so.

Credit: Cook out the Box 2010 - Week 14

Eggplant Moussaka

This dish requires a little time and assembly but is well worth it.  It has three basic parts: the eggplant, a tomato meat sauce and a bechamel, or white, sauce - with some cheese. (Note - I am going to talk about bechamel on Thursday in my Hands On post.)

1.  Eggplant - slice one large eggplant into 1/2 inch slices.  Roast on a well oiled baking sheet until it is tender - about 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  (Note: some people like to lightly salt the slices first, let sit about an hour, rinse and dry.  This removes any bitterness which might be present in the eggplant. )  You could also dip the slices in beaten egg and then crumbs and bake or fry.  I think roasting is the simplest.

2.  Meat sauce - make a basic tomato meat sauce - use about a pound of lamb or beef.  Saute some onion and garlic in olive oil, add a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes or equivalent amount of fresh chopped tomatoes and about 1/2 cup red wine.   (If you use fresh tomatoes, you will need to simmer the sauce longer.)  The key thing in this sauce is the seasoning.  Simmer with one bay leaf.  Also add about 1 t. ground cinnamon and 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

3.  Bechamel - make a basic white sauce.  Melt 1/4 cup butter.  Whisk in 4 T. flour and cook on low heat about 10 minutes.  Add 3 cups warm milk (whole milk is nice for this recipe.) You want a fairly thick sauce.

4.  Grated cheese - use kefalotyri if you can find it.  If not - asiago or romano or other sharp tasting cheese. 

Assembly --Make two layers of meat sauce and eggplant (Note - if you don't have enough eggplant you can supplement with sliced roasted zucchini or sliced cooked potatoes.)  Spread half the meat sauce on the vegetables.  make another layer of vegetables and meat sauce.  Spread the bechamel on top and add a generous sprinkling of grated cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven about 45 minutes - until top is lightly browned.  Let stand about ten minutes before serving.

Credit: Cook out the Box 2010 - Week 14

Ratatouille (8 servings)

Serve hot or at room temperature. Use as a side dish or serve over pasta or polenta with grated parmesan or asiago or similar cheese for a main course.

For best flavor use fresh garden vegetables. Make a double or triple batch – this freezes beautifully. Saute 2 cups of chopped onion and 4 cloves of minced FRESH garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil about 5 minutes over medium heat. Then add about 3 cups EACH of eggplant, zucchini squash and bell peppers and 4 cups fresh tomatoes – cut into approximately 1/2 inch cubes or pieces. Season with 1 1/2 t. salt, fresh ground pepper and about 1/2 c. chopped fresh herbs ( a combination of basil, thyme, oregano, parsley and rosemary is nice if you have these. Often I use just fresh basil and parsley.) Simmer covered until all vegetables are tender, about one hour. Stir occasionally while simmering. Even better the next day. A few Mediterranean olives on the side would be a great idea, too.

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Tried and True: Ratatouille

Caponata

If you can manage to stash a half dozen pints of this in the freezer you will be happy you did.  This is a great antipasto for special winter meals.

Ingredients:

About 4 cups unpeeled eggplant, diced into 1/2 inch cubes, lightly coated with oil and roasted on a baking sheet in a 375 degree oven until lightly browned and tender

1/4 cup olive oil for sauteeing (plus 1 T. for roasting eggplant)

3/4 cup thinly sliced or diced celery (I like to use fennel bulb if I have it)

1 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup raw)

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (best if seasoned with garlic)

1/2 cup green olives, pitted and chopped

1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained

2 salt packed anchovies, rinsed, filleted and chopped

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 T. sugar

Saute onions and celery in olive oil in a heavy pan until soft and translucent - about 7 minutes.  Add tomato sauce and simmer another 7 minutes.  Stir in eggplant and all the other ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes.  Taste and add salt, vinegar or sugar as desired.  Tastes even better after one day.

Optional embellishments:  Add a few tablespoons fresh chopped basil or parsley or both.  Garnish with toasted pine nuts.

Credit: Cook out of the Box - Focus: Eggplant

Last updated on March 16, 2012 by Featherstone Farm