At a birthday dinner last week, a pool of satiny, smoky eggplant pried my attention from an otherwise lively conversation. The dish was unassuming, dolloped with a bit of yogurt and a smattering of scallions and herbs. But my eyes ballooned cartoonishly with each bite, this slump of olive oil-drenched, simply seasoned pulp a redheaded bombshell to my Tex Avery wolf.
It was none other than Gabrielle Hamilton’s smoky eggplant. Her method, which she wrote about for The Times Magazine in 2020, is one for all of our back pockets with a variety of eggplants holding court at waning summer markets.
“You take the whole fat globe eggplant, and you set it directly on the burner grate on the stovetop,” Gabrielle writes. “Set the gas flame to high and scorch it. The skin forms a carbonized black bark — the kind that would usually signal ruin — while the flesh inside steams and softens until it collapses to silken and rather smoky perfection. While the eggplant cools after its scorching, a viscous liquid as dark as brewed coffee collects in the bowl, which steeps the interior fruit in its smokiness.”
She strains the liquid, spoons the cooked eggplant out of its charred skin and finishes it with fruity olive oil, salt and lemon. I’d stop there and eat it over grilled bread (or, frankly, with a spoon), but you could go so far as to make it into filling for Gabrielle’s crispy eggplant croquettes, a hearty preparation for when the temperatures dip. Or turn the supermarket staple globe eggplant into planks for Eric Kim’s eggplant Parmesan, or Lidey Heuck’s eggplant lasagna.
Similarly cozy is Kay Chun’s eggplant Bolognese, best with Italian eggplant and earthy with mushroom stock and finely chopped mushrooms. You can make it vegan if you toss the pasta with two tablespoons of plant-based butter or olive oil and skip the Parm finish. Though her vegan eggplant adobo, tangy and showered with basil, is a touch better suited to how I want to eat right now. Just like the final weeks of summer, it’s bittersweet.
Borani Banjan (Afghan-style Eggplant in Yogurt)
With more slender Japanese eggplant or adorably stout Indian eggplant, Zainab Shah’s five-star borani banjan (above) is in order. An Afghan-style dish, it is a stunning exercise in contrasts: cooling garlicky yogurt, savory eggplant, soft and sweet tomato and vibrant pomegranate seeds and mint.
Another great use for Japanese eggplant? (Or Chinese or Korean eggplant?) Eric’s gochujang -glazed eggplant. Come for the sweet, sticky and spicy lavender spears, and stay for the crispy scallions and their oil.
The day before the birthday dinner I attended, a reader, Yvonne, happened to email me requesting eggplant recipes. “This is when they are finally ready to pick in my garden and abundant at the farmers’ market,” she wrote. While I don’t know what variety she’s growing, I do know that most any eggplant would be delicious in Nargisse Benkabbou’s zaalouk, the scoopable, spreadable Moroccan salad in which tomatoes are also key. And with some of the best tomatoes of the year, to boot? I’d hit myself over the head with a hammer for that.
Eggplant Lasagna
Eggplant Adobo
Zaalouk (Eggplant and Tomato Salad)
One More Thing!
First, a quick request of my fellow New Yorkers: Just how vegetarian-friendly are the city’s restaurants? My colleague Priya Krishna, now an interim restaurant critic at The Times, wants to hear about your experiences dining out to inform her reporting. Do you think meatless options have improved (or worsened) over the years? Share your perspective with her by filling out this form.
Second, a note for Cooking subscribers everywhere: We’re turning 10! To celebrate a decade of Cooking, we’re giving subscribers unlimited gift recipes for September. Just tap the “Give” icon on any recipe to create a paywall-free link to share with friends and family.
And lastly, a helpful list for those with busy schedules, a.k.a. everyone, everywhere: Check out Emily Weinstein’s latest Weeknight 100, a collection of breezy recipes to ease you into back-to-school season. Close to half the selection is meatless.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
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