Go Chinese - the long skinny eggplant in black bean sauce. The Italian stuff I never got into either - what's the fuss? Breadcrumbs and cheese and red sauce on anything would taste good.

The best way to prepare an eggplant is to charcoal grill it. The flavor totally transforms into something else. This is probably why people like the middle eastern style because you have that smokey flavor that goes really well with an eggplant.

Anonymous wrote:Sauté it with garlic and onion until it’s soft, puree it with an immersion blender, then throw in some grated cheese and almond flour and mix it all up. Refrigerate for half an hour. Then form into patties and fry them up until golden.

This used to be one of my hungover Saturday morning comfort foods in grad school.

This sounds delicious.

It is low carb.

Try some Indian recipes!

Sauté it with garlic and onion until it’s soft, puree it with an immersion blender, then throw in some grated cheese and almond flour and mix it all up. Refrigerate for half an hour. Then form into patties and fry them up until golden.

This used to be one of my hungover Saturday morning comfort foods in grad school.

Anonymous wrote:I really dislike eggplant when it’s made Italian style. Middle eastern preparations are a million times better!

I like Italian eggplant, but I love Fatteh Batenjen. Yum!

I really like eggplant.
Parmesan
Fried
Ratatouille
Eggplant casserole (cut up with onions, garlic, breadcrumbs)

Roasted eggplant mashed up with slow cooked onions and garlic is an excellent beginning for flat bread. No cheese needed. Thyme, balsamic glaze.

Anonymous wrote:I ate this dish at an Ottolenghi restaurant in London, and it was one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth.

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/aubergine-with-black-garlic" target="_new" rel="nofollow"> https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/aubergine-with-black-garlic

Honestly, all of his recipes with eggplant are pure magic.

You have me intrigued, but I am definitely in the same camp as OP.

Do you think this preparation could convert us?

jsmith123 wrote:I mostly agree, except I love the Pete's pizza that has the thinly fried eggplant slices on top. Delicious.

I loveeeee that pizza. Now I know what to do for dinner.

but I generally love eggplant.

I love Indian and Middle Eastern eggplant dishes. You’re doing it wrong, OP.

The key is to buy the small ones and to “salt” them to release the bitterness and excess water. I am Italian-American and I slice small eggplants thinly lengthwise, roast them with olive oil, salt and pepper and make an eggplant parm by layering the slices with marinara and Romano and sprinkling the top with Parmesan. No frying, no breading, no mozzarella. It is one of my favorite dishes. In my hometown of Milwaukee, all of the Italian restaurants serve deep fried eggplant strips with parm, marinara and lemon juice, and it is out of this world! It would surely make any of you converts.

I like it in ratatouille, or baba ganoush, but that's about it

You can’t cook it well, that is why.

Truthfully... I’m a great cook and there are some things I can’t get right and eggplant is one.