Hi Everyone ~

As part of my healthy eating / weight loss resolution (July 1, '07), today I bought my very first ever eggplant.

Do I refrigerate it prior to cooking?

It's too hot to bake anything yet, so the produce guy suggested I cube it, and saute it in a bit of olive oil and garlic.

Do I peel it before I do that, or eat the peel too?

Thanks so much. Today Eggplant, Tomorrow Brocolli Rabe!!

I'd put it in the fridge.

I eat the peel. Eggplants are great. You can saute them as the guy suggested, or sprinkle olive oil and herbs on them and bake them or grill them (outside on the BBQ if it's too hot in the house). They are also great in ratatouille and other baked vegetable dishes including moussaka (made without lamb).

I LOVE eggplants!

Jax

I eat the peel, too.

I slice mine & saute garlic & onions in a little olive oil, THEN when the garlic is 1/2 way to browned & the onions are almost clears, add the eggplant & saute until nice & soupy. Eat in pita bread, yum!

I eat the peel if it is very fresh, otherwise I peel it. I find the peel toughens with storage

My very favorite eggplant dish:

Slice the eggplant into very thin slices. Salt lightly and let sit for ~10 minutes (helps the eggplant absorb less oil)

Toss with EVOO and roast in a 350-400 degree oven until very soft stirring occasionally to coat with oil (I will often cook something along side roasted veggies, the temp isnt that specific) Usually 30-40 min or so depending on temp and how thin you sliced it

at the same time thinly slice an onion..sweet onion if you have it. Toss lightly with EVOO and either roast along with the eggplant or slowly carmelize on the stove until soft. Depending on your time constraints. You can sautee the onion too, but the slower you cook it the better the flavor.

When both are cooked, in a small baking dish layer eggplant, carmelized onion, spag. sauce and a thin sprinkle of mozzarella - repeat layers (like a lasagne without noodles) Bake @ ~ 350 until cheese is bubbly. OMG heaven.

In fact...I am making this right now! I have the onions on low heat on the stove and the eggplant in the oven.

Edit - I saw you dont want to bake anything...you can make this dish also by grilling the eggplant and onions and then just baking to melt the cheese or even doing a crockpot lasagne where you put everything in raw and slowly cook all day. I think the flavor is best in an oven though.

Thanks, ladies! I really appreciate your eggplant-y advice.

I definitely try the baked eggplant soon, when the temps cool off.

I don't care for the big italian eggplant, but I love japanese eggplant (the long thin ones, about 2 inches in diameter). I cut them into fat discs, skin and all, and shake in a plastic bag with a couple teaspoons of vegetable oil, and some seasonings (my favorite is ranch dressing mix powder) and bake at 375 to 400 degrees until tender (about 25 - 35 minutes).

Do you have an outdoor grill? I've been grilling eggplant all summer since we got ours. There are a couple outstanding dips I make with grilled eggplent, ajvar and baba ganouj (maybe I'll post my recipe later, it's at home). Both are great as spreads and dips!

I like to cube it and toss it with some summer squash, tomatoes, sweet onions, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, salt, ground black pepper, and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and roast them in one of those foil oven bags over indirect heat on the grill for about 40 minutes. I sometimes pulse it in my food processor into a paste and add it to soups, couscous, mix it with vegan cream "cheese" and use it as a dip, spread it on bread and put it under the broiler, or toss it with some pasta.

I freeze loads this paste in the summer and use it all winter long. Of course, you don't have to puree it, you can just eat it as it is!

I like to make eggplant parm with it. Peel the skin off, slice into 1/4" rounds, place on paper towels and sprinkle with salt (to draw the excess water out). Let sit for about 10-15 minutes. Then dip in egg and into a mixture of wheat germ, grated parm cheese and herbs like Italian seasoning, garlic powder. Place on Pam-sprayed cookie sheet and bake at 375 until brown (turn once or twice halfway through cooking time).

Top with marinara and part-skim mozzarella and/or serve with a side of spaghetti.

Yum!