Eggplant Simply Grilled

From the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis

Serves

Introduction

Typically, there are two types of eggplant found in the market. The most common eggplant is the large, thick-skinned, dark-purple globular variety. Chinese or Japanese eggplant is small (about 5 to 6 inches long and 1 inch in diameter), dark to light purple in color, and has a slightly thinner skin. Whichever you buy, pick eggplant that is
firm, without any bruised spots on it, and that does not have too much green color around the stem end (which indicates it is not ripe).

Ingredients

	1	large eggplant or several small eggplants (about 1 pound total)
	⅓	cup olive oil
	½	tsp. salt
	~	Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps

Basic Preparation

Depending on the requirements for a particular recipe, eggplants may need to be peeled, salted, and/or soaked in ice water. For peeling, a swivel-action vegetable peeler works well, removing the peel in long strokes from top to bottom. Eggplants retain a lot of moisture; salting slices or cubes of eggplant, then placing them in a colander for 30 minutes, allows the moisture to be released. Drain, rinse, and pat dry the cubes or slices with paper towels before proceeding. This preparation is usually called for when eggplant is to be sautéed or baked. If a recipe calls for eggplant to be soaked, it is because the large, globular eggplants can be bitter.

Eggplant Simply Grilled

Prepare grill and have coals hot. Slice off the stem of eggplant and discard. Slice large eggplant crosswise into ½ inch-thick rounds. (If using the small variety, slice in half lengthwise.) Lay slices in a single layer on a pan or baking sheet. Brush each slice on both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top side of each slice. Place on grill in a single layer. Cook on one side, until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook on other side about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes

Use this same technique to grill vegetables such as zucchini, bell peppers, sliced onions, and asparagus.
Grilling vegetables works well when you are already using the grill to cook poultry, beef, or seafood.
To use grilled eggplant to make an interesting first course, slice lengthwise instead. Place some softened goat cheese and a fresh basil leaf on one end of the grilled eggplant, roll up to enclose filling, place 2 rolls on a plate and top with some Fresh Tomato Sauce, or Cooked Tomato Sauce. Serve at room temperature, along with some crusty French or Italian bread.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis.