Eggplant, Fried Not Oiled

[alexia]

Is there any way of frying/saute-ing eggplant (for a casserole or gratin type dish) without dipping in egg & breadcrumbs? I like to saute the slices before putting into the casserole (usually just dusting in flour) but the flour is not enough to keep the eggplant from sucking up the oil. On the other hand, I don't want a thick coating as it is out of keeping with the dish. It doesn't seem to change anything for the better if I dust the eggplant in light breadcrumbs (w/o the egg) instead of the flour. Mind, it tastes good, but oh the calories, oh the $$ (I use good organic evo).

Next time I'm thinking of doing light breadcrumbs (no egg) and baking. It works with chicken wonderfully.

All summer long I coat sliced tomatoes in a seasoned flour or fresh breadcrumbsand saute them in olive oil and serve them over rice for a great quick treat. And I have no problem frying eggplant in the usual flour/egg/crumb fashion. Any suggestions?

[CompassRose]

I'm not totally clear from your post what you're doing with the eggplant, but when I'm pre-cooking eggplant for layering into casseroles or whatever (I'm rather the low-fat fiend), this is what I do:

Preheat broiler.
Slice eggplant
Lay out on lightly oil-sprayed cookie sheet
Broil 3-5 minutes (depending how thick the slices are)
Turn, and broil other side, about same amount of time, or until slices are soft

This works for casseroles very well, and for things like Mediterranean-style sandwiches, too. Plus it's quick and easy. Then, I imagine, if you DID want a few crumbs, you could layer them right into the assembled dish.

[Anneke]

I use the ol' broiler method too, but I marinate the eggplant first with herbs (oregano's nice), garlic, balsamic, olive oil (not too much, lemon, You can use anything that strikes your fancy.

Did you know that eggplant make absolutely no contribution to our nutrition? Sad really, I love eggplant!

[Risa]

I had no idea that eggplants have little nutritional value. Oh well, at least they're high in fibre and are tasty fillers or meal extenders.

I broil or boil eggplants depending on how I will use them afterwards. I have a strange (not strange if you're Filipino) liking for boiled eggplant served simply with anchovy sauce/essence. For curries and stew type dishes, I usually parboil the eggplants because they have a tendency to make the dish turn a disgusting grey. For Italian-inspired dishes, I always broil the eggplants because I hate oil-soaked eggplant.

[thebighat]

Egg-battered eggplant might work. It doesn't drink in the oil like breading does.

[alexia]

Thanks for the replies, Broiling, DUH. I so hate cleaning the broiler pan that I never even think about it. Maybe I'll try grilling, too, now that you've got my mind working again.

And Risa, I have a chicken recipe you might like: I cut up eggplant, put it in an enameled cast iron Dutch oven, put a chicken on top (season everything anyway it suits you, though I like this dish fairly bland) and bake it, covered some of the time. The eggplant melts into a kind of sauce. This won't suit everyone, but as it's braised it probably will come out a lot like boiled eggplant - particularly if you season it to your taste. Caveat: this is a fatty dish.

Eggplant's nutrition? It comes from the tomatoes and other things that usually adorn it. (Even macaroni is more nutritious than eggplant).

[cape chef]

Hi Alexia,

Be sure to salt leach your aubergines first, pat dry (firmly)

dredge in seasoned flour, medium high heat, xvoo and bingo, crisp and tender and no sponging of oil

[ShawtyCat]

Darn it CC! You beat me to my answer. My MIL is addicted to eggplant and the salt gets rid of most of the moisture.