Origin: Local

• Description
• Applications
• Storage
• Recipe

• Round eggplants are a large variety and have a round to oval shape. The skin is smooth, glossy, and dark purple, with green calyx. Underneath the surface, the flesh is tender, spongy, and ivory to white, encasing many small, edible seeds scattered throughout the interior. Eggplants, when cooked, have a soft and slightly chewy consistency with a mild, sweet flavor.

• Round eggplants are best suited for cooked applications such as grilling, baking, frying, steaming, and stir-frying. The variety can be used for any recipe calling for common purple eggplant and is often chopped and tossed into soups, curries, and stews, hollowed and stuffed with grains, vegetables, and ground meats, fried and covered in tomato-based sauces, or grilled as a savory side dish. Eggplants can also be cooked and mixed into pasta, blended into dips, sliced and layered into gratins, or baked into dishes such as ratatouille. Round eggplants pair well with fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, oregano, and coriander, cheeses such as parmesan, mozzarella, burrata, and cheddar, pine nuts, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, rice, pasta, and meats such as poultry, fish, turkey, and beef.

• Place uncut and unwashed eggplant in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator crisper where it will keep for a few days. If it is too large for the crisper, do not try to force it in; this will damage the skin and cause the eggplant to spoil and decay. Instead, place it on a shelf within the refrigerator.

• Roasted Eggplant

  Ingredients:

  1 eggplant
  kosher salt
  olive oil
  black pepper
  

  Instructions:

  1. Cut off ends of eggplant and slice into 1/3 inch rounds. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet. Lay the eggplant on the rack. Liberally sprinkle each side of the steaks with the salt and let the eggplant sit for 15 minutes.
     
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
     
  3. Rinse the eggplant under cool water and thoroughly pat dry with a towel.
     
  4. Arrange the eggplant and single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush both sides lightly with olive oil and a light sprinkle of black pepper.
     
  5. Roast the eggplant in the oven for 10 minutes. Flip and roast for an additional 10 minutes. Serve as desired.