Saturday, May 8, 2010

Cheesy Eggplant with Poached Egg

Another mystery ingredient has appeared before me at the grocery store! Eggplant ... oh, it is so round, purple, and shiny, yet so bitter if cooked improperly. I have never cooked eggplant before. I rarely have it at all. My first hand experience with this vegetable has left me with a bitter impression.

According to The Clever Cook's Kitchen Handbook by David Joachim, eggplants should be best during early summers and should be stored in a cool place at room temperature. If you refrigerate then, they deteriorate faster.

Another tip to prevent bitterness and keep the eggplant from soaking up excess oil is to salt the eggplant after you have cut the eggplant for about 30-45 minutes. Afterward, rinse it well with water and dry to cook.

Cheesy Eggplant with Poached Egg


Ingredients
1 eggplant
6 oz Shredded cheddar cheese
1 oz Chopped parsley
Paprika
Red chili powder
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
6 Poached eggs
Ketchup for sauce

Prepwork
1. Preheat oven 400F
2. Slice eggplant into 1/2 cm slices
3. Salt slices and let it sit for 30-45 minutes
4. Rinse slices and pat dry
5. Line sheet tray with parchment paper
6. Line eggplant slices on the paper
7. Sprinkle salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and cheese on top of the eggplant (the chili powder level varies with how spicy you want it to be)
8. Drizzle olive oil over each slice sparingly

Cooking
1. Place in the oven until brown (25-35 minutes)
2. While it is in the oven make the poached eggs
3. Plate the egg plant over the egg and drizzle ketchup and sprinkle parsley over the entire dish

Well, enjoy a nice simple easy appetizer dish.

No comments:

Post a Comment