My absolute favorite way is just fried!
Peel and slice the eggplant about 3/8 inch thick...or 1/4 inch...no thicker. Heavily salt each slice and stack it up the way it was cut and put an upside down soup bowl on top and let it sit for an hour.
Discard the brown juice and rinse off the excess salt. Not all of the salt just that stuff that looks like too much .
Get out some flour in a flat dish, beat an egg or 2 into another flat dish ( like a coup soup bowl) and put some crushed saltines in another...Heat about 1/4 inch of fat...oil butter or crisco in a fry pan, dip the slices into the flour, the egg and the crumbs and fry medium slowly....should be crisp and cooked through. Keep the cooked slices warm and keep adding fat to the pan and frying the rest.
You can have your ratatoulli, your eggplant parmagane, or roulade....fried eggplant is my fave!

The bitterness happens when the eggplant is undercooked. It should get green and mushy and look like snot. Then it is sweet and yummy. You can roast it before putting it in your stew. Eggplant takes a long time to cook.

My favorite thing for small eggplants is to cut it into spears with some skin on each. In a mixing bowl, run olive oil over the spears (like a couple tablespoons for about five Japanese eggplants), dried herbs and spices (I like italian herbs, garlic or lemon, and black pepper, but choose whatever appeals to you), and toss until all pieces are well coated. Try not to pour oil directly on the white. Lay the spears out on a parchment covered baking sheet, skin side down, and roast at 350° F for 45-60 min., or whenever they're dark brown and starting to look shrivelled. They're good from light brown on (the outside might stay a little white, but the inside should be green), but when they really deflate and are mostly skin they're out of this world.

The only way I like eggplant is in Baba Ganoush.

Actually that's not quite true. Just remembered I quite liked Vietnamese eggplants, which are about the size of a very large egg with light purple and white stripes, braised with chillies, garlic and tomatoes.

Actually it's the solanine in eggplant that causes the bitterness, that's why salting is good because it draws out the liquid with the solanine

...has nothing to do with under cooking. And the "mushyness" of cooked eggplant mostly comes from the oil they absorb.
Older larger eggplants have more of the bitter solanine, and a way to tell if you need to salt for a long time in the color of the seeds as you cut it. Dark seeds usually indicate an eggplant that needs salting>
Solanine is the chemical that is also found in potatoes that have some green and are bitter.

http://www.saveur.com/article/Techniques/Removing-the-Bitterness-from-Eggplant

Fried, as Lindac described. Corn flake crumbs make a good substitute for the saltines if you are watching your sodium intake.

Eggplant Parmigiana is another favorite, as is Moussaka.

Rusty

Linda, I believe you about what causes the bitterness, but that's not why it lingers. I've been served way too much undercooked eggplant, white and bitter. When it's cooked through it's sweet. It gets mushy and green even when there's no oil used. Salting doesn't work nearly so well as just cooking it sufficiently.

Well, I got lucky with my eggplant. I'm cooking impaired - right arm still in a sling from rotator cuff surgery. DH pre-chopped all but the eggplant before he left to play golf. The eggplant was young and easy to cut with my left hand. It was sweet, not bitter. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

I like it grilled best but don't mind oven roasted. IME, it doesn't take very long to cook at all - only about 10 minutes or so on the grill, turning a couple of times. And about the same time for oven roasting (400F). These are for slices, about 3/4" thick. They are perfectly done by then and I have never noticed any bitter taste.

Every now and again, I'll get carried away and make eggplant parmesan :-) A lot of work and a lot of calories but oh, so worth it!!

Here is a recipe from Ruthanna that I like:

EGGPLANT-COUSCOUS ROLLS

2 1-lb. eggplants
4 tsp. olive oil
1 cup couscous, preferably whole wheat
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
3/4 cup + 2 Tbs. crumbled feta cheese
3 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil two baking sheets or coat
with nonstick cooking spray. Trim both ends of the eggplants. Stand one
eggplant on end and remove a thin slice of skin from two opposite sides
and discard. Repeat with the second eggplant. Cut each eggplant into 6
or more 3/8 inch slices. Using 2 tsp. of the oil, brush both sides of
the slices and arrange in a single layer on the baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn over and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes more, or until lightly browned and tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized saucepan, bring 1-1/2 cups water to a
boil. Stir in couscous, thyme, and remaining 2 tsp. olive oil. Remove
from the heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until the water is
absorbed. Uncover and let cool for 15 minutes. With a fork, stir in 3/4
cup of the feta, 2 Tbs. of the mint and some pepper.

Lightly oil a 9 X 9 inch baking dish or oil it with nonstick cooking
spray. Place some of the couscous mixture in the center of each
eggplant slice. Roll up the eggplant firmly around the filling and
place, seam-side down, in the prepared dish. Cover with foil and bake
for 15 minutes. Uncover, spoon tomato sauce on top and bake for 5
minutes more. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 Tbs. feta cheese and 1 Tbsp.
mint before serving.

*Note: When I made this recipe, I had filling left over. The recipe originally called for a 9x13 pan, but that turned out to be too large, and Ruthanna agreed that a 9x9 pan should be used instead.

Sounds delicious, Lars. Thank you (and Ruthanna).

With modern aubergine, at least in Europe, they're not bitter any more so no need for salting.

Love eggplant anyway it's prepared, but I mostly either grill it drizzled with olive oil and garlic and seasonings or cubed and added to pasta sauce along with zucchini.

Eggplant pizzas. Slice into half inch rounds (skin on or off, preferance). Pan fry briefly. Put in layer in large casserole dish, add your favorite tomato sauce recipe, toppings of choice, with a layer of mozzarella or othe meltable cheese on top. Bake 350 F for about 20 min.

I do an oven fried with a flour/Parmesan coat first, then beaten egg dip then panko. Heavy dark sheet pan, olive oil sheeted. Tomato sauce and gooey mozzarella on top for serving.

Grilled or gratin.

Instead of frying I roast the eggplant slices.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/eggplant-gratin-recipe-1948026

I also fry mine. I slice it, salt it and let it sit for at least an hour, rinse it, dry it and then I make my breading with cornmeal, flour, pepper and a little bit of garlic powder. Fry it til golden brown and enjoy. I have also made eggplant fries using the same method just after salting and rinsing I cut them up smaller into fries.

My husband swore he hated eggplant. I went years not being able to convince him to even try it. Finally I said the heck with it and I was going to make it for myself even if he wouldn't eat it. He could smell it cooking and said it smelled good. So I convinced him to try it and he loved it. I gave him a little marinara to dip it in and he was in heaven and asked for it a lot after that.

I also make eggplant Parmesan which is really good. I have used it in lasagna with a meat sauce and without.

We love it in a caponata, similar to your ratatouille.

We also like it grilled and put in a grilled vegetable sandwich. Fried is also good! We just discovered eggplant a couple of years ago and now we love it. We make a point of buying it at the farmers market when we go, for $1 each, vs $1/lb in the stores.

One of my favorite ways, is this Spicy eggplant spread with Thai basil. The recipe is from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I minimize the hot stuff if I want my kids to eat it though. Because I grow a lot of the Asian varieties, I often slice them in thin coins, toss with oil and curry powder and roast for eggplant chips. I most often serve that with a yogurt dipping sauce.

In the winter, I like my eggplant cubed in a Shepherd's pie with lamb, peppers, tomatoes, onions and chard. I often cook the veggies and freeze in the summer when the garden is producing for easy dinners in the winter.

I've never had a bitter eggplant and don't do the salt leach thing. Most of the eggplants that I've cooked have been ones that I've grown so they were fresh. (Have read that the way to choose an eggplant is to look for ones with shiny skin and to pass on the ones that are dull looking.)

Hands down favorite is fried. I peel & slice about 1/4-3/8 thick. Dip in flour. Let set a few minutes and then dip in beaten egg and final dip in bread crumbs. Fry until very soft. Undercooked eggplant is no bueno. Has to be thoroughly cooked until it's soft and gooey.

I'm always thrilled when someone tells me they don't like eggplant. (More for me!) Unfortunately, DH has decided that he likes it, too. Holding my breath as DS's will neither one dare to taste it.

Last fall I had planted eggplants and they made it through a mild Winter. (We're in Florida.) In the Spring they started fruiting and the first one never turned purple although it was supposed to. I waited and waited (it was light greenish yellow) and finally pulled it because it had gotten pretty big. It was so bitter we couldn't eat it. All the rest of the fruits did the same thing - I have no idea why this happened since I've grown it before with no problems.

Ritaweeda, maybe you got a seed of something like Louisiana long green, or a seed from a fruit that had crossed. I've had that happen before with peppers.

I grow Fish peppers, which have a variegated foliage and fairly hot peppers that don't get red till they're quite old, but last year's plant (from the same package of seed I've been using, from a highly respected seed co.) turned out to be non-variegate, bright red as soon as it matured, and no heat at all, so I'm guessing one of their seed plants had picked up some pollen from a marconi or other sweet red pepper.

Artemis's baked eggplant "pizzas" reminded me.... I don't often make it, but one of the best things ever is eggplant on pizza! Peel and cook it first--I like long narrow strips for this rather than rounds--and put something crunchy (e.g., onion or peppers) on if you want a snappy texture since the eggplant is so soft. Just garlic, cheese and eggplant, maybe a thin drizzle of EVOO. Sooooo good!

I was also thinking about small eggplants because of the original post. Any old eggplant is wonderful in Middle Eastern eggplant salads. Fork the skin all over to let out the steam and char the heck out of a big ol' eggplant (or small ones), until it's dark brown and all sunken in. You can do this with a gas flame, grill, broiler or torch. Charcoal gives it extra depth of flavor. Slice open, remove any large pockets of seeds, and use a spoon to scrape out the flesh. Baba ganouj: Add techinah, pressed garlic, lemon juice, using a fork to mix will and create a consistent texture (don't use any kind of machine), use olive oil and/or hot water to adjust the texture, season to taste. Eggplant salad: Add lemon juice and a drop or two of EVOO, fork until pearly paste, stir in chopped red pepper or seeded tomato. "Turkish": Fork eggplant and mix about 2:1 with Turkish salad (tomato, onion, red pepper, hot chili pepper, parsley, S&P, lemon juice, tomato paste, olive oil, S&P).

Jasdip - thank you for reminding me about grilling eggplant for a sandwich. I've ordered grilled vegetable paninis at a favorite lunch spot with eggplant, red bell pepper, zucchini, portobello, fresh mozzarella and pesto. Have never tried to make one myself but it's doable!!

We love them, Seagrass. Here's a pic of a sandwich I make on our little grill/griddle. I flatten it with the cast iron skillet.

I'm excited! I used to order a vegetable panini or grilled sandwich a long time ago at a little bistro that is long gone. I have always wanted to copy it, but couldn't remember what the ingredients were except cheese and eggplant. Seagrass's description sounds about right. Jasdip, what do you put in yours?

I also like them fried, or roasted in the oven, or in baba ganouj or eggplant parmesan or something we call "Vegetable Stew" which always just has whatever is in the crisper drawer that needs to be used.

Elery likes eggplant curry and I had a recipe from this forum for a kind of hot and sour eggplant, but I can't find it again.

I'm glad you're at least recovering enough to do some cooking, that "one armed" thing has got to be getting to be somewhat of an aggravation! I've been thinking good healing thoughts for you...

Annie

Oops, I see I forgot to include a recipe for imam bayildi. I like this one because it keeps the real flavor while giving you a chance to reduce the amount of oil in the finished dish:

http://www.food.com/recipe/imam-bayildi-a-stuffed-eggplant-recipe-from-asia-minor-84776

Annie - DH chopped all of the veggies except the eggplant before he left to play golf Thursday afternoon. I was able to chop the eggplant since it was so soft. He bought a ceramic knife. It's extremely sharp and is very lightweight. But I'm still on limited kitchen duty until the pain in my shoulder eases with therapy.

seagrass

I am growing Asian egg plants. No bitterness.

dcarch

The Fairy Tale eggplant grows great and I get great production out of them here in central Wisconsin...where, some summers-that-aren't can make growing eggplant a challenge. Beautiful purple & white striped eggplants that don't look a bit out of place in a flower garden if you're so inclined. They're small, but very productive and never bitter. I slice them lengthwise for frying so I have fewer slices to deal with.

I grill them with other veggies. Or fry them with soy sauce. Tastes awesome.

We have an over abundance of eggplants most summers.

My favorite way is to slice about 1/2 inch thin, salt and let sit for about 40 minutes. Rinse off and press to remove any remaining moisture. If using 1 large eggplant, add to a plastic bag with 1/2 flour, shake to coat. Put two eggs in a bowl and whisk, put panko and parmesan cheese in a pie plate. Dip in egg, then press into the panko mixture pressing down to get the coating to stick. Place on an oiled baking sheet and grind salt and black pepper onto the tops, spray with cooking spray and bake at 425 for about 15 minutes, flip to the other side and bake about 5-10 more minutes or until it's golden brown. Put a nice, thick slice of fresh mozzarella on each slice and stick it under the broiler until the cheese is nice and melty. Serve with pasta.

We also often just cut into slices and put olive oil, salt and pepper on and grill.

Sometimes we stuff with ground beef or ground sausage and tomatoes, garlic, etc.

Traditional eggplant parmesan gets made a lot in my house this time of year but I strongly prefer the first recipe I wrote as it allows the eggplant rounds to get and stay crispy. In an eggplant parmesan casserole they can become pretty soggy.

I don't know if hating eggplant is grounds for divorce but DH really hates it so I can't make any of the normal eggplant dishes. To get my fix of eggplant, I boil it in vinegar, then marinate it in evoo with lots of garlic and oregano. Then I can keep it in a jar and eat it whenever I get the craving which is often.

jerzeegirl -I'm lucky that my DH likes eggplant. He made another batch of ratatouille last night. I can't get him to eat Brussels sprouts or lima beans though, so I go without.

It's so funny to me that people don't make food if their spouse doesn't like it. In my marriage whichever of us is cooking, cooks what they want and if the other person doesn't eat it - I guess they are hungry that night lol!! The only exception there is for extreme spicy foods. I don't eat that and my husband makes two pots of chili, etc.

I agree that it's funny, but I think many of us are used to just working around it. Regarding eggplant, it is kind of an acquired taste and I can understand people not liking it. It can be kind of slimy and the seeds may not be palatable to some. I have my food quirks too. My DH loves eggs and I really won't eat them unless they are disguised in something or cooked dry (like in a stir fry). Just thinking about an mushy egg turns my stomach. I guess you would say we accommodate each other. Luckily, he will eat most veggies.

I bought a couple of eggplants at Grocery Outlet a couple of days ago without thinking how I would prepare them, but I think there are some good ideas here.

I noticed that I had not saved Ruthanna's recipe for Eggplant-Couscous, and I would like to make that, but I would have to substitute quinoa for the couscous, since I have quinoa that I need to use, and I do not have couscous in inventory. I'll also have to buy some mint leaves, since I no longer have mint in my back yard. Or I might omit them or use basil instead. I have lots of basil in my patio.

Quinoa is a similar size but way different structure and texture. It might be good, but you might want the think through the whole thing to be sure you'll like it.

I've made that recipe before and think Quinoa will be better than couscous in it.

Baked Eggplant

Some years ago I tried to make ratatouille and failed. Out of frustration and a desire to eat eggplant this recipe evolved. Very simple and tasty. Warning: let them cool for at least 10 minutes after you take them out of the oven!

Cut an eggplant into either 1/4" or 1/2" thick sections and place on a greased cooking sheet. Coat the slices with melted butter mixed with minced garlic. Put a slice of provolone cheese and a slice of sweet onion on each one. Put some sliced tomatoes on next. I usually use big tomatoes to get a single slice but all I had today were some Roma tomatoes. Cover with grated Parmesan cheese and dust with fresh black pepper or jerk rub.

1/4" slices: Bake at 350 degrees for around 25 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.

1/2" slices: Bake at 420 degrees for around 45 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.

That recipe looks good and has a lot of the ingredients of Eggplant Parmesan. I wonder if you could substitute tomato sauce for the sliced tomato. I would also want to add some mozzarella cheese to it.

@Lars - You can do all sorts of changes to the recipe. I occasionally slice up some ham and put on the eggplant. I've used all sorts of cheeses with the same excellent results.

fawnridge (Ricky) - I noticed that your recipe does not contain any salt - is that an oversight, and does the recipe not taste bitter without salt?

I looked at some recipes for baked eggplant rounds and combined a few of them to come up with this composite recipe, which I made yesterday:

Baked Eggplant

• 2 pounds small to medium-size eggplant
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp water
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup plain Panko breadcrumbs (use Rice Chex crumbs for a gluten-free option)
• 2 teaspoons dried Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• Olive oil, for baking sheets
• Marinara sauce
• 4 oz. Sliced Provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Thoroughly coat a baking sheet with oil. Set aside. (You may need to use two sheets.)

Peel the eggplant, at least partially, and slice into 1/2” thick rounds. Add salt to both sides of each slice and put in a colander to drain for 30 minutes and then pat dry with paper towels.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the egg and 1 teaspoon water. In another bowl (a pie plate works well), combine the Panko, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, garlic powder (if using) and pepper.

Dip the eggplant slices in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off. Dredge the dipped slices in the Parmesan mixture, pushing down gently to coat well. Transfer the coated slices to the baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown on the bottom, 20 minutes. Flip the slices and continue baking until lightly browned on other side but still slightly firm, about 10 minutes more.

Remove from the oven (can be served as is) and spoon a small amount of marina sauce on each round. Top with thin slices of Provolone and return to the oven for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese has melted.

Remove from oven and turn oven off. Serve a few at a time, and return the rest to the turned-off oven to keep warm.

@Lars - I rarely use salt in any recipe. No, it's not bitter. There's so much salt in the cheese that there's no need for more.

Speaking of eggplant-- bought a frozen 'Baingan Bharti' (eggplant curry) at Trader Joe's when I was in Salt Lake City. Absolutely delicious. Wish I had a regular source for eggplant so I could try to duplicate it. Unfortunately, here in central Wisconsin few people even know what eggplant is, much less how to cook it. So it is a rare find in the local grocery stores. Two hour drive to TJ's for me.