Actually a fruit, the dark, purple glossy skinned eggplant comes in many shapes and sizes. The Italian or baby eggplant is a smaller slightly more delicately flavored version of its larger North American cousin. Eggplant is very versatile; you can fry it, grill it, bake it and use it in every single course. But don't let it sit too long. An aging eggplant is a bitter eggplant. To remove the bitterness from eggplants: place salt over the sliced eggplant and let them sit over a colander for half hour or so. This sweats out the bitterness. Rinse them and pat them dry and they're good to go. |
