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Eggplant is a unique vegetable with which country housewives do not get tired of experimenting. And this is not at all accidental – in terms of the number of dishes that can be prepared from it, it, perhaps, will not yield to any other product from the garden bed. In India, eggplant has long been considered the king of vegetables. Here he is still giving up the throne to potatoes, but Yuri Savichev has already dedicated a poetic ode to him:
“O eggplant! You are in an oily smile
Among the appetizers as the first violin “
The king of vegetables is eggplant
It’s summer outside, eggplants are ripening with might and main, and it’s time to talk about what can be prepared from them, how to prepare them for the winter. But to begin with, there is a small list of important wisdom in eggplant processing.
Small secrets of a large vegetable
Fully ripe and overripe eggplants are not only undesirable, but even harmful: they contain a lot of solanine and can cause poisoning. Therefore, like cucumbers, eggplants are eaten unripe.
Stewed or baked eggplants are most useful
Best of all, eggplant in dishes is combined with lamb, sour cream, yogurt, tomatoes, cheese, as well as with basil, coriander and caraway seeds
Eggplant peels are often removed before cooking. Meanwhile, it is very useful, so it is best to use young fruits with a thin shell, then you will not have to get rid of it.
Eggplants “absorb” a lot of oil when frying. This will be avoided by a 10-minute “bath” of the cut slices in cold water
Fresh fruits are not recommended for long storage in the refrigerator.
Eggplant has a diuretic effect
What can be cooked from eggplant
This fruit is so interesting because it can be salted and pickled, dried and frozen, baked, boiled and fried, prepared dietary and most “lethal” dishes in terms of spiciness.
Eggplant snacks
They are always table decoration. These are the well-known “Mother-in-law’s language”, “Peacock’s tail”, rolls and many other cold snacks. Unripe eggplants are fried in sunflower oil or baked in the oven, after being cut into transverse or longitudinal slices. And then they are stuffed with cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, carrots, walnuts, mixed with tomatoes, herbs, sweet peppers, or seasoned with yogurt, sour cream, mayonnaise or marinade. There are many recipes for eggplant appetizers, but the field for experimentation is still immense.
Stuffed eggplant
They are very popular. Vegetables, all kinds of cereals, mushrooms and meat are used for fillings. Most often, the entire eggplant pulp is carefully selected and the resulting space is completely filled with the filling, but the “lazy” method of stuffing is also quite possible: the prepared filling is simply inserted into the longitudinal section – and the dish is ready.
Salads
Eggplants are great for making salads. Most often, for this, the vegetable is fried. The rest of the ingredients are selected according to taste – these are, as a rule, tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, olives, beans, sweet onions and, of course, greens (please note: this list is far from complete – tastes have no boundaries). For dressing salads, use lemon juice or yogurt, olive oil or mayonnaise, vinegar or mixtures specially prepared from herbs and spices.
Frozen eggplant
A very convenient form of eggplant harvesting for the winter. Pre-baked in the oven and frozen, in winter they will become a lifesaver for the hostess: such a semi-finished product is perfect for cooking casseroles, stews or for a delicious vegetable side dish.
Baked eggplant
Unusually delicious. They are baked with minced meat and onions, with cheese and tomatoes, with cheese and garlic, with parmesan and mozzarella, and also with many different products. And if you bake an eggplant with zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, herbs and spices, you get the famous Ratatouille.
Salted eggplant
Like pickles, they are recognized as a noble snack. Salting can be carried out both wet and dry. The salting process is extremely simple: it is enough to add horseradish and garlic, basil, cinnamon and cloves to the longitudinally cut eggplants, laid with dill and tarragon greens, and pour with brine. After 1-1.5 months, salted eggplants are ready. Dry salting is even easier – eggplants are simply sprinkled with salt and spices and put under oppression. You can roll up salted eggplants for the winter ..
Caviar
Eggplant caviar is very popular, which, thanks to the film “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession”, has become world famous as “Overseas Caviar”. There are many recipes for its preparation; its main components are eggplants, tomatoes, onions, carrots and spices.
Eggplant preparations for the winter
And of course, summer residents actively store all the dishes described for the winter, so as not to part with their favorite vegetable all year round. For the winter, under the lid are both pickled and fried eggplants, salted, pickled and stewed, stuffed with vegetables, in salads and caviar. And eggplants are successfully frozen fresh, boiled, baked or fried.
In recent years, it has become more and more common to freeze eggplants for the winter. You can do it quite simply – cut into cubes and pack in bags. But still, frozen eggplants are much tastier than semi-finished products. For this, in fact, much is not necessary: bake directly with the peel and stalk in the oven, on the grill or even on a fire on any metal plate, peel and let the bitter juice drain. Eggplants prepared in this way are perfectly stored in the freezer and in winter, after defrosting, they remarkably retain their taste. In the absence of an oven, you can boil unpeeled eggplants in a strong salty solution, peel and let the juice drain. It turns out no worse, and the pulp is even lighter.
Note to housewives
For those who want to lose weight: eggplant is a godsend, they are low in calories (only 24 kcal per 100 g) and contain a large amount of fiber
Unripe eggplant juice is considered an excellent remedy for the treatment of purulent skin diseases. And, if the summer resident does not have greenery or iodine at hand, this juice will successfully replace them
The presence of pectin in fruits stimulates digestion and prevents bile from retaining. Long-term use of eggplant significantly lowers blood cholesterol levels.
Smokers who eat eggplant can tolerate nicotine fasting more easily when they quit smoking. This is due to the presence of vitamin PP in fruits
And in general – in the fruits of eggplant, nature has collected all the trace elements necessary for our body
You can talk endlessly about eggplants. As well as trying more and more new dishes from this wonderful vegetable.