I first learned to make this eggplant dish when I was visiting a cousin in Boston. He was living in a rambling house with lots of roomies and a student budget. Creativity was important! This meltingly tender broiled eggplant infused with olive oil and flecked with fresh rosemary takes full advantage of seasonal produce. Just grab some of the fresh eggplants popping up in your local farmer’s market and make this super simple recipe.
Since this recipe is made nearly entirely with pantry staples, all you have to buy is the eggplant. Fresher eggplants are less bitter than their out-of-season cousins and the standard dark, nearly black supermarket offerings. And, the farmer’s market should have a much wider selection. I used Graffiti eggplant (streaky purple), but white eggplant, or fairy eggplant (the smaller streaky variety, which is particularly tender) works just as well.
Look for smaller eggplants with firm skin. A wrinkled eggplant is an old eggplant. The smaller ones are sweeter too. Check the stem to make sure it’s fresh; it should be free of mold or mushiness. An eggplant that’s heavy for its size is better. Lighter ones are likely to be hollow and less fleshy (so less to eat).
There’s some slightly inaccurate folk wisdom about “male” and “female” eggplants, with males having fewer seeds. The flowers are both male and female, but the fruit isn’t. However, if you want fewer seeds, check the bottom of the eggplant. There’s an indentation which is sometimes oval and sometimes round. Eggplants with an oval indentation seem to have fewer seeds than the round ones. So pick the oval eggplant (because you want fruit, not seeds).
Rosemary Olive Oil Broiled Eggplant
Tender, creamy, and super-easy to prepare. You only need a fresh eggplant and a few staple ingredients: olive oil, parmesan cheese, rosemary, and salt
Ingredients
- 6-7 slices eggplant, cut thinly
- kosher salt to taste
- 2-3 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary
- 1-2 teaspoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the toaster oven to broil and remove the tray.
- Salt the eggplant.
- Once the oven is hot, place the eggplant on the tray and drizzle with olive oil, turn each piece over to coat on both sides.
- Broil for three minutes.
- Turn the eggplant over, add the rosemary and parmesan cheese.
- Cook for another 3-5 minutes until the eggplant is golden brown.
Rosemary Olive Oil Broiled Eggplant Substitutions and Variations
- If you can plan ahead, pour a small quantity of olive oil into a separate, sealed jar. Add a sprig of rosemary and let it sit. The flavor will infuse into the oil
- Add some zucchini to the eggplant
- Or, put in a few slices of onion
- Try some Romano or Manchego cheese instead of the Parmesan
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