tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on May 2, 2018 18:50:14 GMT 10
I have about 5.5 kg eggplant to do something with. Any suggestions?
Thinking I might fry some to freeze for pizza and then dehydrate the rest for casseroles etc. Not sure about the dehydrating though - anyone dehydrated eggplant?
I don’t have a lot of time in the next couple of days so can’t do anything too complex.
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Post by Peter on May 2, 2018 20:14:41 GMT 10
I'd be tempted to guess that freezing & thawing eggplant turns it to mush; it's probably best to use frozen eggplant for Baba ghanoush or something similar.
I've never tried dehydrating it, but one of my preservation books suggests 4 minutes of blanching before dehydrating. This is optional; if not blanched the colour may darken. I don't know about you, but 4 minutes in my kitchen is what we call "cooking", not blanching.
Another book on the the topic suggests dehydrating removes the need to salt eggplant (to reduce bitterness), but I'm not convinced. It states 125F, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick maximum, 10-12 hours drying time. If not peeled, blanch the whole eggplant for 15 seconds then cooling in an ice bath before cutting up and dehydrating.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on May 2, 2018 21:02:36 GMT 10
I'd be tempted to guess that freezing & thawing eggplant turns it to mush; it's probably best to use frozen eggplant for Baba ghanoush or something similar. I've never tried dehydrating it, but one of my preservation books suggests 4 minutes of blanching before dehydrating. This is optional; if not blanched the colour may darken. I don't know about you, but 4 minutes in my kitchen is what we call "cooking", not blanching. Another book on the the topic suggests dehydrating removes the need to salt eggplant (to reduce bitterness), but I'm not convinced. It states 125F, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick maximum, 10-12 hours drying time. If not peeled, blanch the whole eggplant for 15 seconds then cooling in an ice bath before cutting up and dehydrating. I think we may have the same books! I was thinking of doing the 15 sec blanch whole then slicing. Not sure how I’ll use dehydrated eggplant later though. Perhaps I should dehydrate the lot so I have enough to experiment. I guess even if it isn’t much use for other things it will work for baba ghanoush. Would be great if it could go straight on a pizza. I’ve frozen fried eggplant before - vac sealed small bags with nice pizza/pasta topping mix - eggplant, grilled capsicum, fried onions with garlic and dried tomato strips (just from a jar). It was very convenient for a quick pizza and worked well. (Perhaps a bit off topic for a prep forum.) |
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Post by Peter on May 2, 2018 21:09:38 GMT 10
I think it's right in line for a prep forum; making the best use of food we have at hand is exactly what we're about IMO. I'm interested to learn that freezing *fried* eggplant works.
On the dehydration topic, once I get over the flu I hope to dehydrate a variety of veggies (carrot, celery, onion, kale, spinach, etc, etc, etc) and blitz them into powder. My theory is I can put a tablespoon or two into soups, stews, sauces, curries, even smoothies to boost the nutrient content. Heck, mix it into home-made pasta or stir through rice if it gets more veggies into the kids...
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on May 2, 2018 21:14:16 GMT 10
I think it's right in line for a prep forum; making the best use of food we have at hand is exactly what we're about IMO. I'm interested to learn that freezing *fried* eggplant I’m not sure if it goes mushier than usual as I like it pretty soft, but it certainly works for my purposes. |
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on May 2, 2018 21:16:52 GMT 10
On the dehydration topic, once I get over the flu I hope to dehydrate a variety of veggies (carrot, celery, onion, kale, spinach, etc, etc, etc) and blitz them into powder. My theory is I can put a tablespoon or two into soups, stews, sauces, curries, even smoothies to boost the nutrient content. Heck, mix it into home-made pasta or stir through rice if it gets more veggies into the kids... Hope your flu gets better quickly. Shame you don’t have some dehydrated veggie powder now to mix with hot water/good stock for a nutrient rich, healing veggie soup! |
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Post by Peter on May 2, 2018 21:23:48 GMT 10
Ah, but I have proper bone broth in the freezer... I'm extremely proud of the broths I make. Full of minerals, gelatine, collagen, and other good stuff. And gutsy flavours, too.
Just add a few basic ingredients and they become an awesome meal. Yesterday I had Phở made with some amazing beef broth, today I had chicken broth with fresh herbs added at the last moment.
One of my many projects I have planned is pressure canning bone broth. It's on the list...
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Post by spinifex on May 4, 2018 18:17:24 GMT 10
Char grill slices and pack in olive oil. Yum!
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