In Season Right Now: Eggplant
Our favourite ways to cook and eat this delicious vegetable. Gorgeous pastas, bountiful salads, easy traybakes, and moreish provisions to savour the best of the season.
Early autumn is always a magical time — capturing the last flush of summer’s bounty, and making the most of eggplants and peppers, which are at their peak right now.
(For those reading this from the northern hemisphere, you may like to revisit this dispatch on spring Cauliflower.)
Now, back to the eggplant. Eggplants need a lot of sunshine to grow, which is why they take all summer to bear fruit, and come into season around this time of year.
Eggplant is such a versatile vegetable (well, technically a fruit, but let’s just call it a vegetable to make things easier for us all). Eggplant soaks up flavour wonderfully and has a satisfying texture and meatiness that has earned it the coveted role of “vegetarian main” on menus all over the world.
You’ll soon see why — here are some of our best-loved ways to cook and eat this lovely vegetable:
A family favourite, this classic Italian Eggplant Parmigiana is so easy to make and tastes like heaven. We like to serve this with a big salad and some grilled seasonal greens. You can also make Eggplant Parm Burgers — pile the parmigiana into tender burger buns along with a big handful of rocket/arugula, and allow yourself to be transported to NYC institution Parm.
Our Fast-Track Moussaka is equal parts comforting and delicious and delivers so much flavour for minimal effort. It’s also highly versatile and can be adapted as you please — make the bolognese with lamb mince instead of beef mince if preferred. Softened zucchini or potato slices can be used instead of eggplant. Leftover bolognese is also great layered into a lasagna with sheets of pasta and your favourite cheese sauce, or piled into scooped-out aubergine halves, topped with cheese, and baked.
We love serving this Tray-Roasted Ratatouille on top of some creamy polenta or al-dente pasta. It also makes a great sauce tossed through pasta or layered into a vegetarian lasagne or moussaka. Or serve atop halves of tender roasted eggplant for a fabulous vegetarian main, or as a delicious side for barbecued or roasted meats. It’s an all-round great sauce to make in bulk at this time of year as it freezes really well. Such a great weekend project. Super satisfying and does not require a lot of effort.
Another fab weekend activity is this Eggplant Kasundi, which has so much gorgeous flavour (your future self will thank you as it keeps for months (even years) in the pantry). As well as enjoying it straight from the jar, we love to use it as a base for slow-cooked curries — combine a cup of kasundi with a cup of coconut cream, and 2 cups of stock. This is super delicious with chicken leg quarters or even wild duck.
We love the festive colours of this divine Chickpea & Eggplant Salad, which we have been making for years, it’s so good. This also keeps really well in the fridge and is great for a weekday lunch — add the rocket/baby spinach and parsley and dress before serving. You can use 150g crumbled feta in place of the yoghurt dressing, and also use sliced storebought roasted red peppers too.
This Greek Eggplant Dip is another recipe beloved by us both. You can cook the eggplants whole over the embers of a fire if preferred. This is such a handy dip to serve with vegetable bites or toasted pita breads.
Lastly, these tasty Lamb & Eggplant Pitas are sure to be a hit with the whole family — lamb and eggplant are such a delicious combination.
What to Cook Tonight
For our paid subscribers, you may like to revisit this incredible Rigatoni with Eggplant Ragu — so simple and seriously yummy, a handful of pork and fennel sausages are well paired with melt-in-your-mouth tender eggplant, juicy tomatoes, and al dente pasta. Certainly a hit in both of our households.
We also love the vibrant flavours found in our Sicilian Eggplant Caprese, inspired by a classic parmigiana and a refreshing Caprese — this dish is perfect for entertaining when you want something a little more substantial (and slightly decadent). It also looks beautiful, so it is sure to impress your guests!
Our Pasta Alla Parmigiana is another crowd favourite, and definitely the best version of tomato pasta we’ve made to date — a bold claim, but you’ll soon see why. Unctuous tomato sauce, golden roasted eggplant, creamy mozzarella, and crispy garlicky breadcrumbs come together in a masterpiece that is simple enough for everyday eating but elevated enough to serve at your next dinner party.
That is all from us for now! We hope you are all keeping well and eating well, wherever you are reading this from.
With love,
Annabel & Rose xxx
These recipes all look absolutely delicious, and I'm looking forward to some more fresh eggplant very soon. You could also look at the eggplant recipes on my blog. Best wishes.
Pauline (Happy Reirees Kitchen)
https;//happyretireeskitvhen.blogspot.com