Peggy Lampman's Sunday dinnerFeed: Asian eggplant and parmesan fritatta
If I had more eggs, I could have made a thicker frittata. Pine nuts would have been wonderful but I finished up the bag making pesto last week. Orzo or spaghetti would have been a fine pasta and most quality cheese would be a suitable replacement for the Parmesan. Any vegetable you are in love with would be wonderful as a substitute for the eggplant.
Yield: 6 wedges Cost: $8.50 Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon garlic 1 Asian eggplant, washed then sliced into 1/4” thick medallions ( 2 heaping cups) 6 ounces Angel hair pasta 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
 5 large Eggs, beaten
 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 cup plus 1/4 cup grated Parmigianno Reggiano cheese
 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400˚. 2. In a 10 -inch, non-stick skillet, heat olive oil to medium heat. Sauté garlic one minute then add eggplant and sauté until just tender, 1-2 minutes. Remove eggplant from skillet and reserve. (Do not clean pan as it will be reused.) 3. Cook angel hair in salted water according to package instructions. Drain then cut into 2-inch pieces. (You should have about 2 cups.) Combine angel hair with beaten eggs and lightly season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir in 1 cup Parmesan, 1 1/2 cups of eggplant and 1/2 cup sliced tomatoes, reserving remaining Parmesan, eggplant, tomato for garnishing. 4. Over medium heat, melt butter in sauté pan, pour in egg mixture and cook, lifting up cooked egg around edge occasionally to let raw egg flow underneath. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until underside is golden, and fritatta is firm, about 6-8 additional minutes. Slide a rubber spatula around the edges and under the fritatta to loosen. Carefully slide onto a plate. 5. Invert foil-lined baking sheet over plate and carefully flip frittata onto baking sheet. Garnish fritatta with remaining eggplant, tomatoes and Parmesan. Bake until cheese is just melted, about 6 minutes. Garnish with chopped basil, cut into 6 wedges and serve.
Comments
Peggy Lampman
Wed, Sep 9, 2009 : 9:04 a.m.
Judith-your preparation for the Chinese eggplant you purchased, from my eggplant experience, was absolute perfection. You let the beauty of these sweet and tender babies shine-it would have been a pity to have added anything more but I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed the garlic. I haven't tried the white eggplant lately so that will be my next experiment. Sadly, a rabbit or squirrel chewed up my remaining Chinese eggplant. I have another variety planted, though, that's yet to flower. Thanks for your input- truly far more fascinating for yours truly than political discourse! Peggy
Judith
Sun, Sep 6, 2009 : 9:13 a.m.
I served my Chinese eggplants last night: cut them up and stir-fried them for about 15 minutes till brownish in EVO and garlic slivers. I added some dried crushed rosemary - I didn't have fresh herbs, sue me. :-) Very simple side dish for the orange poached salmon. Those babies are good! Sweet and tender. The garlic wasn't even necessary, or bigger pieces could be sauteed and then removed before adding the eggplant.
Peggy Lampman
Fri, Sep 4, 2009 : 9:46 a.m.
Judith! That's great news-I thought they'd show up somewhere. I'm looking at one of my favorite Turkish (Lebanese) cookbooks: Arabesque (Claudia Roden). She has a lot of recipes that involve roasting the eggplant. When cool she purees or chops them then dresses the eggplant with lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, garlic and olive oil. She does not mention the type of eggplant she uses but roasts them 45-55 minutes at 475. That seems excessive for your delicate eggplant, though. What I would (and may) do is skewer them with lamb or chicken and grill brushing with pomegranate molasses. If you want to keep it vegetarian, just prepare the skewers with eggplant alternation with colorful peppers and red onion and brush with pomegranate molasses. I puchase my Pomegranate molasses at the Mediterranean Market on Ellsworth and Stone School road. A virtual diamond mine for fabulous products. I think a yummy eggplant salad would be delish tossed with a lemony vinaigrette, chopped tomatoes, eggplant and cucumber--maybe some chick peas tossed in for texture? I use to made a peasant caviar with eggplant studding the "relish" with currants. I will probably think of more things later. This is the time for eggplant!
Judith
Thu, Sep 3, 2009 : 3:43 p.m.
Eggplant news flash: just bought "Chinese" eggplant at Plum Market. They look just like your pretty photo. What's a good quick lean way to cook them? Saute in EVO with garlic? Other ideas?
Judith
Thu, Sep 3, 2009 : 8:50 a.m.
No, no news yet. I wanted to describe a kebab my husband had in Istanbul that used eggplant, though. They strung narrow cylinders of eggplant on along with the minced lamb pieces, skin and all and then grilled like so many of their dishes. It looked striking, the black cylinders alternating with the meat. The skin was left on and was a bit chewy but it was good that way. There were also stews using unpeeled eggplant pieces, tomatoe, and onion. Many of my meals were vegetarian and delicious.
Peggy Lampman
Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 1:22 p.m.
Judith: a semi-professional Thai cook? oh you lucky, lucky woman. Just got back from the farmer's market quizzing the farmers about eggplant. Not positive all info is correct but I purchased some thin black smallish eggplant with a black stem. I thinly sliced and quickly sauteed 3 minutes in EVO. Skin was slightly tougher than the purple Asian i grow but not bad-I wouldn't bother with peeling. The flavor was more pronounced but I enjoyed it. Grower was unsure of the variety but I would not be surprised if they were the Japanese you were referring to-similar to the purple. I also purchased some black slender eggplant with a green stem-the grower said they were Italian. They were slightly larger than the other and took a bit longer to cook. The skin was even chewier and I did not care as much for the flavor, though acceptable. I will peel the remainder of the batch. I saw other eggplant I'd like to try but next week. Any eggplant news on your end? Peggy
Judith
Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 3:37 p.m.
And especially lucky that my sister-in-law is a semi-professional Thai cook in addition to her other talents. Thanks for looking into the noble eggplant. I wonder if I could request "lean" side dishes, non-rich ones that use olive oil rather than other fats. As in Turkey.
Peggy Lampman
Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 7:11 a.m.
Judith-I think Turkey was one of the most fascinating countries I've ever been to and I love the food-esp. the fresh fish, yogurts and yes-eggplant preparations. I have some Turkish cookbooks I just reviewed but they didn't give me any specifics as to the eggplant varieties. I have been "burned" on occasion purchasing eggplants only to have them terribly bitter or tough. I will also consult with the eggplant growers at the farmers market tomorrow. They've supplied great tips in the past. You've got me on a mission and I'll begin with the little black babies I've seen around too. Note: Meijers sometimes has the Chinese but I didn't see any yesterday. (Lucky you to have family from Thailand-another one of my fav places to travel and eat!)
Judith
Mon, Aug 31, 2009 : 8:30 a.m.
Thanks for your eggplant explanation, Peggy. Lately I've come across several eggplant recipes, one a Turkish one (they use tons of the vegetable in their cooking we learned on our trip there) using baby eggplants, one my Thai sister-in-law uses calling for Japanese eggplant and Thai basil. I saw baby ones at Hiller's and will try the places you mention for the Asian ones. Would you consider posting some recipes for side dishes using these varieties? Thanks!
Peggy Lampman
Sun, Aug 30, 2009 : 7:25 p.m.
Judith-The eggplants starter plants I am growing were purchased from the Ann Arbor Farmers Market back in May. They called them "Asian", which covers alot of eggplant territory. Specifically I believe these are Chinese Eggplant, which are similar to Japanese but the flavor is slightly less bitter. Happily, I have purchased them throughout the year at many groceries around town. Busch's and Produce Station, for sure. I've seen a ton of eggplant varieties at the Farmers Market recently and would love to have some time to experiment with the different varieties. As I mentioned in the text, I like these particular eggplants because the skin is thin (no peeling) and the flavor is smooth. Let me know if you find a difference in cooking with them versus other varieties.Peggy
Judith
Sun, Aug 30, 2009 : 3:27 p.m.
Where can I buy Asian eggplants? Is this also called Japanese eggplant?
Jennifer Shikes Haines
Sun, Aug 30, 2009 : 2:20 p.m.
You can use the cast iron or another heat resistant pan - I agree with Susan on this one. This is a lovely combination for a frittata, Peggy!
Peggy Lampman
Sun, Aug 30, 2009 : 10:41 a.m.
FoodFan, Susan and Vicki: Thanks for the comments. Susan, great tip to simplify that I think many people will be grateful for! That way you don't have to perform the dreaded "flip". The reason I flip it is for the smooth bottom surface that I can use as a palate to decorate with garnishes before the final bake. However it is lovely without the flip. Don't you just love a well-seasoned cast iron skillet?!
vicki
Sun, Aug 30, 2009 : 9:19 a.m.
This will be an excellent brunch menu when we have house guests in a couple of weeks. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
susan
Sun, Aug 30, 2009 : 9:05 a.m.
This looks great! I love doing these in my cast iron skillet, but instead of finishing it by transferring it to a baking sheet, I place the skillet under the broiler for 5 mins. Only one dirty pan.
Foodfan
Sun, Aug 30, 2009 : 6:14 a.m.
Peggy--This is perfect for brunch today. Thank you