Steamed eggplant? It may not be the most common treatment, but it is the best way to get to the elusive pure, sweet but earthy flavor of the vegetable. It is surprisingly delicious. When this was served to a crowd of non-eggplant enthusiasts at a dinner, it disappeared before the tomato salad.
6 SERVINGS
2 |
pounds long, thin eggplants |
1 |
tablespoon minced garlic |
½ |
cup olive oil |
|
Fresh lemon juice |
|
Salt |
½ |
teaspoon minced fresh rosemary |
¼ |
teaspoon red pepper flakes |
|
Generous grinding of pepper |
Remove the tough green calyxes from the eggplants and cut into thirds or halves to fit in your steamer basket. Steam over rapidly boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. The perfect point of doneness is when a knife slips easily into the eggplant but the skin doesn’t wrinkle (this happens when the flesh begins to pull away from the skin).
Remove the eggplant from the heat and set aside until it’s just cool enough to handle. The hotter the eggplant is at this point, the better it will absorb the dressing.
While the eggplant is cooling, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, the rosemary and red pepper flakes in a bowl.
Cut the eggplant pieces in half lengthwise. If the bottom ends are very thick, cut these into quarters. Cut the eggplant into 2-inch pieces and add them to the dressing. Toss well to combine, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve, add the pepper, then taste the eggplant and adjust the salt, pepper and lemon juice.