| Eggplant. Sweet! |
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| by Sue Doeden | |
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Oh, I've come a long way since those days. I've discovered fresh, locally grown eggplant. I've found there are many varieties of eggplant, from basic globe eggplant to long thin Japanese eggplant to tiny Fairy Tale eggplants. Skin colors vary from white, to deep or light purple to striped or variegted. They can be small, round, long, slender, plump or pear shaped. While some eggplants are more tender, some have thinner skins, and some cook more quickly, none hold their shape very well during cooking and all have mild flavor. They all seem to turn delicious when they are roasted or grilled, baked or sauteed. One of the farmers at the market told me about an eggplant spread she liked to make. Apparently roasted eggplant pureed with walnuts, garlic and ginger tasted good, but it didn't look very pretty.
Eggplant and Red Pepper Jam can be scooped up as is with tortilla chips or pita chips. My favorite way to enjoy the flavorful jam is with a smear of goat cheese on a slice of toasted baguette. If you don't care for the tart flavor of goat cheese, mix it with cream cheese half and half to tone it down. Or, use only cream cheese. The jam tastes best if it has had several hours in the refrigerator, allowing the flavors to develop. Eggplant in this form tastes wonderful. And it's pretty, too. Sweet.
Eggplant and Sweet Pepper Jam
1 eggplant, about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled and cut in half lengthwise Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour some olive oil into the palm of your hand. Rub hands together and then rub the olive oil onto the eggplant. Place prepared eggplant on baking sheet lined with silpat (silicone baking mat) or aluminum foil. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until eggplant is tender when poked with a sharp knife. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature. Cut into small cubes and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until just beginning to turn golden. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Stir in red pepper and saute for another 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggplant, tomato, salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Vegetables should be very soft and mixture should be thick. Add the vinegar and blend well. Mixture should be consistency of jam. Add the capers and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate at least overnight and up to 2 days. Before serving, stir in pine nuts. Serve with crostini or pita chips and goat cheese.
Sue Doeden is a food writer based in Bemidji, Minn. Her columns, recipes and photos appear weekly in select Forum Communications Co. newspapers. She also appears on Lakeland Public Television's Wednesday newscast at 10 p.m., and teaches cooking classes. Her recipes can be found online on her blog Sue Doeden's All about Food.
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There was a time when the closest I would get to an eggplant was at
an Italian restaurant when rounds of it would be coated with a thick
layer of breading and fried to crispness, then smothered in rich tomato
sauce and lots of cheese. But even at that, I'd still run across some
very distasteful eggplant.
Eggplant and Sweet Pepper Jam begins with eggplant that is roasted
to tenderness at a high temperature. Once the eggplant is cool enough
to touch, it can easily be cut into small cubes. Those little cubes get
all jumbled up with sauteed onion, garlic, sweet bell pepper, fresh
tomato and parsley, and as it cooks together it becomes thick like jam.
And a little bit sweet, like jam.
