Eggplants are very tasty and nutritious vegetables.. Yet there are many people who wonder how to prepare eggplants so that they are well cooked. There are easy and quick ways, as they can be prepared roasted, fried, baked and stuffed and in many ways.
As for varieties, the most common are purple eggplants. They are smooth-skinned and shiny, and must be hard. If they are soft, it means that they are too ripe and their taste is too bitter.
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How to cook eggplants: 5 easy and quick ways.
There are many recipes for cooking eggplants quickly and easily.. Anyway, there is a very important previous step in all cases: you have to cover them with salt for 20 minutes and then rinse them.
Although the purple one is the most common, all the recipes can be prepared with any of them. The ones you will find below are characterized for being simple but tasty ways to prepare them.
1. Roasted eggplants
Roasted eggplants are an excellent way to eat this vegetable.. This recipe is very simple and quick to prepare, so it is a good way to taste eggplants and fall in love with their flavor.
You need large eggplants, olive oil, finely chopped onion, chopped parsley, white vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. After washing the eggplants, you need to cut slices of about 1 cm.
To eliminate the bitter taste, rub the slices against each other for a few seconds. Afterwards, each slice of eggplant is coated with olive oil and grilled until golden brown.
Then sprinkle the onion, parsley, vinegar, salt and pepper, mix everything together and let them rest so that the flavors combine. This simple and quick way of preparing eggplants is a healthy and practical option.
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2. Stuffed eggplants
Preparing stuffed eggplants is practical and easy.. This recipe is also very useful to take advantage of a dish from the previous day or ingredients that you have at home and give them a new and different flavor.
Eggplants can be stuffed with practically anything: a vegetable salad, a stew from the previous day, rice, a legume, a curry with lentils, etc. The flavor of eggplants combines very well with everything so it can be used for stuffing.
To prepare the eggplants before stuffing them, cut each one lengthwise and prick with a fork to sprinkle the salt, allowing it to be absorbed and intensify the flavor. Then let them rest for half an hour and rinse them before putting them in the oven at 200°.
After about 20 minutes check if the eggplants are tender. If they are ready, remove the inner flesh to put the stuffing and put them back in the oven until they are golden brown.
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3. Eggplant frittata
Eggplant frittata is an excellent recipe for breakfast.. For this recipe you need to cut the eggplant into cubes. In addition you need 6 beaten eggs, chopped fresh basil, oil, salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a frying pan. When it is very hot, add the diced eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Leave it until the eggplant becomes a little soft.
When it is ready, add the beaten eggs and the basil. Gently mix all the ingredients and let it cook on one side before turning it over. Once it is ready, let it cool.
It can be cut into triangles to be served and presented with a sprig of basil. This way of preparing eggplant is very simple and quick, and an alternative for breakfast although it could also work very well for dinner.
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4. Eggplant rolls
Eggplant rolls are a balanced and easy-to-prepare recipe.. This recipe is ideal for a dinner party, and may seem more complicated than it is. You can take advantage of this to make a good image if you have guests.
You need eggplants cut in thin slices, 3 slices of tomato, basil, goat cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper. To defleam the eggplants, soak them in salt for 30 minutes and then rinse.
Then grill the eggplant slices seasoning them with salt and pepper and adding a very little olive oil. Do not forget that eggplants absorb a lot of fat. Once they are cooked, fill them with tomato, basil and goat cheese, then roll them up and fix them with a toothpick.
They can be drizzled again with olive oil and a little pepper before serving. This simple eggplant recipe is also delicious. The combination of the goat cheese with the eggplant is a really good taste.
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5. Eggplant with herbs
Herbed eggplant is delicious, and is usually prepared as a side dish.. For this recipe it is necessary to have: eggplants, finely chopped onion, fine herbs, olive oil and salt to taste.
First of all, peel and slice the eggplants and sprinkle them with salt. Then let them stand for about 5 minutes before rinsing them directly under running water.
After that, drain them and put them in a baking dish, then place the onion on top, sprinkle with fine herbs and add a little oil.
Then let the ingredients marinate and mix. For this, it is best to let it rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Once the 30 minutes have passed, heat it with a little oil in a frying pan.
When the oil is hot enough, fry everything over low heat until the eggplants are completely cooked. This recipe is ideal to accompany a main dish such as a steak or a cut of fish.
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