Eggplant Recipes?

I have a great crop of Eggplant.  I could use some fresh recipes. In the past I have batter fried them.

Two general recipe links....many out there so you can choose your complexity.

Chinese garlic eggplant:   https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/201964/eggplant-with-garlic-sauce/

Baba ganoush:  https://www.inspiredtaste.net/24825/baba-ganoush-recipe-roasted-eggplant-dip/

Our quick and dirty for adding to Italian pasta is to slice into wheels, toss with olive oil and a bit of flour and corn meal or panko bread crumbs, then air-fry for 10-12 min.

Our plants in the garden are booming now, but only flowering at this point.

All tasty options listed above in both posts!  I also like it barbecued with seasonings added, and in lasagna.

I know eggplant is a great meat substitute.  I planted it a few years ago,  Great crop.  I just did not find recipes that I liked.

I am partial to a good Eggplant Parmesan myself.

Eggplant Parmesan

John Weiland wrote: Chinese garlic eggplant...  

Locally, there are Indian and Thai versions of this dish with subtly different flavourings, all of which I like. They often have names like, "Eggplant Delight" and the Thai one is made with beef, but so far I have liked all of them.

Before I met these, I had only had eggplant as "Moussaka" and it didn't appeal to me enough to consider making it myself.

I have added eggplant to a pan of roasted mixed veggies. Basically just oil/fat, a bit of salt, and adding the veg based on how long they take to bake, so they all, more or less, are cooked nicely.

It is hit or miss if we have a summer warm enough to grow eggplant, so I have given up for the moment.

Lamb in moussaka? Heaven! Lots of good recipes out on the web.
I also like eggplants raw cubed with pesto and quartered cherry tomatoes and cubed raw summer squash.

Hello,
I'm stating the obvious, but, since no one else has, ratatouille. I can it, just using bay leaves as seasoning, to be able to vary it when opening the jar.

I just made Simpoog Moussaka, from Sonia Uvezian's The Cuisine of Armenia:

2 med eggplants
salt
1/2 cup clarified butter
1 lg onion, finely chopped
1 lb lean ground lamb or beef
2 med ipe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs

1. Remove stems and hulls from eggplants and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Layer on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Place a heavy weight on the slices and let stand 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a heavy skillet heat 2 tbls clarified butter over moderate heat. Add onion and saute until soft but not browned, stirring frequently.

3. Add meat and cook until lightly browned, breaking up with a spoon. Stir in tomatoes, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cook 5 min.

4. Dry eggplant slices. Saute in remaining clarified butter until golden brown on both sides.

5. Arrange half the slices in the bottom of a buttered baking dish. Spread meat mixture evently over slices. Cover with remaining eggplant slices.

6. Cover and bake 35 minutes at 375 F

7. Beat eggs unti lfrothy. Uncover baking dish, pour beaten eggs over top, bake 15 minutes more.

Serve with rice pilaf.

Japan, weighing in here.

Look to Middle East and Eastern countries for recipes using eggplant in addition to what you already have from European, South American and other sources. In the US I know a lot of people that grow eggplant but I frankly don't know a lot of people that eat it. Many of my friends grow it and then cut it up and throw it out for the birds or for animal fodder.

That being being said, if you go to JustOneCookbook.com, Nami Chen will have a number of recipes using eggplant. I imagine that New York Times cooking will also have  eggplant recipes. Google or Perplexity for eggplant recipes. You'll find quite a lot. And some, you may even like.

Here's the thing that I noticed. When I cook using a Middle Eastern source or a Asian source, the recipe seem to be less complicated, with fewer techniques and equipment.  So forJustOneCookbook.com's  eggplant dengaku, the most difficult thing you're going to do is make the sauce. Baba ganoush couldn't be easier  -- boil the eggplant add it to a food processor with other ingredients - done!

I'm happy to provide something more specific if you want me to give you the recipes that I've used But I would encourage you to do your own research as well. Eggplant is a really versatile vegetable and it's grossly underused in America, in my humble opinion.

Happy cooking!

One of my favorites is Imam Bayildi. Find a recipe w lots of olive oil, onion, tomato & golden raisins. Sublime!
Of course another all time favorite is baba ghanoush. The trick in this dish is charring the eggplant to get a nice smoky flavor and using good quality tahini.
Enjoy!

From a Perplexity search for international  eggplant recipes:

Eggplant Curry
Cube eggplant and sauté with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and curry spices.
Add coconut milk or tomato sauce.
Simmer until eggplant is tender.
Serve with rice or flatbread.

1. Imam Bayildi (Turkey)
Whole eggplants are slit, partially hollowed, and stuffed with a mixture of sautéed onions, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs.
Drizzle with plenty of olive oil.
Bake until soft and jammy.
Traditionally served at room temperature with bread.

2. Baingan Bharta (India)
Roast eggplant over an open flame or in the oven until charred and soft.
Peel and mash the flesh.
Sauté onions, tomatoes, garlic, green chili, and spices (coriander, cumin, turmeric), then add mashed eggplant.
Cook until aromatic. Serve with naan or rice.

3. Caponata (Italy/Sicily)
Diced eggplant is fried until golden.
Sauté celery, onion, and tomatoes.
Add capers, olives, pine nuts, and a splash of vinegar and sugar for a sweet-sour flavor.
Simmer to meld flavors. Serve warm or at room temperature.

4. Melitzanosalata (Greece)
Roast or grill whole eggplants, peel off skin, and mash the interior.
Mix with olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, and chopped parsley.
Sometimes includes feta cheese or chopped onions.
Serve as a dip with pita bread.

5. Mapo Eggplant (China, Sichuan-style)
Cut eggplant into batons.
Stir-fry with garlic, ginger, doubanjiang (spicy bean paste), soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorn, and a touch of sugar.
Add ground pork or beef for a heartier version.
Sauce thickens and coats the eggplant. Serve with steamed rice.

6. Eggplant Miso Dengaku (Japan)
Slice eggplant in half lengthwise and score the surface.
Brush with oil and grill or broil until cooked.
Top with sweet-savory miso glaze (miso paste, sugar, sake, mirin).
Broil or grill again until the glaze bubbles.

7. Eggplant Tagine (Morocco)
Cube eggplant and combine with tomatoes, onions, garlic, chickpeas, Moroccan spices (cumin, cinnamon, coriander), and preserved lemon.
Slow-cook until all vegetables are soft and flavors meld.
Serve with couscous.

NYT Cooking Just sent me four new recipes featuring eggplant. They have over 400 recipes in their recipe Library that use eggplant as an ingredient. It's a $50.00 annual to subscribe but I think you can get a few for free. Give it a roll, And if you see something you like Let me know here And I'll get the recipe for you

https://cooking.nytimes.com/

No, I did not manage to grow them (here called 'aubergine', not 'eggplant'). Not enough summery weather for them.
They are grown in greenhouses, organic growers do so too. Because now is the right season they are plenty.

So I can use these recipes too! Try something new (mostly I use them in a ratatouille). Thank you all.

the first thing I learned to cook (other than red sauce, the only recipe I learned from my mother) was eggplant! I was doing a homestay in Japan with a family that ran a calligraphy school, but when they realized I was an unabashed left-handed painter (anathema!) they encouraged me to hang out with Grandma, who did the cooking. She taught me to make curry and red-bean rice and a bunch of things, but the first thing was eggplant-- someone had given them a case of eggplant and she worked through it every day.
We pickled it (salt, miso, nuka) and cooked it with sweet miso and green peppers, but just plain seared eggplant was amazing and got me started cooking.

SEARED JAPANESE EGGPLANT
Cut long-wise and scored on the skin side (like Barbara mentions for dengaku above). Soak in salt water if they have lots of seeds.  
Heat up your cast iron until it's screaming and put them cut-side down in the dry pan. Have a lid nearby. Let them sear until they're just starting to get dark marks, then flip them over (skin-side down) and add about a shotglass worth of sake and cover quickly. Let them cook for a few minutes til the sake is mostly evaporated, flip them back over to get the last of the now-glazy sake on the cut side, and plate up. Serve with soy sauce mixed with fresh grated ginger as a dipping sauce. It is a great side dish with a typical Japanese meal but sublime with a cold beer on a hot night.

We eat a lot of eggplant, mostly the ways I've described above, or else cubed and thrown in the air fryer with potatoes, then with a quick Turkish garlic-tomato sauce that goes on everything. I do the same thing, Chinese style, with eggplant and potatoes, cooked up with green peppers and a quick brown sauce (no tomatoes) - https://omnivorescookbook.com/di-san-xian-recipe/

Eggplant "meatballs"- we also sometimes add it to ground lamb dishes like meatloaf or meatballs
Eggplant parmesan - fried eggplant is also really delish on pizza and sammies
miso eggplant- one of my all time favorite restaurant meals that I've never been able to make quite as good at home
sesame eggplant- stir fry or deep fried

I dry extra eggplant (and zucchini) to make chips that are great with hummus or other savory dips.  I find this is a great way to make healthy chips and preserve vegetables for winter consumption

https://www.christinascucina.com/pickled-eggplant-pickled-aubergines/

This recipe is fabulous for the smaller asian eggplants.  I make it every year.  It's great on crackers or focaccia bread.