I have always found eggplant to be a challenge. About once a year I get suckered into buying one, usually because they look so beautiful plump and delicious. And I like eggplant when other people cook it, like at a restaurant. But every time I have tried to make it myself, it has been a complete unmitigated disaster. As in, "Throw that away and fix something else for dinner" level disaster.
It's too bad, too, because eggplant is very nutritious. They are high in fiber and in micronutrients like manganese, potassium, and folate. They also contain a lot of valuable antioxidants and phytonutrients.
All of which is why I was very intrigued to read this Buzzfeed article about microwaving a delicious eggplant dish. I was stunned at how good it looked. And it didn't seem very gimmicky, unlike some of Buzzfeed's other food-related suggestions. (I once tried microwaving a single serving cake in a mug. Never again.)
Buzzfeed's recipe has you marinade the eggplant slices, then microwave them in a dish covered with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. The marinade gives the eggplant that delicious roasted look, but I wondered if you really could microwave eggplant.
The answer is unequivocally yes. Why don't more people do this? Why must we slave away over complicated eggplant preparation, when it turns out you can just nuke it?
I found this recipe for microwaved eggplant Parmesan at Modernist Cuisine. The recipe format can be a bit much to get used to if you aren't familiar with it, but the concept is the same: put yummy stuff on eggplant slices and microwave them. Several other sources concurred that microwaving eggplant is a legitimate life choice.
Eggplant is just coming into season now (it's a late summer/early fall vegetable). The next time I go to the store, I am definitely going to pick up one of these beauties and give this a try!
Image courtesy Flickr/chichacha
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