Eggplant is one of the most commonly used vegetables in the cuisine of many peoples of the world. They are not only fried, but also boiled, stewed, pickled, baked or grilled, and also used to prepare caviar and various salads. In the east, eggplant is called a “longevity vegetable”, since its use has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular and digestive systems. The eggplant diet is indicated for people suffering from diseases and kidneys and constipation.
Eggplant is one of the few vegetables that is almost never eaten raw. The ripened fruits contain a large amount of fiber, pectins, various vitamins, minerals and natural sugars.
Eggplant with cheese - general principles and methods of preparation
Before proceeding with the preparation of eggplant dishes, you must choose the most suitable fruits for this. They should be oblong, have a blue-black shiny peel, and also not contain a large number of seeds. Before cooking, you need to chop the eggplant, salt it well and leave it in the water for thirty minutes in order to leave the bitterness. Overripe fruits are not recommended; they contain a lot of solanine - a harmful substance that can even cause hallucinations in large doses.
Eggplant with cheese - preparation of products
Today you can buy eggplants of various varieties. Despite the fact that their cooking recipes are almost the same, their taste is noticeably different. When choosing eggplants for their future dishes, first of all, you need to pay attention to their appearance. All fruits must be resilient, without visible damage and stains. Cut eggplant is necessary as required by the recipe for the desired dish. During frying, the fruits absorb a lot of oil, so it’s better to fry them over low heat under a closed lid. In this case, a crisp appears very quickly, which will prevent the penetration of oil. In addition, vegetables must be well dried before heat treatment, then they will be better fried.
Eggplant with cheese - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Eggplant with Tenderness Cheese
This dish can be prepared at any time of the year and to please your loved ones with a healthy and tasty snack.
Ingredients: 1 large eggplant, 70 grams of hard cheese, 1 clove of garlic, 70 grams of mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons of ketchup.
Cooking method
Cut the eggplants into small rings and lower them into boiling salted water for several minutes. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a baking sheet, which is previously greased with vegetable oil. Finely chop the garlic, mix it with mayonnaise and grated cheese. Mix the resulting stuffing well, put on top on each piece of eggplant and pour plenty of ketchup.
Bake eggplant in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve the dish is better hot.
Recipe 2: Eggplant "Cheese mother-in-law tongue"
Eggplant, cooked according to the recipe, is an original variety of the beloved appetizer "Mother-in-law's tongue". They are perfect for use, both hot and cold.
Ingredients: 2 medium eggplant, 100 grams of hard cheese, 100 grams of chopped walnuts, 100 milliliters of vegetable oil, 50 grams of parsley, a pinch of salt.
Cooking method
Cut well-washed and dried eggplants into slices no more than one centimeter thick. Lubricate them with salt and leave for thirty minutes. After the specified period, rinse the eggplants under cold water and fry in vegetable oil on both sides.
Put a thin slice of cheese on the fried eggplant, sprinkle it with plenty of chopped nuts and wrap it in a tight roll, which is secured with a toothpick.
Put finished rolls on a baking sheet covered with food foil and bake them in the oven, heated to 200 degrees for five minutes. Decorate the finished dish with parsley leaves.
Recipe 3: Cheese Stuffed Eggplants
This is one of the simplest and most popular eggplant recipes, which requires a minimum amount of products and takes a hostess very little time.
Ingredients: 300 grams of ripe eggplant, 2 chicken eggs, 50 grams of cheese, 30 grams of butter, half a teaspoon of salt.
Cooking method
Rinse and dry the eggplants well, cut the stems from them and cut into two equal parts. Remove seeds from the fruit and boil them in salted water.
While boiling eggplant, you need to cook the filling. To do this, boil the eggs and chop them finely. Grate the cheese on a coarse grater and mix with eggs. Fill the resulting mass with oil.
Start eggplant with a ready-made mixture of cheese and eggs, and then put the vegetables on a baking sheet, oiled. Bake eggplant in an oven, heated to 200 degrees for 5 minutes.
Recipe 4: Cheese and Eggplant Appetizer
This dish is cooked right in the pan, and the fragrant cheese crust covers the eggplant, garlic and mayonnaise.
Ingredients: 2 medium eggplant, 2 cloves of garlic, 100 grams of cheese, 100 grams of mayonnaise, vegetable oil, herbs, salt and pepper to taste.
Cooking method
Cut washed and dried eggplants into rings, add plenty of salt and let stand for fifteen minutes. Fry the fruit in warmed sunflower oil, on both sides until golden brown. On each piece of eggplant, put a little finely chopped garlic and grease with mayonnaise. Sprinkle grated cheese on top of eggplant. Reduce the heat, cover the vegetables with a lid and hold on the stove for a few more minutes.
Put the prepared eggplants on a dish and sprinkle abundantly with chopped greens.
Eggplant with cheese - useful tips from experienced chefs
For cutting eggplant it is better to use knives made of stainless steel, then the vegetables will not blacken. First you need to wash the eggplant, and then cut off the ends. You can cook vegetables with or without skin. To make the bitter taste of vegetables softer, they need to be salt and let stand for forty minutes. After which the juice must be drained, and the fruits themselves are well washed.
