Eggplant magic

I spent Tuesday of this week shooting an episode of my online cooking series, Indigenous Bites, on an eggplant field in Plum Mitan, an area that includes a portion of the Nariva Swamp and within close proximity to Manzanilla. Breezy, beautiful and peaceful, with the most amazing and hospitable famers, and some pretty fine eggplant too.

There is something to be said about farm to table cuisine. Sure farmers’ markets deliver the closest we, non-farmers, can get to fresh produce but when a farmer invites you into his field to harvest some eggplant and then cook it within one hour of picking, the taste is simply divine. Sweet, tender, melt in your mouth and seedless; perfect eggplant.

We see eggplant every week at our food markets, prices vary but they seem to be quite seasonal now. Versatility is this vegetable’s middle name. I know that many persons think of choka when they hear the word baigan. But the modes of cooking for this vegetable are varied because the flavour lends itself to many levels of spices.

When choosing eggplant make sure they are firm but gives slightly to your touch. The skin should be tight, shiny and should feel light in weight. If it seems heavy then it will contain too many seeds.

Some people tend to have an allergic, or itchy reaction to eggplant, this is why salting before cooking is a necessary step.

Here are some delightful ways to enjoy your eggplant!

Mediterranean eggplant salad

Delicious warm or cold

4 lbs eggplant

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

2 tomatoes, diced

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup chopped fresh herbs, parsley, mint, basil

1/4 cup olive oil

4 tbs red wine vinegar

1 tsp ground roasted cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Roast the eggplant over a live fire until tender. Remove flesh and chop. Combine with aromatics and vegetables. Combine olive oil with vinegar, cumin salt and pepper, stir well and add to salad. Toss well.

Serves 4 to 6

Melongene cake with spicy tomato sauce

2 lbs eggplant

1 tbs salt

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup milk

3 eggs

1 tsp pepper sauce

1/3 cup chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 325F. Wash, peel and cut eggplant into strips, sprinkle with salt and let stand for 15 minutes, wash and pat dry. Heat oil in a sauté pan, add garlic and cook without burning, add eggplant and cook until tender, about 20 minutes, puree and set aside. Combine milk with eggs, add eggplant and stir, add pepper, add parsley.

Turn into a greased baking dish, place dish into a larger dish with about one inch of water. Bake for 40 minutes until firm. Remove from oven, turn into serving platter and pour on tomato sauce.

Tomato sauce

2 tbs olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 28 oz tin whole tomatoes, pureed

1 tsp tomato paste

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil, add garlic and onions, sauté for about 3 to 5 minutes, add tomatoes, paste, salt, pepper, and basil. Add broth. Add sugar, stir and simmer for 40 minutes until thick.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with eggplant cake.

Eggplant in yoghurt sauce

1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch slices, sprinkled with salt

1 medium onion, sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup unflavoured yoghurt

2 tbs chopped fresh mint or parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Let salted eggplant sit for 15 minutes, then rinse well and pat dry. Heat oil in a shallow frying pan, fry eggplant slices until golden brown, drain. Pan fry onions until translucent, remove. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a shallow casserole dish. Combine yoghurt with salt, pepper, garlic and mint. Arrange eggplant slices in an overlapping manner in dish, add onions, pour yoghurt mixture over and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until bubbly.

Serves 4 to 6

rahamut@gmail.com

Photos courtesy

Wendy Rahamut