Baby Eggplant?

Eggplant is amazing!! I hope you like this recipe

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

1 large eggplant

10-12 medium sized mushrooms (sliced)

pasta sauce (no added vegetables; plain)

1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Italian bread crumbs

vegetable oil

3 eggs

salt (optional)

Slice the eggplant about 1/2 inch thick. Throw away both ends of eggplant; don't eat.

Beat the eggs together in a flat bowl (cereal bowl; salad plate). Use another bowl (same type) and fill about 1/4 inch with breadcrumbs.

Cover a slice of the eggplant, one at a time, with the egg and let excess drip off. Then lay the slice in the breadcrumbs, covering both sides. Repeat this process, adding more breadcrumbs as needed. If you fill the bowl with too many crumbs at on time, the crumbs will get sticky and chunky.

Add oil to a medium fry pan, but just enough to coat the bottom. Brown each slice; you can brown about 4-5 slices at a time. Don't overcook; just let them get crispy on the outside. Add oil as necessary; don't let the pan dry out or burn.

Transfer slices to a paper towel. Once all are browned, place a layer in the bottom of a rectangular casserole dish (approx. 9-11 inch dish). Top with half of a jar of sauce. Add the sliced mushrooms and a couple hand fulls of cheese. Add another layer of eggplant and the rest of the sauce. Cover with foil and put in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes (oven temps vary). Add another couple hand fulls of cheese and bake uncovered for about 8-10 minutes

This is a great and popular dish , very colorful and vegan freindly too. Be sure to use fresh basil...

1 Tbsp. Olive oil

1 green Bell pepper, diced

2 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 small Eggplant (aubergine) or 2 Italian eggplants, quartered and sliced

6-8 Mushrooms, sliced

1 15-oz (400g) can diced Tomatoes

1 15-oz (400g) can Chickpeas, drained

1/2 tsp. Tarragon

2-3 cups (200-250 g) Broccoli, cut into small florets

8-12 fresh Basil leaves (preferably Thai basil)

Sauté the green peppers and garlic in the oil over medium heat for several minutes. Add mushrooms and eggplant and continue cooking, stirring often, for five minutes.

Add the tomatoes with their juice, chickpeas and tarragon. Stir well, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes until eggplant has softened somewhat.

Stir in the basil leaves and broccoli and simmer, partially covered, for 8-10 minutes or until broccoli is bright green. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve over rice or couscous.

Baby eggplant is really wonderful...

Stuffed Baby Eggplant

6 baby eggplant, stems removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 of a green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 can (5.5 ounces) vegetable juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise; scoop out and coarsely chop the pulp.

3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat; add the chopped eggplant, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and garlic powder. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the bread crumbs, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, the salt, and vegetable juice; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

4. Spoon the vegetable mixture evenly into the eggplant shells and place on the baking sheet. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender.

Eggplant is hard as blazes to cook. It gets slimy quick. It's pretty tasty in a stir fry, though. Eggplant is a lot like tofu (or zucchini) in that it takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with very well.

For that reason, I prefer to treat it as a part of a larger dish, rather than make it the focus. Pick your favorite stir-fry sauce, get your veggies going, and add eggplant toward the end so you can keep an eye on it.

To make eggplant more tender and take away any bitter acids FIRST you must chop or slice it, soak it in warm very-salty water for 20 minutes, then drain/rinse/squeeze out the salty water.

My favourite recipe is Ratatouille - served with crusty bread and grated pecorino or romana cheese - and here's a recipe similar to mine but I make mine less soupy, cook it for a long time and add red wine:

http://www.beyond.fr/food/ratatouille.html

Or I just use the chopped salt-soaked eggplant in cous-cous, potato curries or pasta sauce dishes in general. It's versatile.