When I think of eggplant I am reminded of the eggplant parmesan my mother use to make. The eggplant was cut into thick slices, cooked in oil then baked in the oven smothered with tomato sauce and thick slices of mozzarella cheese. I don't really remember the flavour of the eggplant, but the gooey cheese was pretty tasty.
What I find so delicious about roasting eggplant in the oven is with just a few ingredients you can really taste the sweet and smoky flavours that magically happen in just about 30 minutes. How to eat: scoop out the eggplant and spread on a warm baguette or use as a dip for veggies. I love the heat of the peppers, but be careful it can be hard to judge how spicy they are until you bite into them.
Roasted Eggplant with Honey and Chiles
Serves 4 as an appetizer or a side dish
Ingredients
4 or 5 baby eggplants, halved, or 2 regular eggplants
5 fresh green Thai chiles, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3 . Toss eggplants and chiles with the honey and oil. (I do this directly on the cookie sheet).
4. Roast eggplants (skin sides up) and chiles until the eggplant is golden, about 20 minutes. Turn eggplant over and roast about 10 more minutes or until the eggplant is soften. (Keep an eye on the chiles, they may be done after 20 minutes, just remove from the baking sheet and set aside.)
5. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
What to do with these baby eggplants...
Give each guest there own eggplant and have them scoop out the filling and spread on a baguette.
Serve as a side dish on top of some peppery arugula with some crumbled soft cheese like chevre or feta.