I’ve hated eggplant since infancy, I swear, so the fact that you’re seeing little baked/fried matchsticks of eggplant right now is just crazy business. But here we are…just looking at eggplant.

The shift happened a few weeks ago when I went to my favorite vegan restaurant, which I sort of hate. I like/hate this restaurant. I sort of hate it and I sort of love it. This place is like no other restaurant I’ve ever been to. Each dish is an affirmation. Hold the phone, let me explain.

Every dish’s name is an affirmation. A vegan BLT isn’t just a vegan BLT, it’s actually a “I Am Humble.” So, in order for you to place your order you have to look at the server and say, “I would like the ‘I AM GORGEOUS’” and then the server looks at you and says, “YOU are gorgeous.”

This is when I vom. After you’re done ordering they tell you the philosophical question of the day. This is when (internally, of course!) I’m all like, Dude, listen, can you just give me my damn cashew cream, raw cold-ass vegan enchilada thing without talking to me about my inner spirituality and positivity or whatever, because seriously now I AM ANNOYED.

Okay so, why do I go back? Because it’s the best vegan food I’ve ever had. Ever! They served me an eggplant sandwich, which I ordered out of pure curiosity, knowing very well I hated the stuff. I figured if anybody could prepare an inherently gross vegetable in an awesome manner it was them. And I was soooo right.

Eggplant gets a bad rap. Mainly because eggplants can be bitter and slimy.

The eggplant I had at my love/hate restaurant was neither.

After a ton of eggplant research I found some solutions to both problems.

Slimy problem: People cook eggplant for too long. It should be cooked in the oven for about 20 minutes, max. It should be soft, but not, like, mushy and slimy.

Bitter problem: Salting the eggplant before and letting it stand for 25 minutes cures this. Salting the eggplant not only takes out the water and makes the eggplant firmer, but the salt actually suppresses the bitterness. (Here’s the NY Times bit I found that explains it further. Pretty interesting.)

Also, when buying eggplant, try to go for recently picked, young eggplants. Look for ones with fresh looking green tops and that are firm to the touch.

I prepared these eggplant two ways: fried and baked. Obviously the fried tasted better. I mean, that’s a no-brainer, but I know that most of the human population hates frying things, so I figured I’d try it both ways.

I’ve included directions for both below. Disclaimer: The baked fries won’t be totally golden brown. Most of the ones pictured are fried. There’s a paler one mixed in there–that’s the baked one. But no biggie! You choose. You’re the boss!

And since every type of fry needs a dipping sauce, I whipped up this super-quick and easy sorta spicy tomato sauce. I did this all while a batch of fries were baking.

Like vegetable fries? Me too. Here’s a few more that are on this blog:

Zucchini Fries

Portobello Fries

Polenta Fries (not really a vegetable, but you know, whatever.)

Baked Green Bean Fries

Avocado Fries

Cornmeal Crusted Eggplant Fries

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Eggplant Fries:
1 eggplant, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 large eggs, beaten

Quick Tomato Sauce:
1/4 yellow onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves
1 (14-ounce) can of diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt

To bake the fries:

1. Lay eggplant matchsticks, in a single layer, on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and let stand for 25 minutes. At the 25-minute mark, pat dry with paper towels.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, crushed red pepper, garlic powder and oregano. Crack two eggs in a small bowl and beat.

3. One by one, dip the eggplant sticks in the beaten eggs, and transfer to the bread crumb mixture, being sure to coat the eggplant thoroughly. Place the bread crumb covered eggplant on a baking sheet and bake for 20-23 minutes, flipping them at the 15 minute mark.

To fry:

1. In a cast iron skillet, add enough vegetable oil so it reaches about 3 inches up the sides. Heat oil to 350 degrees F. Gently transfer bread crumb coated eggplant to the hot oil and fry on each side for about a minute, or until golden brown. Using tongs, take them out of the oil and place on a bed of paper towels to drain.

For tomato sauce:

1. To make the tomato sauce, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet. Throw in diced onion, and cook until translucent, about 7 minutes. Place garlic atop onions and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the can of diced tomato and stir. Add the crushed red pepper and oregano. Next, salt to taste. Bring tomato mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until mixture is reduced. Carefully add to a blender and blend until sorta smooth, about 30 seconds. Serve with eggplant fries.

Meatballs are kinda of awesome. What’s not awesome is deciding you really don’t want to eat meat anymore, and forgetting that meatballs are sort of included in that category. I needed to find a substitute. One that wouldn’t make me miss my Mom’s beefy ones, which truly, is a nearly impossible feat. When I searched for recipes, most of them seemed to end up using bread crumbs as the base and the idea of eating a bowl of pasta with bread balls on it is just nutritionally unappealing, regardless of how good they might taste.

However, over the holidays I visited my old stomping ground, The Saluda Grade Café, which I once worked at as a waitress, and was pleasantly surprised to see eggplant meatballs had been added to the menu. I took my first taste and could feel the clouds part and the heavens singing – these were what I had been looking for! I begged Kaye, the owner, for the recipe but she wasn’t able to give it to me. I can’t tell you why but trust me that I begged and pleaded to the best of my ability, all to no avail. So instead, I went on a mission.

Oh man, success tastes so good. These meatballs are flavorful and a great addition to a plate of pasta. I also wouldn’t be opposed to using them in meatball sub as well. Or just eating them by themselves on a toothpick. Anything meatball-appropriate will work just fine.

Eggplant “Meat”balls

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My original plan was to fry these, but at the last minute I decided to bake them. That’s why you see them covered in bread crumbs, since that would have been frying-appropriate, but I’m going to omit that step the next time I make these.

2 large eggplants, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
4 slices day-old bread
1 egg
½ cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Lay the eggplant out on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 30 minutes, or until they have turned golden brown.  Remove from the oven and turn heat down to 350 degrees F.

Grind the bread slices in the food processor until they’re broken into bread crumbs. Remove about ¼ of the crumbs and set aside. To the processor add in the roasted eggplant and egg and grind together until the mixture becomes a fairly smooth paste. Now add the garlic, cheese and parsley. Pulse to combine. If the mixture is too runny add in more of the additional bread crumbs until it becomes something you can mold.

Form the mixture into small balls and place on a baking sheet. Cook in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through (I split one open just to test).

Serve as you would normal meatballs: over pasta, in a sub or on a toothpick.

Happy New Year everyone! I have to say, it was a little hard to say good-bye to 2009. It’s been a good year; Adrianna and I started this blog, which is awesome. I got a Kitchen Aid standing mixer, which is super awesome, and Chase and I are engaged, which…well, it goes without saying how amazing that is. But nonetheless, I’m ready for 2010. I only hope that it realized how big the shoes are that it has to fill after these last 12 months.

Although I’m hoping for 2010 to be a big, exciting year, right now I just need a break. I’ve spent two weeks traveling, eating, hanging out with friends, eating, showing off my ring on my unfortunately un-manicured hand, eating, re-packing my suitcase 10 times, and… eating. At the end of it all, I’m tired and don’t think I can handle too much more, except that I’m actually still hungry. I could definitely do some more eating.

This recipe is my contribution to the list of “go-tos” slowly being accumulated on our site. It’s a simple pasta sauce made from tomatoes and eggplant that literally couldn’t be easier to make. You just roast some vegetables in the oven, then throw all the ingredients in the food processor and let it do all the work for you. I will admit that it isn’t the most attractive meal to eat, but don’t let that keep you from giving it a try. Make 2010 a little easier on yourself and add this to your recipe list, trust me.

Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

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This recipe in it’s entirety is absolutely delicious, but I’ll confess that I have made it before without the mint or pine nuts and it was still wonderful. If you don’t happen to have either of those on hand don’t sweat it. Also, I never add pasta water or oil to the sauce once it’s in the food processor as the original suggests, because I like a really thick sauce. However, if you want a thinner sauce, either of those ingredients should do the trick.

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, whole
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. On the baking sheet, combine the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Smooth the vegetables out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden, about 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid (optional).

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor. Add the torn mint leaves and the pine nuts and puree the vegetables. Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl with the pasta and add the parmesan. Stir to combine, adding the pasta cooking liquid (optional) 1/2 cup at a time until the pasta is saucy.