My kid is insane for eggplant Parmesan, so 99.9% of them -if I buy them, he’s begging, or already going to town slicing them before I’ve even got the rest of the groceries in the house- end up cooked & portioned into individal servings, and frozen in the freezer. Because it’s one of those things that’s kind of a pain to make, even with jarred sause & someone else did the shredded cheese (salting/draining, rinsing, drying; individually dunking & breading, baking; then layering them into baking dishes with sauce & cheese & baking again)... but? Nukes in the microwave just aaaaawesome. :tup: So it’s one of my make ahead meals.
If I manage to rescue them from the Eggplant Parm Lunatic I usually end up cutting them lengthwise into thick steaks, oil & season with salt & pepper, grill them blackened & mushy.... purée, let sit, drain juice, mix with with garlic, lemon, tahini, ras el hanout (a middle eastern spice blend)...and hellooooooo baba ganoush! :D Sigh. I almost never get to have baba ganoush.
Don’t even get me started on how much I miss ratatouille. Which is about as much work as eggplant parm, and probably won’t happen until my kid leaves home.
Eggplant is kind of a bitch to work with, because the bitter juices need extracting & draining, which means adding at least an hour onto the prep or cook time... and often starting the night before. :wtf: It’s part of what makes them awesome, though, because much like a sponge they soak up all the flavor you throw at them... but have such a strong flavor themselves that it’s practically impossible to overpower them.
