Eggplants
can be found stuffed
, in lasagna, Parmesan, pickled, steamed, roasted, gratin and even in Milanese.
There are a thousand and one options for cooking
them, but it is necessary to know their secrets (for example, how to eliminate their natural bitter taste) to get the most out of them.
And there is no better season than summer to consume them in their splendor
or prepare them canned to enjoy the rest of the year.
However, it is often discarded when buying it because you don't really know what to do with it, and it has a reputation for being complicated to prepare and excessively greasy.
But this depends more on the cook than on the vegetable itself.
Brinjal
has been cultivated in the East for four thousand years
, which gives an idea of how soon the Indians, Burmese and Chinese (since the plant originates from the slopes of Assam, at the confluence of those countries) realized what interesting it was.
Contemporary consumers often need science to give them solid arguments to incorporate it into their diet.
What is eggplant good for?
93% of the weight of the eggplant is water.
Photo: Unsplash.
The list of health benefits of this berry is so long that it is strange that no one has yet thought about its beatification.
93% of its weight is water, and 1.5% fiber.
Fats are almost negligible, 0.2%.
Its low caloric content makes it very interesting, barely 21 calories per hundred grams of product.
Instead, those of
potassium and folic acid are abundant.
The purple color of the eggplant skin reveals its high antioxidant content, that is, it
fights the aging of the body.
It is digestive and diuretic.
It lowers bad cholesterol and regulates sugar levels, which makes it interesting for diabetics.
In addition, it improves the nervous system and mood
thanks to the presence of magnesium and vitamins B1 and B6;
its nasunin protects the brain and eliminates the accumulation of iron in the tissues, which gives it some anticancer power.
How to remove the bitter taste from eggplants
Salt, a perfect ally to remove the bitter taste from the eggplant.
Photo: Unplash.
Its slight bitterness betrays its friendship with the liver.
Whoever it bothers, she can easily eliminate.
A frequently asked question is whether it is a mistake to make the eggplant sweat before cooking it.
Neither yes nor no, nor the opposite.
Depends.
It is not essential.
This step consists of
cutting the vegetable into slices and salting it.
Some people prefer to place it
in a bowl with salt, water and milk, or even with salt, water and flour
, for half an hour to try to make it lose its bitterness.
After many generations of cultivation, the bitter alkaloids of the aubergine
have been reduced
, but even so they can make us uncomfortable.
Above all,
they are most noticeable when the eggplant is very old
and has been grown in dry conditions.
Jordi Esteve, chef-owner of the Nectari restaurant in Barcelona, likes to sprinkle them with salt and leave them to rest for half an hour when he is going to fry or sauté them, especially since salting manages to extract moisture from the pulp cells.
Once the eggplant has sweated it is important to wash and dry it carefully.
How to use eggplant in different recipes
Eggplant Parmigiana, an Italian classic.
Photo: Unsplash
Eggplant is rich in oxalates, which should be taken into account by people with a tendency to produce kidney stones.
And when it is fried or cooked with a lot of oil, it absorbs fat
like the vegetable sponge that it is, which makes it hypercaloric and indigestible.
A popular recipe from Spain is fried eggplant sticks.
The trick
so that it does not become a limp and greasy product is in the initial treatment.
You have to bathe it, once cut and for at least half an hour, in a product that saturates its fibers and gives it a certain oil-impermeable patina.
Some do it by submerging it in milk and ice. Others with beer or soda, which barely convey their flavor. And
those who do not want any interference do so with sparkling water.
Blocked the problem of oil absorption, a very thin batter layer of flour can be made.
Issue resolved.
Eggplant goes very well with summer vegetables.
Photo: Unsplash
In Italy and throughout the Spanish Mediterranean façade, the aubergine is escaliva
, that is, it is cooked by bringing it close to a good ember, which gives it an intense smoke flavor that later stands out when the pulp is cooled, bathed in oil and cumin seeds. .
Baked enhances its flavor and serves both to be filled
with other vegetables and minced meat.
Its pulp, cut with a knife and with the addition of tahini (sesame paste), salt, pepper, garlic and cumin becomes the delicious appetizer known as aubergine pate or baba ganoush / mutabal in Middle Eastern countries.
What to stuff the aubergines with
If we want to make stuffed aubergines,
it is important to prepare the vegetables well because they will work as a container for the filling.
María Solivellas, from the Mallorcan restaurant Ca Na Toneta, indicates that you have to wash them well and open them lengthwise in two parts.
To make stuffed aubergines, you must first cook them and remove the pulp.
Photo: Unsplash
Once steamed, in the oven or in the oven in a tray closed with aluminum foil,
we carefully extract the pulp.
It is not necessary to empty them with a knife, because there are many possibilities that they will break.
The cook does it with a spoon, and if at that moment she notices that it is hard, she bakes it again.
It is equally important
to leave half a centimeter of pulp so that the skin of the aubergine is not too thin
and retains enough body to contain the filling.
The filling can be made of
all kinds of meat,
although
summer vegetables, such as zucchini, tomato and onion, are also very good.
With information from La Vanguardia
The best recipes with aubergines
Pickled Eggplant Recipe
Pickled eggplants.
Look at the step by step recipe for Pickled Eggplants
Quick pickled eggplant recipe
Quick pickle of aubergines.
Look at the step-by-step recipe for Quick pickled aubergines
Eggplant Milanese recipe
Eggplant Milanese.
Photo: Shutterstock
Look at the step-by-step recipe for Eggplant Milanese
Milanese stuffed eggplant recipe
Milanese stuffed eggplant.
Look at the step-by-step recipe for Stuffed Eggplant Milanese
Aubergine Lasagna Recipe
Eggplant lasagna.
Photo: Shutterstock.
Look at the step by step recipe for Eggplant Lasagna
Microwave Eggplant Lasagna Recipe
Microwave eggplant lasagna.
Look at the step-by-step recipe for Microwave Eggplant Lasagna
Eggplant stuffed with chicken recipe
Eggplant stuffed with chicken.
Photo: Maxi Failla
Look at the step-by-step recipe for Eggplant stuffed with chicken
Baba Ganoush (Middle Eastern Eggplant Paste) Recipe
Baba ganoush.
Photo @pinealsoulfood
Look at the step by step of the Baba Ganoush recipe
Moussaka recipe (aubergine lasagna of Greek origin)
Greek moussaka or lasagna recipe.
Photo: Telam
Look at the step by step of the Moussaka recipe
Eggplant Pizza Recipe
Eggplant pizza.
Watch the step-by-step recipe for Eggplant Pizza
Eggplant parmigiana recipe
Eggplants parmigiana.
Photo: The Gourmet
Look at the step by step recipe for Eggplant Parmigiana
Salty Eggplant Muffins Recipe
Salty eggplant muffins.
Look at the step-by-step recipe for Salted Eggplant Muffins
look also
How authentic potatoes or patatas bravas are made: the Spanish recipe and its variants
Pumpkin: how to quickly cut and cook this nutritional miracle that even the seeds can be eaten
