eggplant and spaghetti squash

[lisadallasr]

hi everyone, ok i just need some help here. i bought an eggplant and the one time i tried it i did not like it but i think it was the recipe, so i was thinking of roasting it, just need to know what do i do, do i scrape the insides out or what. I also bought some spaghettie squash and have no clue where to start with that, i was just going to try some parmesan cheese and black pepper and salt with it but i have no idea what to do with it as far as cooking or cutting it open. thank you in advance for any suggestions!!!!

[sallyseachange]

Re: eggplant and spaghetti squash

Eggplant parmigiana is great.

Fry eggplant slices (or for a lighter parmigiana buy the ready grilled frozen ones). In a good sized, oiled oven pan, layer the slices alternating with eggplant, tomato sauce (just simple tomato and garlic sauce), drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, chopped mozzarella cheese and a bit of grated parmesan. Do at least three layers, ending with mozzarella and parmesan (a bit more parmesan than in the middle).

Bake in a medium/hottish oven for about 40/45 mins. The top should be nice and coloured... or you can pop it under the grill.

This freezes well. It's also better the following day, after the flavours have mingled.

Some recipes give the eggplant slices as being breaded and fried, but I think this is Sicilian. Most of Italy just prepare it as I've described.

Italians eat it warm, not boiling hot.

[HeidiE]

Re: eggplant and spaghetti squash

if you want to roast it take the eggplant poke holes in it (or it will go off like a shotgun in there) roast until soft ..scoop out the insides and then mix with fresh garlic salt pepper and some sour cream ..makes a wonderful dip or side dish ...

spaghetti squash I dont care for but there are tons of recipes around here for it ..basically you cut it in half put cut side down on a baking sheet back it bake until tender and scrape out the strings

[julirama723]

Re: eggplant and spaghetti squash

Lisa, you can also do spaghetti squash in the microwave (Heidi is probably gasping in horror right now ) which is much quicker than the oven. I LOVE spaghetti squash and I eat it 3 ways:
1) Topped with butter, ground pepper, parmesan cheese <---induction legal.
2) Topped with tomato/spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese <---legal at rung 1, veggies.
3) Topped with chicken/broccoli alfredo <---this is the BEST one of all! However, with the amount of alfredo sauce you'd be using, this is legal at Rung 2, dairy.

[not2late]

Re: eggplant and spaghetti squash

I like to peel eggplant and cut it into cubes. Then I pan fry the cubes on all sides until they are golden brown. Then I add other vegetables to it, like onions, zucchini, sweet peppers, garlic, etc. Tomatoes are good in this too. I sprinkle the whole thing with fresh chopped herbs and a fruity olive oil. This mixture can be eaten hot, warm or cold as a side dish. It can be used as a filling for omelettes, or stuffing for chicken breast or pork chops.

If you don't want to mess with pany frying, then peel and cube the eggplant, toss it with olive oil, along with zucchini, sweet peppers, tomatoes, green beans, onions, etc. Spread it in a shallow baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes stirring it every so often to prevent burning. Remove from the oven and immediately add fresh choppe garlic and olive oil. Toss and allow to cool.

You can also use eggplant slices in lasagna: peel and slice the eggplant into about 1/4 inch slices. Arrange the slices in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet. Lightly oil the tops of the eggplant. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is softened. Remove from oven and cool. Then assemble the lasagna, using the eggplant slices in place of noodles.

[lisadallasr]

Re: eggplant and spaghetti squash

ok dont want to sound dumb here i really appreciate all the advice but here is my questions ok first one the eggplant do you eat the outside or just the inside, i think the last time i made this it just was icky looking to me and then i scraped the insides out and mixed it in my mixture that i stuffed it with but i just did not care for it but do not want to give up on it quite yet so im trying to figure it a different way of making it, so thats the first question, oh yeah when you all say cube it do i just do the inside or the outside as well.
2nd question, the spaghetti squash, when i get done cooking it i just scrape the insides and mix it with whatever im making for it correct so the outside of that is off limits to im taking it and what taste does it resemble if any.

[julirama723]

Re: eggplant and spaghetti squash

Spaghetti squash--make sure you remove the seeds and nasties (like you would when you carve a pumpkin) before scraping the flesh out. Don't eat the rind, just scrape out the flesh and it naturally shreds into strings, and looks similar to spaghetti. It has a sweet, somewhat crunchy flavor. It doesn't taste like spaghetti at all--I think it tastes better!

[not2late]

Re: eggplant and spaghetti squash

Eggplant has a thin skin....it's edible. But some people (me included) don't like it that much so I peel it away using a potato peeler.

The skin of the spaghetti squash is very tough. You'll have a hard time eating and digesting that!

This link shows you how to prepare eggplant and spaghetti squash:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to...s-cooking7.htm

This one is about spaghetti squash:
http://www.fabulousfoods.com/feature...pagsquash.html


There's a good book called Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka. See if you can borrow it from your public library---it goes through preparations of various vegetables.

[HeidiE]

Re: eggplant and spaghetti squash

I peel the big eggplants and leave the skins on the the small thin Japanese eggplants
you can use a potato peeler to get the skin off them

spaghetti squash ...I wish I liked the stuff but I can not get beyond it being stringy squash...even curried ....

[HeidiE]

Re: eggplant and spaghetti squash

whoops Megs said the potato peeler part