I have always grown "traditional" eggplant. When I say always I mean just for the two years I have been growing them. I don't know why I was resistant to trying different types, but I was. Last week my Dad gave me some of the Japanese varieties from his garden to take home. I have heard that they are wonderful just sauteed and have no bitterness.
Last year I struggled cooking traditional eggplant because unless I covered it in lots of sauce and cheese it tasted bitter, most likely I was letting them get too big. This year I have been picking them smaller and they have been much tastier. So to try out these new varieties I sauteed them with a little bit of olive oil and just a pinch of salt. I cautiously took my first bite preparing for bitterness and they were delicious with no hint of bitterness. I am thinking I might just have to grow one of these different varieties next year.
They look nice. I just can't seem to develope a liking for eggplant either, but maybe I need to try something different too :)
ReplyDeleteOne way to get the bitterness out is to slice the eggplant, heavily salt it, and leave it under a heavy pan or pot of water for a while. The bitterness "sweats out". I do this when I make eggplant Parma,which everyone at my house loves! In Dave, you've inspired me and I will put it on next week's menu.
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