Oven-fried Eggplant

[QSis]

I LOVE eggplant and I have a lot of Japanese eggplants.

I HATE frying and am always looking for different recipes to "oven-fry" stuff.

Tried this one today, doctored up both the mayo mixture and the bread crumb mixture with a little Frank's hot sauce and cajun seasoning, respectively. Pretty good, and a lot easier than frying.

I think I'm going to top a homemade pizza with some of this and some homemade pesto and homegrown tomatoes tonight.

Gardeners, isn't eating your harvest the BEST??

Lee

P.S. I've noticed that eggplant is only really photogenic when it's raw and/or stuffed.

Oven Fried Eggplant (Aubergine) Recipe | Recipezaar

 

[kadesma]

Save me about 3 slices Lee..I will make my favorite sammy with them..The eggplant,some warm roasted red and yellow peppers, several slices of grilled zucchini and some provolone cheese in Italian bread and put in the pannini press..Yummers

kadesma

 

[GrantsKat]

Lee your eggplant looks delicious!!! I am definitely going to try this recipe, it seems whenever I make eggplant in the oven, it comes out way too dry & tastelessI think this recipe might be my solution!!Thanks

 

[Uncle Bob]

I LOVE eggplant and I have a lot of Japanese eggplants.

Me too...May I send you several?????

This looks good Miss Lee....Another Blue Ribbon from the Back Forty!!

 

[GrantsKat]

Me too...May I send you several?????

NO NO NO...send them to ME

pwease

 

[buckytom]

oh man, top them with a little ricotta/mozz/chopped basil mixture, melt, and serve nestled into sauce.

those look fantastic lee!!!!!!

 

[Uncle Bob]

NO NO NO...send them to ME

pwease

Be suspicious of every UPS/FED X truck you see next week

 

[QSis]

oh man, top them with a little ricotta/mozz/chopped basil mixture, melt, and serve nestled into sauce.

those look fantastic lee!!!!!!

Ooo! I have all those things, bt! I will do that on my pizza! Thanks!

And thanks to everyone else for all the fun comments and compliments!

I just came back from an hour in the woods, going mushrooming, and came back empty-handed.

Dagnabbit*, if it HAS to be this hot and humid, there SHOULD be mushrooms! I'll try again tomorrow.

Lee

*I'm pretty sure that I've never used that word before, but since one can't use the appropiate swear words here, that will have to do.

 

[buckytom]

ah, lee, empty handed or not, you're still a fungi to be with...

 

[Essiebunny]

Looks absolutely delicious!
I'm going to make the recipe tomorrow.
Thanks so much.

 

[Dina]

Try dipping the slices in egg then on Italian crumbs, bake until tender. Top with your favorite Italian red sauce and cheeses. Serve with a side of spaghetti or your favorite pasta.

 

[blissful]

Do you think if I made these, and froze them (I have too many right now), I could crisp them up in the oven again?

 

[QSis]

I doubt they will be very crisp, blissful - they aren't terribly crisp even when they are fresh out of the oven.

However, if you pan fry the thawed slices in a little oil, you may get a better crust to reheat.

Lee

 

[blissful]

thanks!

 

[pacanis]

Lee,
Do you do anything to the eggplant first?
I've been reading up on eggplant and it seems it needs soaked in milk or rubbed with salt to draw the bitterness out?

 

[BreezyCooking]

Thanks for the recipe link - I'll definitely be trying this one!!

I haven't pan-fried eggplant in God knows how many years. I don't care how hot your oil is (or isn't), what you've dipped your eggplant into, yadayadayada - it still soaks up oil like a friggin sponge.

I've been baking, broiling, or "oven-frying", my eggplant for any & all recipes for YEARS now. Works great, & the results are tasty, terrific, & healthy.

 

[QSis]

Pacanis, I've never really noticed bitter eggplants.

However, some say to slice it and salt it and let it drain in a colander for awhile, till it sweats. Then rinse off and pat dry each slice. I do that with some store-bought regular eggplants, more because I like the flavor of salt that's left behind than anything else.

I don't do anything with Japanese eggplants - either from the store or my garden. It's sweet enough the way it is.

Lee

 

[pacanis]

Thanks Lee.
I'll look to see if the kind they sell is Japanese. I want my first eggplant experience to be a good one.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Pacanis - you won't have to ask anyone; just look at the eggplants. The Asian varieties are long & slim. Italian types are the usual large oval/oblongs as well as small/baby oblong/globes. Thai types run small to tiny globes - tho you won't usually find these except in specialty markets.

And I (along with many others) haven't done the salting/rinsing/draining thing to eggplants in years. In fact, unless you're using outrageously old eggplants which you probably shouldn't be bothering with anyway, this is just a big waste of time. It really does absolutely nothing except mask any unpleasantness with salt, regardless of how well you rinse it.

Do yourself a favor & save time as well - buy (or pick from the market) fresh young eggplant to start with.

 

[pacanis]

Thanks Beezy. That will help if they aren't labeled.