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Purple Food Energy: Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

By Gwen Nyhus Stewart

Purple is the colour of creativity, awareness, intuition, and spirituality. It strengthens and supports the central nervous system and the brain and is important for mental health. Purple has an effect on the process controlling the pituitary and hypothalamus. It is soothing and relaxing and will calm those suffering from high anxiety. Purple is the most healing colour for nervous and mental disorders and diseases of the scalp. See Purple Coloured Foods in the Plants, Food Colours, & Recipes section of this web site for additional information about the healing properties of purple, phytonutrients, and recipes. For more information about purple coloured foods and plants, healing energy, and recipes see pages 64 and 86 - 88 in my book, The Healing Garden: A Place Of Peace.

Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

Known as Eggplant or Aubergine, Solanum melongena, has been cultivated in China since the 5^th century. Eggplant was introduced to Africa before the Middle Ages and then into Italy during the 14^th century. Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China, and Japan are the world’s leading growers of eggplant. It is a fundamental ingredient in the cuisines of many European countries, including Italy, Greece, Turkey, and France.

Eggplants belong to the same plant family as tomato, sweet pepper, and potato and grow similarly to tomato and sweet pepper. Despite the fact that eggplant is treated like a vegetable by the culinary world, in biology, eggplant is a fruit. It is a perennial grown as an annual in this part of the world and can be grown in our climate if seeds are started indoors and put out in the garden after all danger of frost is past. Eggplant is available in a cornucopia of colours including jade green, yellow-white, lavender, orange as well as all shapes and sizes ranging from that of a small tomato to a large zucchini. Eggplant contains phenolic compounds and flavonoids, important phytonutrients that have anti-oxidant activity. It is a very good source of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper, vitamin B1, and a good source of vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, tryptophan, vitamin B3, vitamin C and iron. Eggplant is one of the mainstays of a vegetarian diet as it has a very meaty taste and texture.

How to Buy

Eggplants are now available at grocery stores year-round. When selecting eggplant for cooking, choose those that are heavy and firm. There skin should be smooth and shiny and free of discolouration, scars, and bruises. The stem and cap on either end of the eggplant should be bright green in colour. To test for the ripeness of an eggplant, gently press the skin with the pad of your thumb. If it springs back, the eggplant is ripe.

How to Store

Store in a cool dry place, but avoid placing near tomatoes and apples as they give off a gas that enhances the ripening process. Use the eggplant within 2 days. If necessary, the eggplant may be kept in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for as long as 5 days. Do not cut eggplant before you store it, as it perishes quickly once its skin has been punctured or its inner flesh exposed.

Cooking Hints

Ø Do not cook in an aluminium pan. Aluminium makes eggplants discolour.

Ø The skin is edible in younger eggplants. Remove the peel in older eggplants.

Ø Just like bananas, cut each fruit just before using as the flesh of the fruit will brown after

exposure to air. Eggplant absorbs oil very easily; coat your eggplant with breadcrumbs,

cornmeal, or flour first before frying.

Ø When cutting an eggplant, use a stainless steel knife as carbon steel will react with the

phytochemicals and cause it to turn black.

Recipes

Baba Ganoush

1-2 eggplants

3 tbsp. (45 mL) lemon juice

1 tsp. (5 mL) sea salt

2 tsp. (10 mL) minced garlic

3 tbsp. (45 mL) sesame paste (tahini)

(optional substitute – yoghurt or sour cream)

¼ cup (50 mL) chopped parsley

2 tbsp. (30 mL) olive oil (optional)

½ cup (125 mL) pine nuts

Bake the eggplant until soft (see Baked Eggplant for recipe). Remove, halve, and scoop out the flesh. You need about 2 – 2 ¼ cups (500 – 550 mL). Combine with the lemon juice in a mixer or food processor and beat until smooth. Mash the salt and garlic together, mix with the tahini, and combine with the eggplant. Cool, stir in the parsley, and served drizzled with olive oil and sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve as a dip with tortilla chips or triangles of pita (flat) bread.

Baked Eggplant

Place eggplant in a baking dish. If baking whole, pierce with the tip of a knife several times to make small holes for the steam to escape. Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 15 – 25 minutes depending on the size of the eggplant. You can test for doneness by gently inserting a knife or fork to see if it passes through easily.

Eggplant Roll-ups

1 medium eggplant

1 cup (250 mL) mashed tofu

1/3 cup (75 mL) grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1 or more garlic cloves, to taste

¼ cup (50 mL) chopped onion

¼ cup (50 mL) chopped parsley

2 cups (250 mL) cooked brown rice

2 cups (500 mL) tomato sauce

½ - 1 cup (125 – 250 mL) grated cheese

Cut the stem and the bottom end off the eggplant. Slice lengthwise and on opposite sides of the eggplant. This is to remove part of the peel and to make a flat surface. Then slice the eggplant into 6 – 8 slices, about ½ inch (12.5 mm) thick. Place these slices in a steamer or in a colander.

Steam the eggplant for a few minutes, or until it is tender. If your steamer is small, steam only a few slices at a time. Turn the slices over after about 3 minutes of steaming so that they cook evenly. Be careful not to overcook them. The steamed eggplant should be tender but not mushy, and still hold its shape well.

While the eggplant is steaming, place the tofu, grated cheese, garlic, and onion in a food processor or blender. Blend until creamy. Add the parsley and mix well.

Oil an 8 x 11 inch (20 x 28 cm) baking dish and cover the bottom of the dish with an even layer of cooked rice. Generously spread each of the eggplant slices with the tofu mixture. Roll-up the eggplant slices in jelly-roll fashion. Place the roll-ups on top of the rice in the baking dish, seam side down.

Pour the tomato sauce over the eggplant roll-ups. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil and bake for 35 minutes at 350° F (175° C). Dish up the rice along with the roll-ups. Garnish with extra grated cheese if desired. Serve with a green salad.

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