Learn my easy way to prepare and preserve eggplant (aubergine), ready to keep on hand to use in your favourite recipes.
Eggplant, or Aubergine as we call it here in the UK, is a fantastically nutritious vegetable that is perfect for giving a meaty texture to vegetarian dishes. It’s really useful if you are trying to cut down on the amount of meat you are eating, and I have to confess I’ve fooled more than one avowed meat-eater with it, particularly when I add it to the vegetables in my Roast Vegetable Lasagna.
However, good eggplant can be hard to find. You want them to be firm, fresh, and brightly coloured. An ageing eggplant is never very appealing, nor is it tasty. My best source of eggplant is often in the organic vegetable box I have delivered quite regularly. However, I have very little control over what comes in the box, as it depends on what is seasonal and available. So sometimes when I get eggplant, it isn’t a time that I can easily use it. Up until recently, this meant that they sometimes ended up in my compost bin, which was very disappointing.
Back in 2011, I did some research and decided to give roasting and freezing the eggplant a try.
How To Prepare and Preserve Eggplant (Aubergine)
After marinating the chopped eggplant in olive oil and seasonings, you simply spread it on a baking sheet and roast it in a very hot oven – (375°F or 180°C) for about twenty minutes to half an hour.
Turn half way through cooking and you will be rewarded with perfectly cooked chunks of eggplant/aubergine.
It tasted great freshly roasted, of course. However, if you allow it to cool and freeze it spread flat in a freezer bag so the pieces don’t stick together, it will keep for 8 to 12 weeks. Once the pieces are frozen solid, you can pop them in freezer safe containers or keep them frozen in freezer bags, ready to add to your favourite recipes.
There is no need to thaw the eggplant before adding it to recipes.
Want some other ideas for using eggplant / aubergine? Here are some of my favourites:-
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