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Aubergine / Eggplant |
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Aubergines are also known as eggplants or egg plants, depending on where you come from.
They're a much misunderstood vegetable, often being served over-cooked and mushy, which doesn't do them any favours.
Knowing how to prepare them gives you a chance to enjoy this delicious vegetable.
Go straight to:
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About Aubergine (Eggplant) |
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 Aubergines are perhaps most famous in Italian cooking.
It can be difficult to grow them successfully in the UK, but many box schemes and organic farms manage by using polytunnels.
The Egg Plant is a member of the nightshade family, along with potatoes, peppers and tomatoes.
Aubergine can be purple or white, or any shade in between. This year we have had the tradtional fat banana shape, as well as balls and even think stick-like aubergines. All were delicious.
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How To Choose |
Choose aubergines that are firm and shiny-skinned. You should feel them "give" slightly, if you give them a gentle squeeze.
This means they are ripe.
Over-ripe eggplants have a more bitter taste and tougher skins, which aren't as nice.
If the skin has gone dull and wrinkly, then it's past its best. |
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How To Store |
| Store aubergine in the salad compartment of the fridge. That way they'll keep for up to a week. |
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How To Use |
You can either use aubergine as it is, by washing well, removing the stalk and then cutting or slicing.
or...
You can "salt and drain" them.
To do this, wash, remove the stalk and then cut or slice the aubergine.
Put it in a colander and sprinkle well with salt. Put a weight (a bowl, for example) on top of the aubergine and leave it in the sink for half an hour. Rinse thoroughly and dry well.
This draws the water out of the aubergine and makes them less bitter. It also means they absorb less oil if you're frying them.
The jury's out on whether you need to do this. If I'm baking or grilling aubergine, I don't bother. But if I want it to go crispy, I might. It depends how much time I have! |
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Suggested Recipes | |
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| Aubergine & Courgette Bake |
This is a great way of using up spare courgettes and aubergines, towards the end of the veg box's week. And it's so easy!
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| Autumn Pizza |
Don't be put off making your own pizza by thinking it's complicated - it's actually really simple. This one uses autumn veg box ingredients to make a delicious topping.
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| Melanzane Parmigiano |
Parmesan-baked aubergine. Simply delicious. If you're one of the many who's not convinced by the humble aubergine, I suggest you give this one a go.
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| Vegetable Tempura |
Although it's deep-fried, as long as the oil is hot enough and you drain the tempura after cooking, it's not that bad...! Quick, delicious and a nice change from sticking your veg in a curry!
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Got one? Send us your aubergine recipe!
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