Guest guest Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 That eggplant parmesan recipe sounds great -- you'll have to let us know how it turns out! I have not tried eggplant parm yet, but I have recently discovered how good it is when dipped in beaten egg, then cornmeal, and fried in a little bit of peanut oil -- yum! I eat it just like that. I have Donna to thank for the cornmeal and peanut oil tips, it does absorb less oil that way, and I like the cornmeal better than the bread crumbs I had been using. I haven't had any trouble with it being bitter, but I always buy one of the smaller eggplants I can find (I cook just for myself). I have heard others speculate that the larger the eggplant, the more chance it will be bitter -- not sure if that's true or not. Some people salt their eggplant and let it sit for 30 minutes, then rinse and cook, and that's supposed to take the bitterness out. Like I said, I don't know. Audrey S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Sounds good to me too! I'm not a big eggplant fan but loved thinly sliced fried (or baked) strips or slices that have been breaded like that. I have a very high calorie Emeril recipe that the kids and I, love cutting them into sticks, battered including lots of parmesan cheese. Oh my! His recipe has you slice, salt and let sit for 30 minutes so that is what I usually do.... I've found recipes with boiled eggplant in the mix not much to my liking... Let us know how it turns out. Valerie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 This does not sound anything like the eggplant parm I make but tastes are very subjective, so I could not tell you. On the bitterness, it seems lots of eggplant varieties today have this trait mostly bred out of the fruit, so it is rare to find bitter eggplants. Also, the older the eggplant is left on the plant after full grown the better chance it will be bitter. If the plant is stressed by cold this can also make them more bitter. My mom used to salt them over a colander and plate, some juice comes out and it reduces bitterness. It also depends on varieties. If you grow, try to get rosa bianca seeds, sometimes nurseries have seedlings too. It is superb, with no bitterness even under adverse conditions. Roseta , " extremelyhappycamper " <bainofmyexistance wrote: > > I've heard that eggplant is very bitter. My daughter, on the other hand, tells me she loves eggplant parmesan. Is there something in the way it's prepared that changes the taste? I was thinking of trying the recipe below (an adaptation of another recipe I have), does it sounds like it would be good? > > Oven Fried Eggplant Parmesan > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 While I could cheerfully live on traditional eggplant parm for the rest of my days on earth, my former?MIL used to make it this way.? Makes a great sandwich and even though it is fried, it's lower in calories because it's not breaded?and doesn't?call for?mozzarella. Buy fairly small eggplants and slice very thin (I've never salted and let stand).? Dip in egg and fry in oil of choice.? Thinly layer in a pie plate using just tomato sauce (Del Monte) and parmesan cheese.? Bake at 350 until heated through.? Good hot or room temp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 8, 2009 Report Share Posted May 8, 2009 Hi! Whenever I get the chance while eating out, I order eggplant parmesan almost invariably. I have had some REALLY good eggplant and some HORRIBLE stuff. Bitterness of the eggplant is almost always the issue when the eggplant is " not good " .. My guess--based on a few experiences cooking with eggplant and my " taste " intuition--is that the problem with yuckky eggplant is either: 1) they didn't salt it (which seems to lessen the bitterness) and 2) the slices are too thick (eggplant in THIN slices seems to " cook down " better and if it is well-cooked, it becomes nice, mellow and, well--there is a flavor about it that is very pleasant and " savory " . I find it almost addictive--maybe it IS! Last night, my DH and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary by going to a little local Italian food restaurant. I ordered the eggplant. It was okay...but I thought it tasted bitter at first. The slices were about 1/2 " thick and FAIRLY well-cooked--thinner slices, I think, would have been better. AND...the slices of eggplant probably were NOT salted before they were battered and pan-fried. That seems to make a HUGE difference in the " bitterness " level. Around here, most restaurants are very sparing with salt use when preparing their dishes--lots of pressure from the customers to go low/no-salt. I dumped a ton of salt from the table shaker onto my eggplant--which seemed to help a little. I have had better eggplant elsewhere. (The sauce could have had a bit more herbs in it, too--I tasted lots of oregano, but very little basil...a dash of fennel would have been good, too! Anyway, when it comes to eggplant parmesan, getting the slices thin (about 1/3 " isn't bad) and salting the slices just a little before preparing them--that seems to be a factor in whether or not the eggplant will taste bitter or be just HEAVENLY! There's my 2 cents' worth! Buon appetito! --Laura B., in Illinois Eggplant Question Posted by: " extremelyhappycamper " bainofmyexistance extremelyhappycamper Fri May 8, 2009 6:25 am ((PDT)) I've heard that eggplant is very bitter. My daughter, on the other hand, tells me she loves eggplant parmesan. Is there something in the way it's prepared that changes the taste? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 9, 2009 Report Share Posted May 9, 2009 The secret with the eggplant is to dump a TON of salt on it, let stand and then Rinse all that OFF so you aren't ingesting all the sodium. The salt does draw out the bitterness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.