Need a creative use for eggplant

I would be interested too! I am always trying to figure out something to do with my eggplants ( I grow it every year).

i can give you the indo-caribbean version of baba ganoush if you want....the taste varies imo - you need to put mine on an open flame though, not the oven... let me know if you're interested.

I could eat this everyday for lunch...you will need:

Eggplant
Roasted red peppers (in the jar) - diced up small
Mozzarella cheese (I use the fresh kind that you find in the deli area - just dice up small a serving)
Balsamic vinegar

Peel eggplant and slice somewhat thin. Place on cookie sheet and put in oven (temp 400) and cook about 5 mins (until they are just starting to get brown and you can see the steam coming off them). Remove from oven and top with red peppers and mozzarella cheese. Put under the broiler until cheese is melted and bubbly. Once out of the oven, put a small amount of balsamic vinegar on each piece. Enjoy!!

Variation: Use fresh diced tomatoes instead of roasted peppers

AND...the best part is - you can eat the whole pan, and not feel guiltily in the least!

you need: eggplant, a small onion, garlic, a pepper (like a habanero), salt, salted fish (optional)

it's called roasted baigan or baigan choka ( sounds like choke-uh). you need probably about 5 cloves of garlic if it's a medium sized eggplant. peel the garlic, make small incisions in spots going around your eggplant and insert a clove in each. don't make the incision too big or as the baigan roasts the oils will leak out and you'll lose the flavour.

the best way to roast it is on an open flame or over coals, you actually get more of the roasted flavour than the oven - what i do is remove the little grill from on the burner on my stove...put some foil around the base of the burner (the oils can leak and make a mess) and replace the grill. you can actually put the baigan on the grill (this is the way my indian great grandmother did it up until she died!) and roast it there. you'll need to turn it over every now and then and depending on the size, shift it so that all of the eggplant sits on the fire at some point.

you'll know when it needs to be turned or shifted because the eggplant will get very wrinkly and collapse on itself - you want this to happen, so don't panic and move it before it does. it WILL smell like it's burning...it should! when it's finished (everywhere is wrinkly and squishy) remove it from the fire and like baba ganoush, split it open and scrape out the insides.

at this point you want to crush what you have removed so that the garlic and the eggplant become like a paste. chop half the onion and blend it. cut half the pepper as well...do not blend that!

in a pot - preferrably cast iron if you have one - heat a table spoon of olive oil, throw in the eggplant, add the onion and the pepper and fry, turning regularly so that they mix well. add salt to taste (warning - if you do not add enough salt, it will be bitter) this process is known as chunkay (rhymes with lay).

the optional part is the salted fish - you can cut a piece about an inch square and roast that on the fire as well, when it's cooked, shred it and mix it in to the eggplant. if you choose to do this use much less salt when you chunkay the eggplant or you will have a problem!

hope it comes out as it should! i'm full of caribbean recipes if you guys are ever looking for alternatives.

there's a great way to do a similar dish to this with tomatoes as well!

I toss mine sliced with zucchini, and then 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp balsamic and grill on the BBQ until it's got nice grill marks. I usually load a whole bunch onto a wrap or 1/2 of a foccacia bun whenever my family is having grilled meat, or I use it as a side to grilled chicken with a salad. Easy and tasty, especially if you are going to be using the grill anyway.