The Turks, Italians and Greeks do wonders with eggplant. Karnıyarık, imam bayıldı, moussaka, melanzane alla parmigiana, caponata...all fantastic eggplant dishes!
Completely agree. I dated a lovely Italian woman once and after she found out i wasn't a fan of eggplant, she made a 3 course meal all with eggplant as the main feature. (Yes! Even dessert!) I have been a convert ever since. :D
@@CripplingDuality - That’s a bummer. If I remember correctly, eggplant is in the nightshade family (as are tomatoes and peppers) and some people are more sensitive to those foods.
I'm 55 years old and have never tried eggplant, but I'm ready to branch out and learn all about it. My mother never made it, and I was very intimidated by it, having no idea how to prepare it. I am so ready for these recipes!
Tip: if you bake them, they get a million times better if you sprinkle them with salt, let sit for half an hour and then pat dry. Works for zucchini and squash as well!
Simplest way--slice, then salt, let sit, pat dry, then cover with oil, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven until between golden brown and golden black. Crispy edges, tender center, slightly bitter so they work great with lemon...so good.
PS I love your Eggplant sandwiches. What a great idea!!! One of my favorite ways to bake eggplant is to brush it with best foods mayonnaise and then dip it in breadcrumbs with oregano, salt and pepper of course bake at 400 to 425° for about 25 minutes. You don’t even have to flip it and it turns out perfect. And I do cut them around a half inch thick. Take care.
In some parts of Europe we have a similar recipe but instead of garlic and tahini, add a grated onion and mix it with lemon and oil. It's delicious with fresh tomatoes on the side
Ever since 1963 when I had my first tastes of hummus and baba ganooj (ganooj is the spelling i encountered on arabic--which i don't read or speak--/english menus in those early days) in Turkey and my favorite Lebanese restaurant in NYC. I've been making both appetizers on a fairly regular basis. Given that I've had almost 60 years of selecting, preparing and cooking eggplant, I have personally never encountered a bitter eggplant, regardless of "gender" or size or color. In fact, I much prefer the "female" variety for the enhanced flavor--sans bitterness--it imparts to dishes like baba ganooj and eggplant Parmigiano, not to mention a much better texture and overall mouth feel. I do use the "male" variety when I make the occasional stuffed eggplant dish, where there is the need for a "tougher" structure required to maintain integrity during roasting. While on the subject of preparing eggplant, I've tried salting and rinsing eggplant slices as recommended by "experts" to draw out the so-called bitterness, until I had a conversation with the chef of my favorite Lebabese restaurant in NYC, who told me to skip this procedure and go right to prepping and cooking. It was a great time-saving tip I've used ever since. Great recipes in this eggplant dish collection. Keep them coming. And many thanks
Interesting variety of recipes! I recently discovered 'caponata' and scoured the county for Italian eggplant. I added fresh garden tomatoes instead of canned, peppadew chilis and kalamata olives. Wow!!!
I tried the eggplant sandwiches at Thanksgiving and put half a roasted Turkey with a little bit of cheese. Chef John was right, maybe I should have just used a little bit. To help out my guests, I did put a small bowl for them to spit the bones into. That made for some great tableside comments. But they loved the idea.
I love egg plant! I’m gonna try and grow some this year in my garden. This recipes is great I am going to make this for my family! They will love it. Your clear presentation makes it look so easy and delicious. I also make TH-cam videos and I feel so lucky to be able to learn from other talented creators like you! I hope to learn more from each other.
Looks good Chef! ♡ Tip: You can also garnish with a slice tomato untop,before you put it in the oven .. & And when it's almost done, Put a spoon full of some grated young cheese on top..In the last 5 minutes while it's in the oven..And with some fresh chopped Parsley.. Yoghurt with a lill bit minced garlic is a must..I can't live/eat without that on the side..😂And you will love it too! 😍👍💙 Taste's so much better!!! 😋👌❤
Thank you for reposting these recipes, they really gave me some inspiration! I've always felt I wanted to use eggplant a lot more in my cooking, and now I can. Thanks again!
I have a great tangy green tahini sauce I'm going to serve this with over rice, since the hubby and I have to watch our cholesterol. Also I am using ground turkey, but the olive oil should make up for the lost saturated fat in the red meat.
I love eggplant but hardly ever use it because my kids wouldn't touch it...I am going to try as couple of these recipes, especialy the escabeche... Thanks Chef John, from Melbourne, Australia...
That's interesting because after I discovered tzatziki sauce I started using it at almost every meal. It is so delicious! I love it with rice, in a cold salad, as a spread, a dip, etc. Plain yogurt goes really good with most things too and is actually even more versatile than tzatziki because it can be used as savory or sweet.
You're hilarious! I usually have eggplant as a hamburger substitute or eggplant parmesan so these recipes are really interesting and I'll have to try them. Thank you!
I had a work buddy who was from the Middle East and had an abundance of eggplant. I offered the eggplant to him and he happily took all I had. His wife made the Palestinian version of this dish and it was delicious.
You inspired me to make a delicious variation on stuffed eggplant! As you know, eggplant is an absolute sponge for oil, & will soak up as much as you give them. Also they can get very mushy & greasy - so you need to limit the amount of oil available for them to absorb, & avoid overcooking. Olive Oil, Garlic, Mushrooms, & Rosemary give them a fantastic flavor - reminiscent of meat, & the same texture so long as you only cook them to the tender/crisp stage. They really do not need to be cooked until soft. Anyway, I'm going to try a classic bread stuffing with the for-mentioned elements, along with the usual, & just top 1/2" slices & bake 'em. I figure the stuffing will hold on to most of the fat, while still giving enough to flavor the Eggplant Slices. That same seasoning combo makes for great plain slices of Eggplant for Antipasto. You really gotta try it - fantastic!
For tge first one, there's a similar tatar recipe that also inclides rice as yiy mentioned. There are a few differences, the filling includes a bit of rice and the eggplants are cut in half and deepfried but I can post the recipe if yoy are interested. For the second, replace the tahini with home made mayo, add diced onion or grated garlic and tou have what in Romania is called eggplant salad.
eggplants used here are known as Japanese eggplants, which are known to be round & plump. Chinese eggplants are normally stir-fried with different ingredients to create various dishes. they are usually flash-fried to retain its gorgeous purple color (at least that's how it's done in restaurants).
A restaurant that has sadly gone away made a great eggplant Parmesan , but sometimes ran a special of eggplant Parmesan Lasagna that was like none other.
Big fun of chef John. Only one suggestion, if it is possible to replace the aluminum foil with reusable silicone covers for bowls. Aluminum production is not environment friendly.
John that’s a great tip…. always to pick a male eggplant because they have less seeds. If you look at the end of the eggplant the male has a round spot, where the female is more of a slit. Love you and your videos ❤️
There's no such thing as male or female eggplants, lol. Eggplant is a fruit and all fruits are ovaries...ripened ovaries. So how could an ovary be a male?? It can't. I am surprised chef John doesn't know this.
@@mygirldarby well not all of us are botanists and there are people out there who believe choc milk comes from brown cows lol. But here have a like for reminding me
I do like the fact that you always add Cayenne Pepper. However, I don't think you add enough. I'd say about 5X of what you show should be right. But it is up to you. After all, you are the Moshe Dayan, of your pepper Cayenne.
Hot take here… how much tomato paste do you use? Like… I’ve tried the tubes, but I end up using most of the tube on one dish. I like the cans because I just use the whole can in a dish. Am I alone in this?
I scoop out the one tablespoon I need and then I scoop out the rest in tablespoon size lumps and freeze it so I can take one or two and toss them in to what I'm cooking.
What exactly does eggplant taste like? I haven't had one since I was a kid and kinda remember I didn't like it. I've wanted to try it but I hate to buy one and go through the process of making something and then not liking it and having to throw it out, wasting my money.
Hi Try a tub of store bought baba ganoush , not much of a risk doing THAT! Shalom to us only in Christ Yeshua returning soon to reign over the world from Jerusalem.
@@mygirldarby It's not for fun. It's also for their delicious flavor. At least the lamb was dead when it got cut up and cooked, unlike the poor plants that get tortured while still alive because some sick bastards get off on suffering.
I used to feel the same way, until I tried to grill them. It doesn't even taste like eggplant anyone, it's like a completely different vegetable. Fascinating stuff.
@@thaliacrafts407 tomatoes are after eating but I can't digest them in the evenings. I get severe headaches next morning. Surprisingly, I started to get stomachache with avocado as well. I usually throw up afterwards. My son was fine with avacados but it happened to him the same thing. My body is a mystery to myself
Lived on the east coast, mid America and the west coast. There is NFW I CAN STOMACH EGGPLANT. Put cheese on it, put hot sauce on it, fry it, bake it, grill it. It is the worst thing I have ever had in my mouth that was described as edible. Sorry, can't even watch this.
The Turks, Italians and Greeks do wonders with eggplant. Karnıyarık, imam bayıldı, moussaka, melanzane alla parmigiana, caponata...all fantastic eggplant dishes!
What about sabich?
No they don't, you need a different/better eggplant like the asian one.
Italian mother Greek father lots of eggplant growing up
@@ofir_likes_beer what is it, please tell us, is it easy to make?
Completely agree. I dated a lovely Italian woman once and after she found out i wasn't a fan of eggplant, she made a 3 course meal all with eggplant as the main feature. (Yes! Even dessert!) I have been a convert ever since. :D
Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables, I think they're really underrated
I didn’t like it when I was younger but I do now. I regularly make Eggplant Parmigiana and Baba Ganouj.
@@grumpyoldlady_rants I'm the opposite but that's mainly because I discovered I'm allergic to it :(
@@CripplingDuality - That’s a bummer. If I remember correctly, eggplant is in the nightshade family (as are tomatoes and peppers) and some people are more sensitive to those foods.
I'm 55 years old and have never tried eggplant, but I'm ready to branch out and learn all about it. My mother never made it, and I was very intimidated by it, having no idea how to prepare it. I am so ready for these recipes!
Remember dots not slots and you won’t be disappointed. Have fun!
@@Contrarymary853 - Sadly all the ones growing in my garden right now are slots….
Tip: if you bake them, they get a million times better if you sprinkle them with salt, let sit for half an hour and then pat dry. Works for zucchini and squash as well!
Simplest way--slice, then salt, let sit, pat dry, then cover with oil, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven until between golden brown and golden black. Crispy edges, tender center, slightly bitter so they work great with lemon...so good.
If you like stuffed peppers, stuffed eggplant is way better.
PS I love your Eggplant sandwiches. What a great idea!!! One of my favorite ways to bake eggplant is to brush it with best foods mayonnaise and then dip it in breadcrumbs with oregano, salt and pepper of course bake at 400 to 425° for about 25 minutes. You don’t even have to flip it and it turns out perfect. And I do cut them around a half inch thick. Take care.
Ooooo. I have two baby eggplants in the fridge. This sounds perfect for dinner tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!
Do you salt it before you dip it and bread it! Or do you omit the salt part? I’d like to make the sandwich
Very timely, as I have an abundance of eggplant from my garden atm.
In some parts of Europe we have a similar recipe but instead of garlic and tahini, add a grated onion and mix it with lemon and oil. It's delicious with fresh tomatoes on the side
Ever since 1963 when I had my first tastes of hummus and baba ganooj (ganooj is the spelling i encountered on arabic--which i don't read or speak--/english menus in those early days) in Turkey and my favorite Lebanese restaurant in NYC. I've been making both appetizers on a fairly regular basis. Given that I've had almost 60 years of selecting, preparing and cooking eggplant, I have personally never encountered a bitter eggplant, regardless of "gender" or size or color. In fact, I much prefer the "female" variety for the enhanced flavor--sans bitterness--it imparts to dishes like baba ganooj and eggplant Parmigiano, not to mention a much better texture and overall mouth feel. I do use the "male" variety when I make the occasional stuffed eggplant dish, where there is the need for a "tougher" structure required to maintain integrity during roasting.
While on the subject of preparing eggplant, I've tried salting and rinsing eggplant slices as recommended by "experts" to draw out the so-called bitterness, until I had a conversation with the chef of my favorite Lebabese restaurant in NYC, who told me to skip this procedure and go right to prepping and cooking. It was a great time-saving tip I've used ever since.
Great recipes in this eggplant dish collection. Keep them coming. And many thanks
Perfect recipes for Sunday brunch, lunch, dinner and absolutely delicious!.
Really nice recipes! We have a relatively large number of eggplants this year. That's where this clip comes in handy.
Interesting variety of recipes! I recently discovered 'caponata' and scoured the county for Italian eggplant. I added fresh garden tomatoes instead of canned, peppadew chilis and kalamata olives. Wow!!!
Dots not slots.... words to live by... I am inspired, sir.
It's not true. Eggplants are not male or female.
I love the recipe. Just love egg plant stuffed and baked. It's just a whole different meal for me 👌👌
I tried the eggplant sandwiches at Thanksgiving and put half a roasted Turkey with a little bit of cheese. Chef John was right, maybe I should have just used a little bit.
To help out my guests, I did put a small bowl for them to spit the bones into.
That made for some great tableside comments.
But they loved the idea.
John is the Eggplant Wizard.
I see what you did there 😅
I love egg plant! I’m gonna try and grow some this year in my garden. This recipes is great I am going to make this for my family! They will love it. Your clear presentation makes it look so easy and delicious. I also make TH-cam videos and I feel so lucky to be able to learn from other talented creators like you! I hope to learn more from each other.
Looks good Chef! ♡
Tip: You can also garnish with a slice tomato untop,before you put it in the oven .. & And when it's almost done, Put a spoon full of some grated young cheese on top..In the last 5 minutes while it's in the oven..And with some fresh chopped Parsley.. Yoghurt with a lill bit minced garlic is a must..I can't live/eat without that on the side..😂And you will love it too! 😍👍💙
Taste's so much better!!! 😋👌❤
your videos make people feel relaxed and entertained keep going your videos are beautiful 💖🥰🍓🍓🍓🥰
My nephew does a bread crumb and parmesan crusted fried eggplant. So good.
I would add pine nuts to the first recipe. 👍
Perfect timing, Chef John. I’m about to be loaded with eggplant. I have one ready to harvest and several more getting close.
Actually, I had two big ones!
Awesome! When did you start them? Did you start them from seeds?
@@DB-xo6xh - I tried to start them from seed but it didn’t work so I had to buy starts.
Thank you for reposting these recipes, they really gave me some inspiration! I've always felt I wanted to use eggplant a lot more in my cooking, and now I can. Thanks again!
Spoondentations. Thanks for that. Chef, your the best!
I have a great tangy green tahini sauce I'm going to serve this with over rice, since the hubby and I have to watch our cholesterol. Also I am using ground turkey, but the olive oil should make up for the lost saturated fat in the red meat.
The staple food of Italy in Summer lol!
Thank you for all these delicious recipes! I knew some of them, and I'm happy to have learned others! Thank you very much !! 😘💚💚💚
I love eggplant but hardly ever use it because my kids wouldn't touch it...I am going to try as couple of these recipes, especialy the escabeche... Thanks Chef John, from Melbourne, Australia...
Nice stuff. Typically every Turkish or Greek meal is served with yogurt, tzatziki sauce.
That's interesting because after I discovered tzatziki sauce I started using it at almost every meal. It is so delicious! I love it with rice, in a cold salad, as a spread, a dip, etc. Plain yogurt goes really good with most things too and is actually even more versatile than tzatziki because it can be used as savory or sweet.
You're hilarious! I usually have eggplant as a hamburger substitute or eggplant parmesan so these recipes are really interesting and I'll have to try them. Thank you!
I had a work buddy who was from the Middle East and had an abundance of eggplant. I offered the eggplant to him and he happily took all I had. His wife made the Palestinian version of this dish and it was delicious.
I love making Baba Ganiush! My secret ingredient is smoked paprika as a finishing touch. You're welcome 😁
I find that you can replace "Baba Ganiush" in that sentence with almost any savory food.
Either that or I have a smoked paprika addiction.
I just realized I spelled it wrong.🤪
I LOVE EGGPLANTS
Leakage de fromage ...love your sense of humour Chef. ❤️. And all your recipes of course !🙂
You inspired me to make a delicious variation on stuffed eggplant! As you know, eggplant is an absolute sponge for oil, & will soak up as much as you give them. Also they can get very mushy & greasy - so you need to limit the amount of oil available for them to absorb, & avoid overcooking. Olive Oil, Garlic, Mushrooms, & Rosemary give them a fantastic flavor - reminiscent of meat, & the same texture so long as you only cook them to the tender/crisp stage. They really do not need to be cooked until soft. Anyway, I'm going to try a classic bread stuffing with the for-mentioned elements, along with the usual, & just top 1/2" slices & bake 'em. I figure the stuffing will hold on to most of the fat, while still giving enough to flavor the Eggplant Slices. That same seasoning combo makes for great plain slices of Eggplant for Antipasto. You really gotta try it - fantastic!
this recipes looks awesome ty for the video chef John 😍😍
For tge first one, there's a similar tatar recipe that also inclides rice as yiy mentioned. There are a few differences, the filling includes a bit of rice and the eggplants are cut in half and deepfried but I can post the recipe if yoy are interested.
For the second, replace the tahini with home made mayo, add diced onion or grated garlic and tou have what in Romania is called eggplant salad.
thank you John, i appreciate the tips, also Eggplant just love, take care
eggplants used here are known as Japanese eggplants, which are known to be round & plump. Chinese eggplants are normally stir-fried with different ingredients to create various dishes. they are usually flash-fried to retain its gorgeous purple color (at least that's how it's done in restaurants).
Thank you very much !!!!!!!!👍👍👍
Just in the right time! My plants are full of eggs!! 😃
oh wow
eggpllant pickle and peppers
Now I know what baba ghanoush is. I've heard the words. Never knew what it was or even that it is food.
I luv Baba ghanoush 💙👍
Love Love Love Eggplant! Seek out a recipe for CAPONATA. Lovely on salad, or pasta, as an antipasti or on grilled bread as a topping. CAPONATA!
Missed opportunity for "Eggcellent Eggplant recipes"
A restaurant that has sadly gone away made a great eggplant Parmesan , but sometimes ran a special of eggplant Parmesan Lasagna that was like none other.
Eggcellent.
You missed the opportunity to call this video the "Eggcelent Eggplant collection".
Oh karnıyarık! My childhood special dinner
Once again, you're the Guy LeDouche of your baba ghanoush! Shoutout to all those MXC fans out there.
Ya can't have a bad eggplant dish 🥰
That eggplant sandwich!
Hi there 😄 you've a gorgeous picture on your profile! Just decided to stop by and say hi!! I hope my compliment is appreciated 🤗
Grew some eggplant this year and yes, they explode (well, the skin does) when hubby just stuck em in there just like that with no pricking lol.
Just wearing my Damp Hands Make Smooth Balls shirt as I watch this 💕
Thank you ‼️
yes last video rocked
rochester chire lol
Eggcellent eggplant
Slippery hummus...😂
Can you also make a video on brinjal (eggplant) pickle? ❤
You are amazing 👍
You made me so hungry for eggplant
My mom's family used to make this
28:00 looks good
And moussaka, too😊
I Burst out LAUGHING 🤣🤣🤣 17:08 "I was afraid someone would walk into the kitchen while I was measuring an egg plant." 🍆📏⏸
Hi Chef John, I'd love to know your recipe for Eggplant appetizer aka....Sicilian Caponata.
I love food
Making egg plant look good is a feat for all of mankind the eggplant sandwich is probably really tasty with capacola
Big fun of chef John. Only one suggestion, if it is possible to replace the aluminum foil with reusable silicone covers for bowls. Aluminum production is not environment friendly.
I love your pans. Are they AllClad?
"Eggplant-gender" 💖 Chef John We Love You
cheese, and eggplant. can't go wrong with that. love ratatouille on some toasted sour dough as well.
hey! thumbnail person! eGGcellent was right there man.
"LEAKAGE FROMAGE"...hilarious!
how fortuitous this year my garden has had a great crop.
I used to hate eggplant. Now, after watching this... I _still_ hate eggplant. Sorry Chef John. (Still liked, still subscribed :)
Me too
I think I want to make the eggplant sandwich with the lamb mixture from the stuffed bellies.
Me too
Hey Chef…
What’s the difference between this eggplant escabeche and caponata?
I've tried eggplant twice. I didn't hate it. But I also didn't like it.
John that’s a great tip…. always to pick a male eggplant because they have less seeds. If you look at the end of the eggplant the male has a round spot, where the female is more of a slit. Love you and your videos ❤️
There's no such thing as male or female eggplants, lol. Eggplant is a fruit and all fruits are ovaries...ripened ovaries. So how could an ovary be a male?? It can't. I am surprised chef John doesn't know this.
@@mygirldarby well not all of us are botanists and there are people out there who believe choc milk comes from brown cows lol. But here have a like for reminding me
Is this the first instance of something resembling “alright that’s just you cooking” ?
Nobody found “dots not slots” offensive? What happened to y’all? You used to be so much fun! 😂
I do like the fact that you always add Cayenne Pepper. However, I don't think you add enough. I'd say about 5X of what you show should be right. But it is up to you. After all, you are the Moshe Dayan, of your pepper Cayenne.
Eggscellent.
Hot take here… how much tomato paste do you use? Like… I’ve tried the tubes, but I end up using most of the tube on one dish. I like the cans because I just use the whole can in a dish. Am I alone in this?
I scoop out the one tablespoon I need and then I scoop out the rest in tablespoon size lumps and freeze it so I can take one or two and toss them in to what I'm cooking.
oh GOD tomato and lamb JESUS
I discover that boil the eggplant they become mushy slime soft
Need to be boil for one minute
What exactly does eggplant taste like? I haven't had one since I was a kid and kinda remember I didn't like it. I've wanted to try it but I hate to buy one and go through the process of making something and then not liking it and having to throw it out, wasting my money.
Hi
Try a tub of store bought baba ganoush ,
not much of a risk doing THAT!
Shalom to us only in Christ Yeshua returning soon to reign over the world from Jerusalem.
This,1st recipe, looks really delicious and I’m not an eggplant fan.
20:16 Leakáge du Fromáge 🤣
The eggplant I have been buying has been bitter YUCK And I love eggplant lasagna😊
Liquage du fromage?
Oh, that Karniyarik looks good! But beef instead of lamb? That should be against the law!
I think it should be against the law to kill a lamb and eat it for fun. But to each their own.
@@mygirldarby It's not for fun.
It's also for their delicious flavor.
At least the lamb was dead when it got cut up and cooked, unlike the poor plants that get tortured while still alive because some sick bastards get off on suffering.
Still not feelin’ it.
i want to quote Kentucky Ballistics, but i know that i would be incorrect
😅
Was looking for a KB comment:)
Instead of cheese & salami on eggplant sandwiches, let's do crab meat.
You can slice them anyway you like but, I don't like the eggplants...
I used to feel the same way, until I tried to grill them. It doesn't even taste like eggplant anyone, it's like a completely different vegetable. Fascinating stuff.
Try the asian ones, the small ones in Thai recipes esp.
I love eggplant but it gives me stomachache?
Do you get the same effect when eating tomatoes? Maybe nightshades don't sit well with you.
@@thaliacrafts407 tomatoes are after eating but I can't digest them in the evenings. I get severe headaches next morning. Surprisingly, I started to get stomachache with avocado as well. I usually throw up afterwards. My son was fine with avacados but it happened to him the same thing. My body is a mystery to myself
Lived on the east coast, mid America and the west coast. There is NFW I CAN STOMACH EGGPLANT. Put cheese on it, put hot sauce on it, fry it, bake it, grill it. It is the worst thing I have ever had in my mouth that was described as edible. Sorry, can't even watch this.
The only eggplant I've ever been able to get down was a pickled eggplant on a chicken parm salad at the local Italian restaurant.
The singing talking chef come back
No garlic in a baba??????????????????????????????????????
I've heard it said that Jewish women are not allowed to marry unless they know how to prepare eggplant 100 ways. True? IDK!