Radio România Internațional

Tag: eggplant

  • Eggplant dishes

    Eggplant dishes

    This time we invite you to try recipes involving eggplant, or, as they are known in British
    English, aubergines.




    The simplest of
    recipes is eggplant puree, which, for reasons unknown, is called ‘eggplant
    salad’ in Romanian. Pick a few medium sized eggplants and get ready a thin
    metal plate to set over the fire. Roast the eggplants, turning regularly to
    cook evenly.




    When they are
    cooked through, leave to drain to get rid of the bitter, dark juice. Carefully
    take out the pulp and mash into a paste. Be careful to use either a wooden
    instrument or a stainless steel knife, because the eggplant makes a chemical
    reaction with non-stainless steel, which ruins the dish. Mix in a bit of oil,
    salt to taste and a finely chopped onion.




    It is usually
    spread on bread, but you can also use carrot or celery sticks, as well as
    bread-sticks. The recipe came to Romania from the Middle East via the Ottoman
    Empire, but in the original Turkish recipe, garlic is used instead of onion. One
    variation, which is considered to be North African in origin, is to mix in
    slices of roasted red or bell pepper.






    That recipe also
    goes well with roasted and crushed cumin, and if you prefer hotter food, you
    can also mix in fresh or dried hot pepper. It is usually served with slices of
    tomato. One typical Middle Eastern dish based on eggplant puree is baba
    ganoush, in which humus is mixed into the paste, humus being the chickpea puree
    that is eaten at almost every meal from North Africa to India.


    Enjoy!

  • Eggplant dishes

    Eggplant dishes

    This time we invite you to try recipes involving eggplant, or, as they are known in British
    English, aubergines.




    The simplest of
    recipes is eggplant puree, which, for reasons unknown, is called ‘eggplant
    salad’ in Romanian. Pick a few medium sized eggplants and get ready a thin
    metal plate to set over the fire. Roast the eggplants, turning regularly to
    cook evenly.




    When they are
    cooked through, leave to drain to get rid of the bitter, dark juice. Carefully
    take out the pulp and mash into a paste. Be careful to use either a wooden
    instrument or a stainless steel knife, because the eggplant makes a chemical
    reaction with non-stainless steel, which ruins the dish. Mix in a bit of oil,
    salt to taste and a finely chopped onion.




    It is usually
    spread on bread, but you can also use carrot or celery sticks, as well as
    bread-sticks. The recipe came to Romania from the Middle East via the Ottoman
    Empire, but in the original Turkish recipe, garlic is used instead of onion. One
    variation, which is considered to be North African in origin, is to mix in
    slices of roasted red or bell pepper.






    That recipe also
    goes well with roasted and crushed cumin, and if you prefer hotter food, you
    can also mix in fresh or dried hot pepper. It is usually served with slices of
    tomato. One typical Middle Eastern dish based on eggplant puree is baba
    ganoush, in which humus is mixed into the paste, humus being the chickpea puree
    that is eaten at almost every meal from North Africa to India.


    Enjoy!

  • Cooking Show – eggplant dishes

    Cooking Show – eggplant dishes

    The simplest of recipes is eggplant puree, which, for reasons unknown, is called ‘eggplant salad’ in Romanian. Pick a few medium sized eggplants and get ready a thin metal plate to set over the fire. Roast the eggplants, turning regularly to cook evenly.



    When they are cooked through, leave to drain to get rid of the bitter, dark juice. Carefully take out the pulp and mash into a paste. Be careful to use either a wooden instrument or a stainless steel knife, because the eggplant makes a chemical reaction with non-stainless steel, which ruins the dish. Mix in a bit of oil, salt to taste and a finely chopped onion.



    It is usually spread on bread, but you can also use carrot or celery sticks, as well as breadsticks. The recipe came to Romania from the Middle East via the Ottoman Empire, but in the original Turkish recipe, garlic is used instead of onion. One variation, which is considered to be North African in origin, is to mix in slices of roasted red or bell pepper.



    That recipe also goes well with roasted and crushed cumin, and if you prefer hotter food, you can also mix in fresh or dried hot pepper. It is usually served with slices of tomato. One typical Middle Eastern dish based on eggplant puree is baba ganoush, in which humus is mixed into the paste, humus being the chickpea puree that is eaten at almost every meal from North Africa to India.




  • Eggplant dishes

    Eggplant dishes

    The eggplants grilled over charcoals or in the oven can easily be made into a paste or filling for other vegetables. Sliced and roasted in a pan, filled and baked in the oven, with various sauces, eggplants can make delicious starters or main dishes. Eggplants were introduced into the Romanian cuisine during the Ottoman expansion in Europe. Moreover, the Turks have brought to the Balkan region various recipes for preparing eggplants, as well as common names of such dishes, such as the moussaka.



    The eggplant paste is an excellent starter for the summer season. Here is the recipe. Choose medium-sized eggplants as regular in shape as possible, to be easy to cook on a hotplate. Wash and dry the eggplants, then grill over high heat, turning regularly as each side blackens. When they are cooked, leave the charred eggplants to drain to get rid of the bitter, dark juice. Then scoop the eggplant pulp into a bowl and mash well with a wooden or stainless steel fork; you can also use a mixer until the mixture turns into paste. Mix in a bit of oil, one finely chopped onion and salt to taste. Serve cold decorated with tomato slices.



    You can also mix the eggplant paste with boiled squash paste or with mayonnaise and a little garlic sauce. The eggplant paste can also be used as filling for other types of starters such as eggplant paste-filled tomatoes and peppers.



    Battered eggplants are another starter that needs little time to prepare. For this recipe you need fresh eggplants. Wash and peel the eggplants, cut them into rounds, add some salt and leave to drain. Dredge each slice of eggplant into flour coating thoroughly, then fry in oil. The fried eggplant rounds can be served hot or cold, with garlic and basil sauce sprinkled on them.



    As for eggplant dishes, one of the most widespread is the moussaka, cooked in the oven and made of layers of eggplant, your choice of meat (pork, beef or lamb) and tomatoes. You can also use eggplants to make an exclusively vegetarian dish, which in Romania has also preserved its Turkish name, imambayaldî, which literally means “the imam has fainted”. This dish is also prepared in the oven, with the eggplants filled with a mixture of sautéed vegetables including tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic. Enjoy!