The eggplant is immediately summer: grilled, fried, Parmesan, are one of the most common vegetables on the table in July and, more generally, summer.
What are the main features? Eggplants are very rich in minerals, especially potassium, phosphorus and magnesium and therefore help us replenish those we lose through sweating, which increases in summer. They also contain a good amount of vitamins, especially vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin K and vitamin J.
Eggplants are very rich in water, low in calories and a true mine of dietary fiber. They stimulate the production of bile and promote the control of cholesterolemia . Finally, like all purple-colored vegetables, they are rich in antioxidants.
There are different types of aubergines that are distinguished by their shape, which can be round and oval, and for the color, which goes from light lilac to very dark violet.
How to treat eggplant
To best enjoy aubergines, two of their characteristics must be kept in mind:
- They have a slightly bitter taste which, however, can be eliminated by pretreating them with coarse salt . Before cooking, they should be cut into slices (or according to the cut that the recipe requires) and covered with coarse salt. You can put them in a colander with a weight on them, so as to favor the elimination of the liquids responsible for the bitter taste and keep them for a while. Usually it is enough half an hour, but for safety better to keep an hour.
- Eggplants absorb a lot of oil, so pay attention to how the sauce is used otherwise you risk turning a low-calorie vegetable into a dish that is anything but light.
How to cook aubergines
Eggplants are also excellent when cooked simply, for example, grilled or cut into slices and left to cook on the baking tray with salt, oregano and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. A couple of recipes?
Eggplant stuffed with cheese
Ingredients for 4 people :
> 4 eggplants,
> 200 grams of scamorza or other stringy cheese,
> two slices of stale bread,
> chives,
> basil, salt, extra virgin olive oil.
Procedure : split the aubergines in half and prepare them with coarse salt. In this case, to eliminate the bitterness, it is advisable to cut the pulp into horizontal and vertical cuts and leave them in very cold water with coarse salt for at least half an hour; squeeze and rinse them.
Then put them in the oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. At this point, empty the pulp and prepare the filling with the inside of the aubergine, the cheese, the breadcrumbs and the finely chopped aromatic herbs.
Fill the aubergines, season with a drop of oil and cook in the oven, again at 180 degrees, for another 20/25 minutes. If the aubergines tend to burn on top, without being cooked, cover with baking paper and cook.
Messy macaroni with aubergines
Ingredients for 4 people :
> 2 rather large aubergines,
> a box of tomato pulp,
> basil, extra virgin olive oil, a clove of garlic, salt,
> breadcrumbs,
> cacioricotta,
> 320 grams of macaroni.
Preparation : wash the aubergines, cut them into cubes and pretreat them with salt. Fry a clove of garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil, remove the garlic, remove the pan from the heat, and add the aubergines. Let them sauté in the pan for one or two minutes and add the tomato pulp. Season with salt and cook for about 30/40 minutes.
When almost cooked, cook the pasta, which must remain very al dente. Drain the pasta and season with the eggplant sauce. Grease a baking dish with extra virgin olive oil and cover the bottom with breadcrumbs, add the macaroni seasoned with the eggplant sauce, finish with a nice sprinkling of bread crumbs and cacioricotta and bake at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.
