Cold eggplant dishes. Great spicy eggplant appetizer

Eggplant appetizers- these are amazing delicious dishes that are prepared in different ways, and the composition of the dishes can vary. The dish may consist exclusively of “blue ones,” as they are popularly called, and the dish may also contain other ingredients: vegetables, meat, fish, seafood, mushrooms and even dairy products.

Eggplant is a unique vegetable that can be subjected to various methods of heat treatment: it is boiled, fried, stewed, baked, steamed. If we talk about vegetables, this product has a wonderful combination with tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, as well as chili, zucchini, garlic, carrots, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, and cabbage.

Meat is also used to prepare eggplant appetizers, and the variety can be any: with chicken, beef, pork, turkey, duck and other types, blue ones will create excellent appetizer dishes that will be a hit on both the festive and everyday tables literally in 5 minutes. “Mother-in-law’s tongue”, “Roses” with cheese and other ingredients, “Peacock’s tail”, “Mosaic”, “Ogonyok” - these are quite simple dishes that, despite the fact that they are prepared very quickly, are incredibly tasty, just lick your fingers !

They also combine bluefish with fish, often mackerel, herring, salmon, salmon, and their caviar; with seafood (squid, shrimp, mussels) it turns out no less appetizing. In addition to dishes with the usual combination of products, there are also eggplant snacks, when the composition of the dish is quite unusual: with walnuts, honey, cottage cheese, horseradish, beans (beans, peas), but they only delight with their taste.

Snacks are made hot and cold, vegetables are preserved in jars for the winter. There are dishes of this kind in almost every cuisine of the world: in Georgian, Armenian, Abkhaz, Azerbaijani, Greek, Jewish, Tatar, Korean, Moldavian, Ukrainian, Russian, Italian and many other cuisines there will undoubtedly be dishes that act as appetizers, and most importantly the ingredient in them is eggplant. In some countries, dishes are made more piquant and spicy, such as blue ones in Georgian, Tatar, Azberbaijan, while in others, on the contrary, they get rid of bitterness, making the taste soft and sweet.

Eggplant appetizers are dishes that are definitely worth trying. So that you do not rush to go to cafes and restaurants, we can assure you that it is quite possible to prepare snack dishes from blueberries at home. You can find step-by-step recipes with photos on our website.

Recipes with step-by-step photos

Greek style eggplant
Imam Bayaldy
Fried eggplant caviar
Hatsilim
Salted eggplants with carrots and garlic
Eggplant satsivi
Eggplants in sweet and sour sauce
Homemade eggplant caviar
Eggplant tursha
Fried pickled eggplant
Eggplants in adjika for the winter
Eggplants with minced meat in a frying pan
Eggplant with egg
Eggplants with mayonnaise for the winter
Badrijani
Eggplants Ogonyok for the winter
Marinated eggplants like mushrooms
Pickled stuffed eggplants
Eggplant with cheese and garlic
Eggplant pkhali
Eggplant heh
Korean eggplant salad with carrots
Korean fried eggplant with carrots

Cold appetizers

There are an incredible variety of cold eggplant appetizers: fried in vegetable oil, boiled, baked with tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, dishes marinated in vinegar and garlic, without which it is difficult to imagine both an everyday table and a festive one. Rolls, tongues, circles, salads, heh, pickled, stuffed are very popular - the recipes for these snack dishes are known to almost every housewife. Korean-style spicy eggplants cost a lot - they are made for future use.

The essence of cold appetizers is that, as their name suggests, they are served cold. There is no need to rush to demonstrate it to guests or “friends” before the dish has cooled down.

Such dishes are prepared for every day in order to please their household with a delicious, but simple dish. Eggplant appetizers are often taken on picnics, as they are quite light, and vegetables cooked over a fire or grill for barbecue are finger-licking delicious!

The huge advantage of the dish is that it is considered fast cooking. And this is very much appreciated by housewives: sometimes it is very necessary to cook something quickly.

Cold eggplant appetizers are an integral part of lunch or dinner, especially during buffet times of holidays, such as weddings. The important thing is that the little blue ones are not tied to the season: be it autumn, winter, summer or spring - you can find them in the store at any time of the year, and therefore snack dishes are not at all uncommon. For this reason, they are also bought for freezing.

Perhaps one of the most popular eggplant snacks is eggplant rolls. There is no single recipe for their preparation, because every housewife gives free rein to her imagination and makes the filling that she considers necessary and which is her favorite and, in her opinion, ideal. However, all dishes of this type have something in common: preparing the blue ones for eating. Initially, the vegetables are washed, chopped, soaked in salt water, which will remove natural bitterness, cut into longitudinal slices and subjected to the necessary heat treatment according to the recipe, and after these manipulations, the filling is laid out and the rolls are rolled. For this appetizer, fresh eggplants are mostly fried, however, depending on the personal preferences of the cook, the vegetable can be cut and boiled or baked. Regarding the filling, it, as we have already noted, can be absolutely anything, from walnuts to meat. Let's talk about the most popular ones.

Cheese is one of the simplest fillings for a roll. The dairy product can be anything: regular hard, processed, soft, curd. Parmesan, mozzarella, suluguni, cheddar are excellent. The filling is prepared very quickly: the cheese is crushed using a grater, supplemented with spices and herbs, the resulting composition is mixed, laid out on eggplant plates and the vegetable is rolled. After such simple steps, you get an amazing cold appetizer. The cheese is mixed with chopped dill, garlic, basil, sesame seeds, parsley, cilantro, mayonnaise, sour cream, plain yogurt are added and you get a great melt-in-your-mouth filling for a cold appetizer - eggplant rolls.
Vegetable is not inferior. Tomatoes (red or green - it is up to the cook to decide), sweet bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, onions, and zucchini are used. The ingredients can be fried, like eggplants, or, on the contrary, they can be added raw. Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are most often placed fresh, but carrots, onions and zucchini are first fried in vegetable oil. Vegetables are cut either finely or larger: into cubes, circles, rings, depending on the width of the eggplant plate for the roll.
Meat - a very tasty cold appetizer in the form of rolls is also made with this filling. Meat (chicken, pork, beef or another variety) is cooked, cut, mixed with sauce or any dressing, and then rolled into a dish. Meat dishes are especially popular in Caucasian cuisine.
Fish. They take different types of it: ready-smoked (mackerel), salted (herring) or fresh, and then fried and marinated. For example, the combination of fried eggplant and pickled fish is very specific, however, a cold appetizer of this type is not so rare.

“Tongues” are also a very tasty snack dish. This dish is prepared in almost the same way as rolls. The only difference is that the filling is laid out on the eggplants - and these are “Tongues”, but once you twist the blue ones, you get a roll. The filling is most often vegetable: tomatoes, carrots and sweet bell peppers are fried, mixed and placed on eggplants, after greasing the plates with dressing. The sauce, again, can be anything, but most often it is mayonnaise, to which chopped garlic and chopped herbs (dill, parsley) are added. The filling can also be meat (for example, with fillet, minced meat), fish, mushroom (champignons, porcini mushrooms).

A type of cold appetizer can be considered a dish called “Mother-in-law’s tongue.” The blue ones, as in rolls, are fried and smeared with a sauce of mayonnaise and garlic, a slice of tomato is laid out on one part of the vegetable, after which part of the eggplant and tomato is covered with the other part, that is, they are doubled. Finally, pierce the food with a skewer or toothpick.

A common cold appetizer is called “Peacock Tail” (or “Peacock Tail”). It is quite simple, but very appetizing. The dish is called so because of the shape it receives on the plate. The appetizer is prepared in layers: the bottom layer is eggplant slices fried in oil, then a slice of tomato is laid out, followed by a sauce of grated cheese with mayonnaise and chopped garlic, a cucumber is placed on top of the dressing, and black olives are placed on top. In addition to being delicious, the snack is also beautiful.

A dish of pickled eggplants can be called a real delight. There is nothing complicated in preparation, but everyone is satisfied with the taste. First of all, the little blue ones are baked in the oven, after which they are cut into cubes or strips, put in a jar, poured with marinade and sent to the refrigerator to cool and infuse. The best dressing option for pickled eggplants is considered to be a marinade made from vegetable oil, apple cider vinegar, onion half rings, parsley and garlic. After cooling, the appetizer is served on the table - you'll lick your fingers!

Among the appetizers made from pickled blues is the “Mushrooms” dish. It includes only boiled eggplants, hot peppers and herbs with spices. Our miracle vegetable is boiled in a marinade, and then combined with the rest of the ingredients and infused in vegetable oil for half a day.

One cannot help but focus on the Ogonyok appetizer, because it can be prepared very quickly, but the food will definitely delight you with its taste. The dish is simply fried blue circles, on which a spicy filling is laid out from bitter and sweet peppers, garlic, herbs, vinegar and vegetable oil minced through a meat grinder. Every lover of savory dishes will definitely appreciate it!

The original Armenian salad “Mosaic” is also considered a snack dish - a wonderful addition to the festive table. The peculiarity of the dish is that it contains walnuts. In addition to this unusual ingredient, the salad includes fried onions, bell peppers and, of course, baked eggplants. The sauce uses lemon juice, salt, chopped garlic and a little water. The dish is decorated with chopped parsley. You can also not mix the ingredients, but lay out the salad in slices and then the striped food will come out. In this case, the sauce is served in a separate bowl.

Turkish eggplant paste “Babaganush” is also served as an appetizer. It would seem that these are just grilled blues with the addition of lemon juice, spices and herbs, but once you try it, it will simply be impossible to tear yourself away from this puree of Turkish cuisine. The baked dish “Imam Bayaldi” also comes from eastern Turkey. Outwardly, the dish looks very interesting: the “top” is cut off so that you get a kind of “boat” of eggplant. Inside is laid out a selection of fried foods (sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions), tomato paste, lemon juice and herbs. In this form, the dish is baked, decorated with a sprig of herbs and served after it has cooled.

The borrowed dish is the Jewish dish “Hatzlim”. The appetizer can easily be called caviar, because it is prepared in a similar way: first the blue ones are baked, then chopped, mixed with fried onions, and the total mass is supplemented with chopped garlic, spices and mayonnaise. Everything is simple and tasteful. It’s perfect for a sandwich with bread or waffle crust, as is zucchini or other vegetable caviar.

Cold blue appetizers are often served in addition to alcoholic drinks: dishes served with cognac, vodka, and whiskey sell out quite quickly. An excellent example here would be pickled blues, prepared according to the Odessa recipe. Korean-style eggplants are also suitable as a snack for alcohol. This is a pickled salad of baked blue, fresh vegetables (onions, carrots, sweet peppers), which is infused in vinegar brine for two days. For storage, the dish is sent to the refrigerator.

As you can see, the choice of delicious cold appetizers is quite large. Such dishes are quite in demand, which is not at all surprising, because they all have an amazing taste: some have a spicy, spicy taste, others have a hellish taste, and others have a sweet taste. “Peacock Tail”, “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue”, “Imam Bayaldy” and much more are definitely worth a try - you’ll lick your fingers.

Hot dishes

Hot snacks are in no way inferior to cold ones: neither in taste nor in quantity. There are countless recipes for their preparation, but they differ from each other in form, cooking technology and, of course, composition. With tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, carrots - everything is very tasty, the perfect combination. On everyday and festive tables they are served, which goes without saying, hot or warm.

The appetizer called “Firebird” or “Fan” has an amazing taste, as well as an interesting appearance, which attracts attention. The dish is called so because of its shape: longitudinal cuts are made on the eggplants almost to the stem, and the filling is placed inside and it turns out that the vegetable is folded into a fan. As with any other appetizer, the filling used is different, but most often the “Firebird” is made with bacon, tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, and cheese. These products are cut into strips or, in the case of tomatoes and peppers, into half rings. The ingredients are placed in the cuts on the eggplants, placed on a baking sheet, coated with mayonnaise, herbs and spices and baked in the oven. Hot food stuffed with vegetables is served to the table.

“Bombs” also deserve attention. This is the name of a stuffed appetizer in the shape of rings. The vegetable is cut into thick round pieces, the centers are removed, after which the blue ones are lightly fried, and then the filling of eggs, grated cheese, and basil is added and cooked in a frying pan until cooked. The dish is served hot and topped with mayonnaise and a sprig of parsley.

A very tasty hot appetizer is the “Ajapsandali” dish. It has spread all over the world, but its homeland is Georgian cuisine. The dish consists of stewed vegetables, which is why it is considered low-calorie and therefore dietary. You can also make it in Georgian style, that is, spicy. Roasted eggplants are mixed with roasted bell peppers, onions, carrots, basil and parsley. The entire composition is filled with freshly squeezed tomato juice, supplemented with spices and stewed. The result is a wonderful Georgian dish.

A rather appetizing dish is the hot Armenian appetizer of eggplants with cheese: the blue ones are cut into rings, fried, and the filling is laid out in layers on them. First add the grated cheese, then the tomato slices. After this, the dish is sent to the microwave, oven or slow cooker for heating. Served with skewers.

There is one more eggplant puff dish that we would like to talk about. A dish of Italian cuisine, and it is called “Parmigiano”. The first layer in the dish is a sauce made from fried onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. Fried layers of blue ones are laid out on top of the dressing, then the layer is sprinkled with grated mozzarella cheese, then another layer of blue ones is laid out, then cheese again and finally with tomato sauce on top.

In addition, regular hot sandwiches are made with eggplants and other vegetables, served with soy sauce as an appetizer with a side dish of rice, potatoes, and pasta. In summer, autumn, winter and spring, snack dishes will always be popular.

A real delight are the crispy eggplant sticks. It is prepared quickly and simply: cut the vegetable into strips, dip the workpiece in a beaten egg, bread it in a mixture of grated cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, spices, herbs and bake in the oven. An amazing dish to pair with alcohol and more.

So, choosing something for yourself among hot appetizers is not so difficult, because there are many recipes with a variety of ingredients and different methods of preparation.

Preservation for the winter

Preserving for the winter is an excellent opportunity to diversify your diet during the cold season, when you just want to plunge into memories of the summer harvest, the abundance of products and a variety of dishes made from them. They are rolled into jars without sterilization, and in winter they enjoy wonderful snack dishes. By the way, it’s better to prepare homemade preserves for future use, since in winter you want vegetable salads, the basis of which is delicious eggplant.

You can preserve blue ones for the winter with a variety of vegetables, mushrooms, sauces and herbs. There are a huge number of recipes. For example, in Ukrainian cuisine they close the blue ones in the Kherson style, when fried pieces of the vegetable are poured with a sauce made from sweet and bitter peppers, garlic, vinegar, vegetable oil and spices.

Residents of different countries have, accordingly, their own preferences regarding eggplant snacks, and during the cooking process they focus on different flavor shades. Azerbaijani and Tatar-style eggplants, for example, are often topped with spicy adjika and horseradish, because the residents of these countries love piquancy in taste. But the Turkish and Georgian blue ones have a non-standard composition, because they can be preserved in honey filling or with walnuts. According to the Ossetian, Kuban, and Crimean recipes, it is better to cover the eggplants in pieces with sweet peppers, tomatoes and onions, because the combination of these products results in an incredible salad for the winter.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with the most popular canned eggplant snacks in the table, where we will tell you in more detail about each type of dish.

Name	Characteristic
Uncle bence	The peculiarity of this canned salad is that the main ingredient, which cannot be replaced, like eggplant, is tomatoes. Other products are at the chef's discretion. Blue tomatoes and tomatoes for such a snack are peeled. The eggplants are boiled, and the onions, carrots, and sweet peppers are fried in oil, then combined with tomatoes, stewed, the mixture is poured with vinegar, and then, when the vegetables are ready, the salad is rolled into jars.
	This is a wonderful Tatar winter snack with a spicy-sweet flavor. The eggplants are not cut too large, the bitterness is removed, then mixed with chopped sweet peppers and carrots, poured with fresh tomato juice or paste, sprinkled with parsley, sugar, added butter, and boiled. After a certain period, vinegar is added, boiled, and after these manipulations, the contents are laid out in sterilized jars, covered with metal lids and closed.
Eight	The standard composition of such a snack is eggplant, onions, tomatoes, peppers. The dish got its name because each of these products is cut into eight pieces. The total mass is stewed with the addition of vinegar and spices, and then preserved. The “Hunter” appetizer is prepared identically, only for its preparation the vegetables are cut randomly.
Ten (Ten)	The set of products is no different from many: eggplants, tomatoes, sweet peppers and onions. The peculiarity is that everything is taken in 10 pieces, and also that this salad is laid out in layers. Tomatoes, onions, blue ones and peppers on top. Vegetables are poured with vinegar, salt and sugar are added according to the standard and simmered until cooked.
	The “Cobra” appetizer, like the “Ten”, is made in layers, but not vegetables are alternated, but only blue ones with a spicy sauce of sweet and bitter peppers, garlic and tomato paste. The composition is boiled and, of course, canned.
Petals	This is a snack dish, during the preparation of which eggplants are cut into slices and boiled in tomato juice with carrots and onions. Almost before the vegetable is ready, vinegar is added, the contents are put into jars and rolled up.
	The ingredients for this appetizer are no different: eggplant, onions, carrots, peppers. Blue ones are cut into circles, tomatoes and carrots are passed through a meat grinder, and sweet peppers are chopped into large strips. All ingredients are mixed, the mass is supplemented with vinegar, spices, stewed and preserved in sterilized jars.
Pyaterochka	This is a snack of Moldavian cuisine, the peculiarity of which is that it is preserved from whole fruits. The dish got its name because it consists of five ingredients: eggplant, tomato, pepper, onion and carrot. In most regions, small fruits are not grown, and therefore deviations from the classic recipe are observed and vegetables are cut into five parts. The products are stewed, vinegar is added according to the standard, as well as lemon juice and spices, and then closed.
	The dish got its name, like “Ten,” based on the amount of food taken. The appetizer is rarely called “For Three”. Take three vegetables each: eggplants, peppers, tomatoes and onions. The salad is preserved according to a well-known recipe: the products are cut, stewed and rolled into jars.
	This appetizer is distinguished by the presence exclusively of eggplant. Chopped garlic is added to them and stewed in tomato juice or paste, with the addition of sugar and salt, and vinegar. When ready, the mass is put into jars and rolled up.

Preserved for the winter are very tasty vegetable salads, which differ from each other only in composition, the quantity of products taken and the method of cutting them, that is, in shape. Otherwise, there is no difference in preparation: all components are boiled, fried, stewed, and then the resulting mass is placed in sterilized jars, which are covered with metal lids and closed.

There are countless eggplant snacks, because this miracle vegetable can be combined with a wide variety of products, subjected to almost all methods of heat treatment. Other vegetables, fish, meat, and seafood will be an excellent addition to cold and hot appetizers, as well as canned appetizers. And spicy, and sweet, and marinated, stuffed blue ones will decorate any table, from which they will be sold out in an instant. If you didn’t have time to try something, don’t be upset. Once again, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the step-by-step recipes with photos offered on our website. Cook at home according to the instructions and enjoy the amazing taste of your food. We wish you success in your culinary experiments.

It is believed that eggplants, thanks to the potassium they contain, have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and normalize the body's water-salt metabolism. It’s not for nothing that in the East they are called vegetables of longevity and are recommended for older people to eat regularly. In addition, eggplants are low in calories: only 24 kcal per 100 grams of product. At the same time, they help cleanse the intestines. Just what you need if you're watching your figure.

But sometimes even benefit is not an argument. Many housewives even today consider eggplants to be too capricious: they either turn black or taste bitter. Although these troubles are easy to avoid.

Before cooking, soak the eggplants in salted water for half an hour. Then rinse. This will remove the bitterness from the vegetables.
If you are preparing caviar, do not put the eggplants through a meat grinder or cut them with a metal knife. This may give the dish an unpleasant aftertaste. Grind the blue ones with a ceramic or wooden cutter.
To prevent eggplants from absorbing a lot of fat when frying, first scald them with boiling water.
To prevent the flesh from turning black, cook the eggplants over high heat.
If you want the eggplant slices or mugs to not lose their shape when cooked, do not peel them.

Moussaka

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This is a traditional Balkan and Middle Eastern dish made from eggplant and minced meat. Tasty and very filling.

Ingredients:

800 g eggplants;
800 g minced lamb or beef;
300 g tomatoes;
1 onion;
50 g hard cheese;
180 g dry white wine;
olive oil for frying;
salt and pepper to taste.

For the sauce:

500 ml milk ;
40 g butter;
30 g flour;
200 g hard cheese;
2 eggs;
salt and nutmeg to taste.

Preparation

Let's start with the sauce. Melt the butter in a frying pan and “fry” the flour in it. At the same time, heat the milk a little (do not boil!). To ensure a lump-free sauce, the milk and the butter and flour mixture should be at approximately the same temperature. Pour the milk into the pan with the butter and flour, stirring constantly. Salt, add nutmeg. Bring to a boil, and then add grated cheese. Continue cooking, remembering to stir, until the cheese melts. Then remove from heat. While the mixture cools, beat the eggs in a separate bowl. After this, slowly pour them into the sauce, stirring thoroughly. The sauce is ready.

The onion for moussaka needs to be cut into half rings, the tomatoes should be peeled and chopped into cubes. We cut the eggplants into thin oblong slices (don't forget to soak them in salted water!) and fry them in olive oil on both sides. After frying, place them on paper towels to absorb excess fat. You also need to fry the onion (until soft) and minced meat. In the middle of frying, pour wine into the onions and minced meat and cook until the liquid evaporates. After this, add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and simmer for a few more minutes.

Assembling the moussaka: place the eggplants and minced meat in layers in a baking dish so that the eggplants are on top. Pour the sauce over everything and sprinkle with grated cheese. Place in the oven preheated to 180°C for 30–40 minutes.

Caponata

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This is a Sicilian stew made from eggplant and other vegetables. It is eaten both hot and cold, served as an independent dish, as well as a side dish and snack.

Ingredients:

800 g eggplants;
150 g olives;
90 g capers;
140 g onions;
50 g sugar;
400 ml tomato paste;
80 ml white wine vinegar;
olive oil for frying;
basil, salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation

Peel the eggplants, cut them into cubes and fry them in olive oil. To prevent vegetables from being too fatty, you can lightly pour boiling water over them before frying.

In a separate bowl, caramelize the onion with sugar (do not use butter) until golden. Then add capers (remember that they can be used as pickles), olives, wine vinegar and a little olive oil. Simmer it all for about five minutes, then add the fried eggplants and tomato paste. Cook for another 7–10 minutes. A couple of minutes before cooking, add finely chopped fresh basil, salt and pepper to taste. Be careful with salt. You can generally do without it, since capers usually add the necessary saltiness to the dish.

Lasagna

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This is a variation of a traditional Italian dish where eggplant replaces the dough.

Ingredients:

800 g eggplants;
500 g minced beef;
500 g thick tomato paste;
100 g mozzarella;
100 g parmesan;
100 g breadcrumbs;
2 eggs;
2 tablespoons of water;

Preparation

We clean the eggplants and cut them into circles about one and a half centimeters thick. In a bowl, beat eggs with two tablespoons of water. In a separate bowl, mix grated Parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Dip each eggplant slice first into beaten eggs and then into a mixture of breadcrumbs and cheese. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet greased with olive oil. Preheat the oven to 180°C and place the eggplants there for 20–25 minutes, until the vegetables acquire an even golden brown crust.

At this time, fry the minced meat in olive oil (if desired, you can add salt and pepper). After about 10 minutes, add tomato paste to the minced meat. Bring the mixture to a boil and remove from heat.

Place some of the eggplants in a baking dish, then cover them with tomato-meat sauce, sprinkle with 50 grams of mozzarella and place the eggplants on top again. If the shape is small and there is a lot of filling, you can make several layers. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top and place in the oven (200°C) for 10–15 minutes (the cheese should melt).

Spaghetti dressing

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Eggplants can not only replace pasta, but also complement it perfectly. For example, you can use them to make vegetable spaghetti sauce.

Ingredients:

800 g eggplants;
500 g spaghetti;
400 g tomatoes;
4 cloves of garlic;
olive oil;
basil;
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation

For this recipe, the eggplants must first be baked in the oven. This will take about an hour: you need the vegetables to become soft. While the eggplants are baking, boil the spaghetti. Remove the eggplants from the oven, let them cool slightly, and then carefully remove the skins.

Finely chop the garlic and fry in heated olive oil for two minutes. Then add the tomatoes cut into large cubes. Simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated. At the end of cooking, add the diced eggplants, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with spaghetti. The dish can be sprinkled with chopped basil.

Cutlets

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Ingredients:

3 small eggplants;
400 g chum salmon fillet or other sea fish of your choice;
100 g hard cheese;
100 g butter;
2 tomatoes;
1 onion;
salt and herbs to taste.

Preparation

Cut off the stems of the eggplants and cut the eggplants lengthwise to create “boats” (3 eggplants = 6 boats). Do not remove the skin - it will preserve the shape of the vegetables and the appearance of the dish. Cut the fish and tomatoes into small cubes; if desired, you can first remove the skin from the tomatoes. Finely chop the onion.

Place the eggplant boats on a greased baking sheet. Inside each of them we put fish, tomatoes, onions and a little butter. Salt, pepper and sprinkle with herbs to your taste. Then sprinkle each portion with grated cheese. Place the eggplants in a well-heated oven for 30–50 minutes. You can eat this dish with a spoon, scraping the pulp from the walls of the eggplant.

Grilled eggplant salad

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This simple salad can be made outdoors. It will be an excellent addition to other grilled meat dishes.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant;
1 purple onion;
1 avocado;
1 lemon;
rapeseed and olive oil;
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar;
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard;
oregano and parsley;
salt and ground black pepper to taste.

Preparation

Cut the eggplants into circles about 2.5 centimeters thick. Peel the onion and cut into large rings. Drizzle these vegetables with rapeseed oil until soft. When the eggplants and onions have cooled a little, cut them, as well as the peeled avocado, into large cubes.

In a separate bowl prepare the dressing. Mix red wine vinegar, mustard and chopped oregano. Add liquid honey and olive oil. Let the mixture brew for a bit, and then season the salad with it. Salt, pepper, garnish with lemon slices and parsley sprigs.

Sticks in batter

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This is an easy summer snack. Eggplants prepared according to this recipe are lean, tender on the inside and with a crispy cheese crust on the outside.

Ingredients:

500 g eggplants;
150 g hard cheese;
1 egg;
100 g breadcrumbs;
3–4 cloves of garlic;
olive oil;
salt, ground black pepper, paprika and turmeric to taste.

Preparation

Cut the eggplants into strips about 3 centimeters thick and add salted water to remove the bitterness. After drying the eggplant slices on a paper towel, place them in a bowl, sprinkle with olive oil and sprinkle with spices (salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric, garlic pressed through a press). Leave for 5–10 minutes.

At this time, grate the cheese and mix it with breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl, beat the egg.

Place baking paper on a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 200°C. Dip each slice of eggplant first in the egg, and then in a mixture of cheese and crackers and place on a baking sheet. Cook the sticks in the oven for about 20 minutes. You can eat them both hot and cold - equally delicious.

Rolls

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There are many variations of eggplant rolls. Some people simply fry the vegetable, others bake it. Some use only cheese for the filling, others add carrots, mushrooms or tomatoes. We offer you the simplest cooking option.

Ingredients:

500 g eggplants;
100 g cream cheese;
2–3 cloves of garlic;
olive oil for frying;
salt, pepper and herbs to taste.

Preparation

Cut off the tops of the eggplants and cut them into slices about a centimeter thick. After getting rid of the bitterness (see life hacks above), fry the eggplants in olive oil. Remove excess fat using a paper napkin. If you prefer baked vegetables, use the oven.

Pass the garlic through a press, finely chop the greens. Mix all this with cream cheese (if desired, add salt, pepper and other spices). Spread the cheese mixture in a thin layer on the eggplants. We wrap each plate with a roll and fasten it with a toothpick. Place the rolls on lettuce leaves and sprinkle with chopped walnuts (optional).

Turrets

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This appetizer is easy to prepare and looks impressive. Eggplant towers, laid out on a large plate and decorated with greens, are perfect for the holiday table.

Ingredients:

400 g eggplants;
400 g tomatoes;
300 g mozzarella;
3 tablespoons olive oil;
balsamic vinegar;
salt, ground black pepper and basil to taste.

Preparation

Cut the peeled eggplants into circles about a centimeter thick. Salt, pepper and fry on both sides in olive oil. We also cut the tomatoes into rounds. Cut the mozzarella into slices. The thickness of the cheese and tomatoes should be about a centimeter.

In a baking dish, greased with oil, we “build” towers: a circle of eggplant, a circle of tomato and a slice of cheese. Garnish each serving with basil sprigs and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Place it all in the oven (200°C) for 15–20 minutes.

Snack "Peacock Tail"

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Another bright eggplant appetizer. Thanks to the unusual “design”, the dish will appeal not only to adults, but also to children who rarely eat vegetables willingly.

Ingredients:

500 g eggplants;
300 g tomatoes;
200 g cucumbers;
200 g feta cheese;
half a jar of olives;
3 tablespoons sour cream;
2–3 cloves of garlic;
olive oil;
dill;
salt to taste.

Preparation

Cut the eggplants diagonally to form oval slices. Soak in salted water, rinse and dry. After this, place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and bake for 10–15 minutes at 200 °C.

Pass the garlic through a press and mix with sour cream and feta cheese until smooth. Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into slices. It is desirable that the latter be smaller in diameter than the former. Cut the pitted olives in half.

Place the eggplants in the shape of a peacock's tail on a large oblong plate. Grease each piece with cheese mixture. Then put a circle of tomato and cucumber on them. Again, a little cheese with garlic, and finally - half an olive. It should look like the eyes on a peacock's tail.

Heh

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Hye is a Korean dish that is usually made with meat, fish, or vegetables such as eggplant. Eggplant heh can be served as a side dish for meat or as an independent dish.

Ingredients:

1.5 kg eggplants;
100 g paprika;
1 hot capsicum;
7–8 cloves of garlic;
2 tablespoons vegetable oil;
vinegar.

Preparation

Cut the eggplants into cubes and get rid of the bitterness in the usual way. After this, fry them in vegetable oil. Cut the hot capsicum into thin rings and chop (not too finely) the garlic. Place layers of eggplant, garlic and pepper in a plastic container. Sprinkle with vinegar, sprinkle a little paprika and repeat layers until the container is full. Vary the amount of pepper, garlic, paprika and vinegar to your taste. If you don't like it spicy, add these ingredients to a minimum. Cover the filled container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for a day.

Eggplants open up scope for culinary imagination: the list of dishes made from them can be continued for a long time. We invite you to do this in the comments. Write if you like eggplants and share your signature recipes.

An eggplant appetizer demonstrates a real extravaganza of pleasant sensations, seductive smells and bright colorful compositions. We will arrange a small gastronomic “tour” of the best dishes of Russian and world cuisine, including everyday food and dishes intended for festive feasts.

A bright and appetizing dish that once came to us from the Turkish shores, it perfectly complements almost any side dish.

Ingredients:

peppers of different colors - 3 pcs.;
ripe tomatoes - 3 pcs.;
olive oil - 60 ml;
regular sugar - 25 g;
onion - 1 pc.;
“young” eggplants - 3 pcs.;
garlic cloves - 5 pcs.;
tomato puree - 30 g;
spices, sesame.

Cooking method:

We wash the berries well and separate the ends on both sides. Cut the eggplants into slices, add salt, and leave under pressure for half an hour. In this way, we remove solanine from the fruit, and with it the bitterness that is harmful to our bodies.
Clean the remaining vegetables. Chop the onion into thin half rings, chop the seedless peppers into strips, and chop the garlic. Fry the food for 8 minutes over medium heat. We cut the tomatoes into cubes and add them to the mixture being prepared. Season it with pepper and salt and heat for another five minutes.
We drain the dark liquid from the “blue” eggplants, as we usually call them, dry the slices with napkins, and place them on a greased baking sheet. Place portions of the fragrant filling on the circles and bake the food for half an hour in the oven at 180 °C.

Sprinkle the finished appetizer with sesame seeds and serve cold or hot.

"Peacock tail" on the festive table

When the peacock tail appetizer “unfurls” its bright trail on the festive table, the rest of the dishes involuntarily “fade” from this luxurious juxtaposition.

Grocery list:

lean oil (preferably olive) - up to 100 ml;
tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
lettuce leaves;
eggplant;
pre-boiled quail eggs - up to 10 pcs.;
spices, herbs.

Preparation procedure:

We wash all the vegetables well and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the eggplant into thin slices and remove the bitterness in the usual way.
We divide the tomatoes into neat rings. Rinse the dill, remove the hard stems, and shake off excess drops of moisture.
We remove the cooled quail eggs from the shell and cut them slightly diagonally into an elongated round shape.
Drain the dark liquid from the eggplants, dry the slices with towels, and fry each layer on both sides. We place the preparations on napkins, leaving excess fat on them.
Let's prepare a snack. To do this, line a wide dish with lettuce leaves, lay out golden eggplant circles, placing them as if on a chessboard. Using this technique we imitate a peacock's tail.
Place a tomato slice on each eggplant slice, slightly moving the ring down. Next come the eggs, which we move in the same direction as the rest of the elements of the composition being created. Finely chop the greens and sprinkle between the “built” miniature pyramids. Leave them in the refrigerator for half an hour.

The peacock tail snack is ready to fulfill its holiday “mission”!

Vegetable boats with chicken

Exquisite “boats” filled with vegetables and chicken - the food is as beautiful as it is nutritious.

Set of components:

vegetable oil;
cheese (necessarily from hard varieties) - up to 150 g;
chicken legs - 500 g;
eggplants - 700 g;
ripe tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
garlic cloves - 3 pcs.;
crumbs of crackers;
sweet pepper, onion - 1 pc.;
spices, herbs.

Cooking process:

Remove the fillet from the processed legs, divide it into small pieces, and fry until half cooked.
Cut off the stems of the eggplants and place the berries in boiling drinking water with a spoonful of salt added to it. Boil the product for 10 minutes, then remove from the liquid and cool.
Peel and wash the remaining vegetables. Place diced onion in a frying pan with oil and fry until translucent. Add tomatoes cut into small pieces, after 5 minutes add strips of sweet pepper (remove seeds). Simmer for 7 minutes, then finish cooking.
Cut the cooled eggplants lengthwise into two halves. Using a dessert spoon, scoop out the pulp, chop it finely, and combine it with the prepared assorted vegetables. We also place chopped garlic cloves, chicken meat, chopped herbs, and crackers here (they will absorb excess moisture).
Season the filling with pepper and salt and mix everything thoroughly. We fill our vegetable containers with the aromatic composition, put them in a baking dish, sprinkle with grated cheese. Place the pieces in the oven for 20 minutes.

Prepared vegetable “boats” with chicken are ready to “moor” at the dinner or holiday table.

Greek eggplant appetizer

The presented dish, created by the descendants of ancient Hellas, is distinguished by an expressive aroma, deep and rich taste.

Required Products:

olive oil - 60 ml;
regular sugar - 25 g;
eggplants - 400 g;
garlic cloves - 3 pcs.;
tomatoes - 300 g;
parsley, basil, oregano, thyme - 10 g each;
spices.

Cooking technology:

We wash the eggplants, dry them with towels, and cut them into round slices up to 3 mm thick. We keep them in a saline solution, removing the unpleasant bitterness, and then blot each layer with napkins. Fry the circles until golden brown, leave on paper towels to remove excess fat.
Scald the tomatoes, keep them in ice water for 5 minutes, then remove the skins. Finely chop the vegetables and place in a frying pan with oil. Add chopped garlic, chopped parsley, aromatic herbs, and salt.
To make the tomato mixture as smooth and homogeneous as possible, blend it with an immersion blender. Many housewives do not like food processed to the consistency of puree, so we choose the desired option. Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes.

Place a layer of fried eggplants on a serving plate, pour over the aromatic dressing, and decorate with herbs.

Cooking with cheese

For this dish we use young vegetables, the skins of which have not yet acquired a bitter taste. These eggplants do not require pre-processing.

Required components:

hard cheese - 150 g;
vegetable oil;
garlic cloves - 2 pcs.;
high-quality mayonnaise - 150 g;
eggplants - 2 pcs.;
ketchup - 60 g.

Cooking sequence:

We wash the purple fruits and cut them into discs up to 3 mm thick. Boil drinking water, add a little salt to the liquid, put vegetables in it, and cook for up to 3 minutes.
We take the “little blue” ones out of the container, blot them well, then place them on an oiled baking sheet.
Combine pressed garlic, grated cheese shavings, and mayonnaise in a bowl. Mix the composition. Place a spoonful of the mixture on each vegetable circle and season with a thick layer of ketchup. Place the food in an oven heated to 180°C.

After just 15 minutes, the appetizing dish can be served.