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Browse: Home / Eggplant

Eggplant

Ratatouille

 

This recipe is more of a guide to help with strengthening intuitive cooking, thus no measurements.


-Extra virgin olive oil
-Onion
-Garlic
-Bell pepper
-Summer squash
-Eggplant
-Tomatoes
-Herbs
-Salt & pepper
-White wine (optional)
-Other spices (optional)

The key to this ratatouille is to saute each of the diced vegetables (bell pepper, summer squash, eggplant) separately in a fair amount of good olive oil. I used about 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil total. It is best to dice the vegetables of consistent size so they cook consistently and integrate when they are combined at the end. The amount of each vegetable is flexible but I tried to keep the ratios similar so that one vegetable didn’t dominate. I also like to season each vegetable with salt and pepper during cooking and then taste for final seasoning at the end. You can customize with other spices to suit your taste and pantry; I used a little Aleppo pepper but a hint of sumac, smoked paprika or red pepper flakes could be nice.
In a saute pan or Dutch oven with good surface area, saute diced onion in olive oil on medium heat until onions are soft and golden. Add a little finely minced garlic and saute until fragrant. Remove onion-garlic mixture from pan. Add more olive oil and saute diced bell pepper until soft. Remove bell pepper from pan. Add more olive oil and repeat this process with the summer squash and eggplant, sauteing each separately until tender but still holding their shape. If any vegetable looks dry during sauteing, then lightly moisten and deglaze pan with white wine, water or vegetable stock.
Once all vegetables have been sauteed, combine them in pan or Dutch oven and add diced tomatoes. Simmer for 5-10 min. until the stew comes together but the vegetables retain their integrity. Stir in minced herbs of choice (I used basil, parsley and a little oregano). The thyme in this week’s box would be great too. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt, pepper and olive oil.… Read the rest

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Basil, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Onion, oregano, Parsley, Smoked Paprika, Summer squash, sweet pepper, Thyme, Tomatoes, Zucchini

Smoky Eggplant Dip With Pita Chips

6 to 8 servings

-¾ c. plus 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil, more for serving

-¼ c. packed fresh oregano leaves

-3 T. packed fresh thyme leaves

-1 t.coarse kosher salt, more to taste

-3 pita breads, whole wheat or regular

-1 ½ lb. small, thin eggplant like Japanese or Italian

-3 garlic cloves, minced

-⅓ c. plain Greek yogurt

-Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste

-½ t. black pepper

-Fresh mint leaves, for garnish (optional)

-Pitted, sliced dates, for garnish (optional)

-Pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)

Split pita breads in half along their seams to make 6 flat rounds. Brush both sides of each pita round with herb purée.

Heat the grill. Meanwhile, in a blender combine 3/4 cup olive oil, the oregano, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until you have a rough purée, 2 to 5 minutes depending on how strong your blender is. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed. Purée should be well seasoned.

When grill is hot, cook the eggplant, whole, until skins are shriveled and flesh has collapsed, about 8 to 12 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

Grill pitas until crisp, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Let rest for a minute or two until cool enough to handle but still very warm, then slice each round into 6 wedges.

Peel eggplant and put flesh in a food processor with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Purée, then taste and add more lemon or salt (or both) if needed. Serve the dip spread on a plate, drizzled with more olive oil and garnished with mint, dates and pomegranate seeds if desired. Enjoy!

From a 2014 Summer CSA shareholder who found it on cooking.nytimes.com, recipe by Melissa Clark.… Read the rest

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Eggplant, Garlic, mint, oregano, Thyme

Japanese Eggplant & Soba Noodles with Taiwanese Bok Choy

Serves 2

-3 cloves garlic
-2 bird’s eye chilies (aka Thai chilies)
-2 Japanese eggplants
-2 scallions
-1 1-inch piece ginger
-1 bu. mint
-10 oz. Taiwanese bok choy
-8 oz. soba noodles
-2 T. mirin
-2 T. soy sauce
-1 T. sesame oil

Heat a large pot of water to boiling on high. Wash and dry the fresh
produce. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Trim off the stems of
the eggplants and slice them on an angle, turning the eggplant after
each cut to create oblique-cut pieces. Thinly slice the scallions on an
angle, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Roughly chop
the cilantro. Pick the mint leaves off the stems. Roughly chop the
Taiwanese bok choy.

Once the water is boiling, add the soba noodles and cook 4 to 5
minutes or until tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.

While the noodles cook, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one),
heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the
eggplant and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes,
or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a plate then
wipe out the pan.

Divide the noodles and vegetables between 2 bowls, removing the
bird’s eye chilies. Garnish with the green parts of the scallions and
remaining mint and cilantro. Enjoy!

From blueapron.com… Read the rest

Posted in Recipes | Tagged bok choy, Eggplant, mint, pac choi

Ginger-Miso-Glazed Eggplant

 

Serves 6-8

-6 Japanese eggplants (1 1/2 lb. total), cut on a diagonal

into 1-inch-thick slices

-1T.grapeseed or vegetable oil

-1/3c.white miso (fermented soybean paste)

-4t.finely grated peeled ginger

-2t.toasted sesame oil

-1t.reduced-sodium soy sauce

-1t.distilled white vinegar

-1/4t.freshly ground black pepper

-3t.sesame seeds, divided

-3T.thinly sliced scallions, divided

 

Preheat oven to 425°. Brush both sides of eggplant slices

with oil and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.

 

Roast eggplant, flipping once, until very tender, about 20

minutes. Remove from oven.  Arrange a rack in upper third

of oven and heat to broil.

 

Meanwhile, whisk white miso and next 5 ingredients with

1 T. of water in a small bowl. Stir in 1 1/2 t. sesame seeds

and 2 T. scallions.

 

Smear top of eggplant slices with miso sauce. Broil until

golden and charred in places, 4–5 minutes. Remove from

oven and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 t. sesame seeds

and 1 T. scallions. Enjoy!

 

 Adapted from bonappetit.com

 

 … Read the rest

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Eggplant

Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas and Spinach

Serves 4

-2 large garlic cloves, minced

-Sea salt, to taste

-2 t. Madras curry powder

-1/2 c. vegetable oil

-1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled & cut

into 3/4-inch pieces

-1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

-One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed & drained

-1/4 c. finely julienned fresh ginger

-Freshly ground pepper, to taste

-1-2 bu. spinach

-Warm naan, for serving

-Plain yogurt, for serving

 

Preheat the oven to 425°. On your work surface, mash

the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt.

In a large roasting pan, mix the garlic paste with the curry

powder and vegetable oil. Add the eggplant, onion, chickpeas

and ginger, season with salt and pepper and toss well.

Spread the vegetables in an even layer and roast for about

30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the eggplant and

onion are tender.

Stir in the spinach and roast just until wilted, about 2

minutes. Serve with warm naan and yogurt. Enjoy!

 

Adapted from Grace Parisi, Food & Wine, 2/10

 … Read the rest

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Eggplant, Onion, Spinach

Ajvar (Roasted Red Pepper & Eggplant Relish)

 

Serves 12

-5 red bell peppers (about 2 1/2-3 lbs.)
-1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb.)
-6 kalamata olives, pitted & chopped (optional)
-3-5 cloves garlic
-1-2 T. white wine vinegar
-1 t. hot smoked paprika (optional or to taste)
-1/4 – 1/2 t.  red (cayenne) pepper (or to taste)
-salt to taste

Cut the peppers in half and remove stem, seeds, and white membranes. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise.
Place peppers and eggplants cut-sides down on a large baking sheet and place it in the oven about 4 inches below the broiler. Broil until the pepper skins blister and blacken and the eggplant is tender in the middle. The blacker you get the peppers, the better the flavor, so don’t be shy! If you find some are blackening before others, move them around on the baking sheet so that they will roast evenly.
As the peppers blacken, remove them to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. When the eggplant is tender, remove it to a plate or cutting board.
Scoop out the flesh, discarding any large seeds, and place it in the food processor with the olives and garlic. Process until smooth.
Allow the peppers to steam in the covered bowl until they are cool. Then peel off the blackened skin; the more skin you remove, the better, but don’t worry if you can’t get every bit.
Add them to the eggplant in the food processor and pulse to chop them finely but do not blend them into a smooth paste.
Remove to a bowl and add the vinegar, hot pepper, and salt to taste. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Enjoy!
Adapted from blog.fatfreevegan.com

 … Read the rest

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Bell Pepper, Eggplant

Tortellini With Eggplant and Peppers

Serves 4

Hands-On Time: 20 min.
Total Time: 35 min.

-2 T. olive oil
-4 or 5 Japanese eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
-2 bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
– salt & black pepper
-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
-3 cups vegetable broth
-1 lb. cheese tortellini
-1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
-1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the eggplant, bell peppers, ½ teaspoon salt and
¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the
vegetables begin to soften, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook,
stirring, for 1 minute. Add the broth and tortellini.

Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini
are cooked through and most of the broth is absorbed,
12 to 15 minutes.

Stir in the parsley and ¼ cup of the Parmesan. Spoon
into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of
Parmesan. Enjoy!

Adapted from Sara Quessenberry, 9/08 via realsimple.com… Read the rest

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Bell Peppers, Eggplant, Sweet Peppers

Toaster Oven Baked Eggplant with Miso

 

Serves 2

Prep:  5 min
Cook: 9 min
Total: 14 min

-2 medium Japanese eggplant, washed & cut into 1/2-inch discs
-2 T. white miso paste
-2 T. water
-1 T. honey
-2 t. vegetable oil
-1 T. soy sauce
-1 T. plus 1 1/2 t. lemon juice
-fine sea salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Remove the toaster oven tray, line it with foil, and arrange the eggplant slices on it.Turn the heat to broil.In a bowl, stir together the miso paste, water, honey, oil, soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice.

Season the slices with salt and pepper and brush them with the miso glaze.

Broil for 8-10 minutes until the slices are nicely caramelized and tender.

Sprinkle the eggplant with the rest of the lemon juice. Serve & enjoy!

Adapted from Men’s Health

… Read the rest

Posted in Recipes | Tagged Eggplant, Lemon, lemon juice

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