by Mary Tutwiler

As the days lengthen and the evening lingers longer and longer, our minds turn to outdoor dining and our mouths taste the flavors of the sun. If summer says tomatoes, think twice. The most versatile vegetable in my kitchen is without a doubt the beautiful eggplant.

Aubergine in French, melanzana in Italian, the word eggplant is certainly an odd name for what is botanically a fruit, and more likely to be purple and bulbous than small and white. However the first eggplants to arrive in medieval Europe through the Spanish and Italian trade with the Arabs were egg-shaped, which explains the name.

Dishes from all around the Mediterranean exploit the willing nature of the vegetable. Eggplant’s mild flavor and absorbent texture serve as an excellent base to display bright tastes-olive oil, tomato, lamb, mint, garlic, lemon, onion and cheese. Here in Louisiana we combine eggplant with another of our riches, seafood, to make some of the most memorable dishes of the Creole and Cajun repertoire.

Down in Delcambre, a fishing village 20 minutes away from my house, shrimp season starts in mid-May. Farmers have had their eggplant in the ground since Easter and the first early eggplants begin to arrive in the Farmers Market. My first homage of the season may be grilled– cubes of eggplant on a skewer with fresh gulf shrimp. Or it could be fried shoestring eggplant with fried shrimp. Another favorite is eggplant stewed down with onion and celery, fresh shrimp and spicy smoky tasso stirred in for flavor.

Here are two other recipes, Roasted Eggplant and Garlic soup, a variation on the middle eastern standard baba ghanoush which is a spread made of grilled egg plant, lemon and garlic, and New Orleans Eggplant Boat with Shrimp Etouffee, a glorious vessel of fried eggplant and smothered shrimp—an unctuous mouthful of summertime Louisiana style.

Roasted Eggplant and Garlic Soup

New Orleans Eggplant Boat with Shrimp Etouffee

Filed Under: Food Talk