Aubergine (Eggplant) for all seasons

I love the dark, purple, slim necked and pot-bellied vegetable with the green collar and harleqeen tail on top. I have eaten aubergeen in India, in Turkey and in Spain. I have eaten it cooked with onions, eaten fried and fried in batter, have had it with zucini. Pickled eggplant is delicious. l write about a few ways you can prepare and enjoy this dish.



1. Oven grilled aubergine

This is very simple. Cut off the green leaves at the top, wrap the eggplant in aluminium paper, put it in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Take it out when tender, cut it into four lengthwide sections, sprinkle salt&black pepper, finely chopped fresh garlic and pour generously extra virgin olive oil on top. You can have it with pitta or ciabata bread, hummus, olives, fresh cheese.



2. Aubergine with gaberdine

Cut the eggplant into round slices (1/2centimetre) and sprinkle with salt and pour beer over the vegetble. Leave it for 15-20 minutes.



Prepare batter with cornflour, add a pinch of cumin seeds.

( I have made batter with wheat flour which makes the vegetables soggy and heavy with oil, with corn flour is much better. However, the best batter is made with Chickpeas flour(Gram flour) which can be obtained at an Indian grocery store. This flour is much smooth and when fried in hot oil, comes out dry and crispy, with vegetable tender inside.



Pat dry the eggplant slices with paper towel, dip in the batter and fry them in oil until golden brown. Eat them on their own, with tomatoe ketchup or curry dip.



3. Aubergine with onions and fresh garlic

Cut the eggplant in two centimetre pieces, sprinkle with salt and leave for ten minutes.
Peel one large onion and chop.
Peel and chop three teeth of garlic
Cut into small pieces one large tomatoe
One green chilli, cut into small pieces
Salt & Pepper to taste

Heat oil in pot, fry onions and garlic for two minutes, add remaining ingredients and fry for two more minutes, lower the heat and pour in the eggplant pieces. Cover the pot and cook for fifteen minutes

4. Aubergine with Zuccini

Put an eggplant and a zuccini in aluminium paper and bake in pre-heated over for 15 minutes. Or you can cut them in slices and steam them for ten minutes

Heat olive oil in a pan and fry one small peeled and chopped onion and some garlic for one minute. Peel off the skin of aubergine and zuccini and dd them to the pan, slowly mashing them and mixing with onions and garlic and fry for five minutes. Add salt and coarse black pepper.