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Eggplant Sautéed with Balsamic Vinegar
By Charlie Burke
Click here for printer-friendly version of this recipe
We grew thin oriental eggplant this year. Perhaps the wet spring and
subsequent heat combined for a bumper crop; for whatever reason, we
enjoyed them throughout the second half of the summer. They were sweet
and needed none of the salting and draining suggested in most recipes for
eggplant, which I think are needed only for large and over ripe fruit. Buy
fresh, locally grown eggplant. You will know it has been recently picked if
there are sharp needle-like spikes near the stem.
A friend said she loves eggplant but has only two time consuming recipes for
its preparation: eggplant Parmesan and stuffed eggplant. I find no reason to
treat this delicious vegetable differently from any other. It can be steamed
like carrots and beets or sautéed in oil or butter as are potatoes, zucchini or
squash. Its great flavor goes well with lamb, beef, poultry or pork, and
vegetarians know it makes a meal with rice, salad and bread.
A few years ago we rented a house in Lucca, which is northern Tuscany. We
traveled to Modena where balsamic vinegar is made and bought bottles of
twelve and twenty-five year old balsamic vinegar for ourselves and for
family. These have a mellow, caramel like flavor and a sweetness not found
in other vinegars, and, reduced in a sauté pan, can bring vegetables to new
levels. In many gourmet food stores an array of aged balsamic vinegar are
sold, but one can buy less expensive balsamic vinegars and approximate the
flavor of the more expensive vinegars by heating them and adding one to two
tablespoons of dark brown sugar to a cup of industrial balsamic vinegar.
Four vegetable sides:
8 small or 2 larger eggplants
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Sea salt or kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Slice small eggplants lengthwise in half; larger eggplants should be cut
crosswise. Lightly salt and pepper the slices and heat a sauté pan over
medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan, and when it shimmers add
eggplant. Add balsamic vinegar. Lower heat to medium and cook, covered,
until eggplant is slightly soft.
Serve the eggplant hot with a main course or at room temperature with a
salad or as and appetizer. The sweetness of the reduced vinegar, combined
with the mellow eggplant results in an intensely flavored late summer New
England dish.
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice president
of the New Hampshire Farmer'sMarket Association, president of the NH
Farm to Restaurant Connection and helps run the Sanbornton (NH) Farmers'
Market. Along with his wife, Joanne, Charlie grows certified organic herbs,
greens and berries at Weather Hill Farm in Sanbornton, NH.
By Charlie Burke
Click here for printer-friendly version of this recipe
We grew thin oriental eggplant this year. Perhaps the wet spring and
subsequent heat combined for a bumper crop; for whatever reason, we
enjoyed them throughout the second half of the summer. They were sweet
and needed none of the salting and draining suggested in most recipes for
eggplant, which I think are needed only for large and over ripe fruit. Buy
fresh, locally grown eggplant. You will know it has been recently picked if
there are sharp needle-like spikes near the stem.
A friend said she loves eggplant but has only two time consuming recipes for
its preparation: eggplant Parmesan and stuffed eggplant. I find no reason to
treat this delicious vegetable differently from any other. It can be steamed
like carrots and beets or sautéed in oil or butter as are potatoes, zucchini or
squash. Its great flavor goes well with lamb, beef, poultry or pork, and
vegetarians know it makes a meal with rice, salad and bread.
A few years ago we rented a house in Lucca, which is northern Tuscany. We
traveled to Modena where balsamic vinegar is made and bought bottles of
twelve and twenty-five year old balsamic vinegar for ourselves and for
family. These have a mellow, caramel like flavor and a sweetness not found
in other vinegars, and, reduced in a sauté pan, can bring vegetables to new
levels. In many gourmet food stores an array of aged balsamic vinegar are
sold, but one can buy less expensive balsamic vinegars and approximate the
flavor of the more expensive vinegars by heating them and adding one to two
tablespoons of dark brown sugar to a cup of industrial balsamic vinegar.
Four vegetable sides:
8 small or 2 larger eggplants
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Sea salt or kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Slice small eggplants lengthwise in half; larger eggplants should be cut
crosswise. Lightly salt and pepper the slices and heat a sauté pan over
medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan, and when it shimmers add
eggplant. Add balsamic vinegar. Lower heat to medium and cook, covered,
until eggplant is slightly soft.
Serve the eggplant hot with a main course or at room temperature with a
salad or as and appetizer. The sweetness of the reduced vinegar, combined
with the mellow eggplant results in an intensely flavored late summer New
England dish.
About the author:
An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice president
of the New Hampshire Farmer'sMarket Association, president of the NH
Farm to Restaurant Connection and helps run the Sanbornton (NH) Farmers'
Market. Along with his wife, Joanne, Charlie grows certified organic herbs,
greens and berries at Weather Hill Farm in Sanbornton, NH.
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