Eggplant contains many useful substances: salts of calcium, phosphorus and iron, carotene, B vitamins, vitamin P, ascorbic acid. Especially a lot of potassium in them - thanks to this, eggplant is recommended for use by cores. Their calorie content is only 24 kcal per 100 grams of weight, so they, like many other vegetables, are indicated for obesity. In addition, eggplants benefit patients with atherosclerosis, normalizing cholesterol levels in the body, and fiber contained in their pulp helps to cope with constipation.
Eggplant dishes take pride of place in the national cuisine of many peoples. They can be stewed, boiled and fried, baked in the oven, and also included in other dishes. There are many recipes and winter preparations of these vegetables. So that they retain their useful substances during cooking, do not add a large amount of fat, spices and salt to eggplant dishes.
To prepare the most famous dish, classic eggplant caviar, vegetables (1 kg) are pre-baked whole in the oven. The cooled eggplant is peeled, the pulp is ground or chopped in a meat grinder or blender. 300 g of onion and the same amount of sweet pepper, cut into small cubes, are fried separately. When they are browned, add 300 g of chopped tomatoes without skin, and after 5-7 minutes - eggplant "gruel". Stew together for about 10 minutes, then add finely chopped herbs and garlic, sugar, salt and vinegar to taste. Stew for another 7 minutes, after which the caviar is ready. This recipe is also suitable for winter preparations: after removing from heat, caviar can be laid out in half-liter jars, sterilized for 15-20 minutes and closed with airtight lids. This eggplant recipe is affordable and easy to use, and therefore extremely popular with housewives.
The next way to cook these vegetables is to stuff them. Eggplant is washed, cut lengthwise and a teaspoon is removed from them. For five minutes, they dip the vegetables in boiling water, take out a slotted spoon, allow to drain. Eggplant is stuffed with minced meat - for this, for example, fried mushrooms, carrots stewed with onions and ground meat are suitable. Vegetables are laid on a baking sheet, poured with sour cream or greased with mayonnaise and baked for about an hour. Dishes from eggplant stuffed with various mixes are very tasty, in addition, baking allows you to save the beneficial properties of eggplant pulp. Stuffed eggplants can also be preserved: at the same time they are filled with a mixture of fried carrots and onions with the addition of garlic, white roots, herbs and salt (to taste). Pre vegetables are boiled in salt water for about half an hour, then filled with vegetable filling and bandaged crosswise with a thread. They should be tightly packed in jars, sprinkled with crushed garlic and salt. Sterilized sunflower oil is poured on top and oppressed. Such a blank is stored only in the cellar. Eggplant dishes intended for storage at room temperature must be sterilized.
Very tasty and healthy is the traditional Greek dish - eggplant moussaka. For its preparation, two small carrots, a head of onion and one bell pepper are crushed, fried in oil. Eggplant sliced in rings (four pieces) are fried on both sides. After that, they take refractory dishes and lay the vegetables in it, pouring with a mixture of onions, carrots and pepper and salt to taste. From above everything is poured with eggs whipped with mayonnaise (two eggs, two tablespoons of mayonnaise), and sprinkled with grated cheese. Musaka is baked in the oven for about half an hour at a temperature of 150 degrees.
There are a lot of recipes for eggplant dishes , and it is not possible to describe them all in one article. Among them are both familiar and quite exotic: eggplant rolls with avocado, eggplant with fish, lamb or beans, and even lean eggplant sushi with bell pepper! Little secret: so that eggplant dishes are not bitter, chopped vegetables should first be sprinkled with salt, and rinse before cooking. You can just soak them for a while in salt water.