Saturday, July 3, 2010

What to do with all the eggplant?

Well, it was too wet to work in the yard today. So, I turned my attentions to the interior. It's amazing how much stuff you can get done around the house when you're not gardening.

One of the things I did was cook up some of my eggplant. I made Asian Eggplant Dip. Yummy! This recipe is from the Sunset book called Appetizers.

1 large eggplant (1 1/2 lbs) ends trimmed
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine (mirin) or dry vermouth
1 tbsp each minced fresh ginger, minced cilantro, and sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed dried hot red chiles (optional)

With a fork pierce eggplant deeply in 10-12 places. Set in an 8-9" baking pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour (or until soft when pressed). Let cool. If desired, trim and discard skin. Cut eggplant into large chunks.
Place eggplant, garlic, soy, wine, ginger, cilantro, oil, and chiles in a food processor. Process until smooth.
Can be covered and refrigerated up to 4 days.
Makes 2 cups.

I make pita chips for dippers. Buy a package of pita bread, separate the two sides of each pita bread, then stack them all up and cut them into 1/6ths. Spread them on a baking sheet. Crush one garlic clove in a garlic press and mix into about a 1/4 olive oil and brush the pita. Put the pita chips a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes.

This is a really easy recipe. I served it at a party a few months ago and it was a hit.

What I need now is some ideas on how to use all my banana peppers.

2 comments:

  1. That recipe sounds great! I love reading about your garden knowledge. I have lived in Houston for 2 years and have recently planted an herb garden, jalepeno, eggplant, tomatoes. I'm determined to make this work and am interested in reading more about your adventures!

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  2. The trick here is to start planting vegetables in February. Good luck with your garden!

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