Foreword

Dried eggplant - why are they needed and so tasty to stock up on this product for the winter? Dishes from them are loved by many, but in winter it is almost impossible to buy fresh vegetables, or they cost so much that most can not afford it. Drying is an exit, and it will take a little place, and you can attach it even on the balcony, even in the pantry, and it is stored for a long time, but then what to do with it?

What do they taste like?

This dried vegetable can be given a completely different taste, depending on how it is prepared. Any are suitable for drying. You can make an imitation of bacon and enjoy thin crunchy slices in winter, which will be a great snack. Here's how to do it.

Two large or 4 small eggplants are peeled and cut into very thin strips. This can be done with a vegetable cutter or a sharp knife. Depending on the size of the vegetable, you can previously cut it in half or 4 parts. Next, the marinade is prepared:

You need to mix the marinade with chopped vegetables and leave for 2 hours. Then all this is laid out in the dryer, where the future snack should spend about a day at a temperature of 40 ° C. In winter, crispy spicy stripes will perfectly decorate a sandwich, or go as an independent dish. In the classic American version of the BLT sandwich (Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato), they perfectly replace bacon.

How to dry eggplant for the winter

If the house has a special gadget for drying vegetables, the instructions for it contain detailed instructions on the drying time and temperature. Those who have not yet acquired such a device will have to use the oven or dry vegetables naturally. The latter, of course, takes more time, but for those who have a summer cottage or a spacious loggia, this method is quite affordable.

• Vegetables are pre-washed, the stalks are removed and cut into pieces of the same thickness. The latter is important for uniform drying.
• Eggplants are spread on a spacious surface (if dried in the oven, then on a baking sheet) in one layer. Between the pieces should be free space.
• The oven is heated to a temperature of 200 ° C and chopped vegetables are left there for about an hour.
• After this, the temperature is reduced by half, and the fruits are dried for another 4 hours.

When drying in a natural way, a tray with cut blanks is placed in a calm place, protected from direct sunlight. The process will end no sooner than after 5 days, and you need to remember to periodically turn the pieces on the tray.

Eggplant mushrooms

Another way to stock up on dried eggplants will result in a product that is very reminiscent of mushrooms, both in taste (if you add the appropriate seasoning) and in appearance.

Ready-made drying is stored in cloth bags or glass jars. To cook a tasty dish in winter, just soak them in water for a while, and then cook them like mushrooms - fry, stew with sour cream, etc. And if you take white varieties of vegetables, or, which in their fresh form resemble mushrooms to taste, then no one will actually understand that they are eggplants.

It can be done in different ways. If you want to diversify your winter menu and surprise guests, try to prepare such an original appetizer, like dried eggplant. The recipe can be selected to your taste. They are added to various snacks and salads, served with rice, boiled potatoes, meat.

Benefit

Eggplant is a fairly common plant crop, they have many useful properties. Anthocyanins, which are contained in fruits, protect the human body from oncological diseases, suppressing negative processes in the cells, preventing the aging of the body. In addition, they prevent the destruction of brain tissue.

Eggplant can be used in diet, due to its low calorie content. Pectin and other valuable trace elements contribute to the elimination of toxins from the body, interfere with the absorption of cholesterol. Eating fruit is good for the gastrointestinal tract.

Oven dried eggplant

To cook dried eggplant at home, you will need 1 kg of fruit, as far as sprigs of fresh razmarin, thyme and oregano to taste, three cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil (can be replaced with vegetable).

Cooking

Fruits should be ripe and resilient, with uniform dark violet color, without damaged and rotted areas. Eggplant is washed, cut into circles (1 cm thick). In order to make the dish softer and more tender, the fruits can be peeled. Then they are poured with salt and left for an hour to get bitterness.

After an hour, the eggplants should be washed, dabbed with moisture, using paper towels or napkins, and placed on a baking sheet, which is pre-lubricated with oil. Sprinkle with salt on top, add black pepper, thyme and oregano to taste, sprinkle with olive oil.

Dried eggplant is cooked in the oven, heated to one hundred degrees. The oven door should be slightly ajar. It is necessary to ensure that the fruits do not burn. After about three hours, the eggplant needs to be removed. The degree of readiness is determined by the flexibility and softness of the circles.

Banks and lids are thoroughly washed using a solution of baking soda. Banks are sterilized, and the lids are boiled for ten minutes. At the bottom of the sterilized jars, pour olive oil, lay the dried eggplant, sprinkled with spices (razmarin and garlic), pouring oil on each layer. Oil should cover eggplant circles completely. The jar is closed with a sterile lid. The dish will be ready in a week, you need to store it in the refrigerator. Sun-dried cooked in this way can be stored for up to six months.

In Korean

These dried eggplant have a great taste. You need to take 1 kilogram of eggplant, three cloves of garlic, a little chili pepper, three teaspoons of dried basil, rosemary, celery, one and a half teaspoons of paprika, vegetable oil, salt, pepper.

How to prepare vegetables

Eggplant is washed and dried, the stalks are cut off, the skin is peeled, damaged and rotted places are removed. After that, they need to be cut in the form of rings half a centimeter thick. Eggplant is placed in a bowl, salted and left for 20 minutes to remove the bitterness.

Cooking

A little water is poured into the pan, brought to a boil and the fruits are blanched in it. This is necessary to give them softness.

Then the eggplant rings are placed on a baking sheet, oiled, sprinkled with half a mixture of spices.

The temperature in the oven should be 30-40 ° C. The fruits are dried from two and a half to three hours. Then they are placed in prepared jars, sprinkled with spices, and poured with vegetable oil. Banks are tightly closed with lids.

Sun-dried eggplant with honey

For one and a half kilograms of eggplant, you need to take soy sauce (three tablespoons), 70 grams of liquid honey, a quarter cup of olive or sunflower oil, three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, a teaspoon and caraway seeds.

All ingredients must be placed in a closed container and shaken.

Cooking

Eggplant needs to be peeled and cut into thin plates (0.5 cm), folded into a container, pour the marinade and mix well. The capacity is placed in the refrigerator for a day.

After the specified time, the marinade is drained, the eggplant is squeezed and laid on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Dry at a temperature of 75 ° C, with the door ajar, 2-3 hours.

Dried eggplant at home can be prepared using the dryer. Dry them at 50 ° C for three hours. A dish is considered ready when the oil that has absorbed into the fruit comes to the surface.

You will get sharp, fragrant and tasty dried eggplant for the winter.

Sun-dried eggplant mushrooms

The dish got its name because the fruits prepared in this way are similar in taste and appearance to mushrooms.

Only young fruits in which the seed content is minimal are used to prepare the dish. Eggplant is washed and cut in circles. Then they need to be threaded and put on a baking sheet. Dried at a temperature of 160 ° C for ten minutes, after which it is necessary to hang low in a dry place for final drying

How to Slow Eggplant Outdoors

The fruits are washed, dried and cut into thin strips. Then they need to be laid out on a baking sheet, covered with gauze and put in a place protected from the sun without drafts for five days. So that the fruits are evenly dried, they need to be turned over.

Cutting methods

The cutting method depends on which dishes will use dried eggplant.

Cubes

In this way, the fruits are cut, which will be used to prepare caviar or stew. Dried at room temperature for three to four days.

Straw

Can be used in salads and soups. The fruits, peeled, must be grated, spread out on a clean cloth. Eggplants prepared in this way should be stored in cloth bags.

Sun-dried eggplant can be used as an independent dish, as well as an addition to potatoes or meat. In addition, eggplant prepared in this way will become an indispensable component of various winter salads.

Drying 15 kg of eggplant. Sharing practical knowledge

In case of acute toothache, it is necessary to moisten gauze with water, dip in eggplant powder and apply to a diseased tooth. After 10 minutes, rinse your mouth with water. If the pain persists, then repeat the procedure after an hour. Usually two or three procedures are enough to relieve toothache.

Eggplant - Persian Culinary Miracle

Eggplant is one of the most popular vegetables for cooking a wide variety of culinary dishes. He was brought to Russia from Persia in the 17th century. Initially, the vegetable was planted in the southern regions. There was a real paradise for eggplant, as it is very thermophilic. When the “little blue one” appeared in Russia, the local chefs easily decided on the methods of its preparation. And it quickly became clear that the eggplant is ideally combined with meat dishes.

But it turned out that this vegetable has a seasonal nature of growth, limited to summer and early autumn, and with prolonged storage fresh, the eggplant begins to deteriorate quickly. We decided to try making preparations for the winter by drying. Until now, eggplant is not so often dried at home in Russia, in contrast to countries of the world such as Turkey or Italy.

Regardless of the choice of vegetable drying method, the fruits for this operation are selected in small sizes with small seeds. At the time of purchase, eggplant for drying should pay attention to their degree of maturity. Experts recommend choosing young, but already ripened fruits. The thing is that overripe “blue ones” have an unpleasant bitterness, as a result, it remains in dried fruits.

Another important point that should be emphasized is the freshness of the vegetable. In vegetables long removed from the bed, spots appear on the skin, it wrinkles, and the stalk becomes brown. Fresh eggplant has a smooth peel and good pulp density.

Dried blue ones are used as a treatment for gout. People who regularly eat this vegetable are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease. Useful substances found in eggplant, perfectly help cleanse the walls of blood vessels from cholesterol plaques.

With the help of eggplant, the human body is freed from excess fluid, thus, swelling is reduced. In addition, due to the beneficial properties of the “blue ones”, the kidneys are perfectly cleaned, and the risk of urolithiasis is reduced.

If you grind dried eggplant into a fine powder, then it can be used to very effectively treat hypertension. In addition, tincture can be prepared from such a powder to strengthen the gums and teeth.
   Remember, just one tablespoon of dried eggplant per day will perfectly protect your body from liver and kidney diseases.

Heavy smokers who want to get rid of their bad habits can eat eggplant daily and thus facilitate the process of weaning the body from nicotine. This is due to the fact that nicotinic acid is present in the vegetable, due to which the unpleasant sensations associated with quitting smoking are significantly reduced. Eggplant in this case has no less effective effect on the human body than a nicotine patch.

What can be cooked from dried eggplant?

Dishes from dried eggplant are obtained better if you choose the right method of drying this vegetable.
   Vegetable stew or eggplant caviar is prepared from vegetables dried in small cubes. To obtain dried foods, you can use a dryer for vegetables and fruits. Before boiling or frying eggplant in a pan with the addition of herbs and garlic, dried pieces must be soaked in heated water for half an hour or forty minutes.

A delicious dish of dried eggplant turns a casserole. Before you start cooking, you should restore dried vegetables in water. Then the "little blue ones" must be fried in vegetable oil, separately fry the onions and minced meat. Then finely chop the garlic, herbs and pour it all with mayonnaise and mix. Next, lay on a pallet greased with oil, a layer of tomato, then a layer of fried minced meat, another layer of tomato and eggplant on top. Do not forget to salt and coat each layer with mayonnaise sauce. Sprinkle the top layer with cheese and put in the oven. Bake until a brown crust appears on the surface.

The method of drying eggplant for the winter preserves in the vegetable all the useful substances that the human body needs so much in the cold season to maintain its vital energy.
   In addition, thanks to dried vegetables, you save your money and get an environmentally friendly product. You do not have to buy expensive vegetables stuffed with chemical fertilizers in the supermarket in the winter. Dishes in the winter on your table will be varied and delicious.

As raw materials, you should choose medium-sized, ripe fruits with small seeds. The Helios, Diamond, Early Czech, Black Beauty varieties are very convenient due to their delicate pulp and a small amount of seeds.

Peeling vegetables before drying is mandatory, and it is advisable to cut off the skin as thinly as possible using a special knife for peeling vegetables: this will save the greatest amount of nutrients. As for the slicing option, it all depends on the further purpose of the product - for soups, stews, caviar it is better to choose cubes or straws, for frying and casseroles - circles.

How to dry eggplant at home: choose a variety of vegetables

• outdoors. The product is located in the shade, with the possibility of ventilation, the process continues for several days depending on the weather;
• in the oven - at a temperature of 50−80 degrees, until the pieces dry completely;
• in an electric dryer - an optimal method from the point of view of labor costs.

In all cases, except for the dryer, you should turn the slices or pieces to more evenly dry the eggplant.

How to dry eggplants: how then to restore them for cooking?

Having figured out how to dry the eggplant, let's think about their preparation for the first or second courses. In order for the dried vegetables to taste as much as possible, they must be soaked in warm water for 30–40 minutes before preparing the planned recipe. Further, the recipe does not differ from frying, stewing or baking fresh eggplant.

If you grind the dried vegetables into flour, the cooking process will be simplified: the powder is added at the stage of laying the potatoes or cereals; cutting, soaking and other procedures are not required. Adjustments may require only the amount of fluid; it should be noted that the dried product takes up moisture in the process of swelling.

Dried eggplant for healing and beauty.

Nutritionists and doctors recommend daily use of eggplant in food in any form, preferring minimal heat treatment. In this regard, dried vegetables in the form of flour are especially convenient: it is enough to eat only one tablespoon of the product per day, this method of use is suitable even for those who do not like the taste of “blue ones”. The presence of dried vegetables in food or in their pure form will reduce the risk of hypertension, urolithiasis, problems with the cardiovascular system, and make it easier for smokers to stop smoking.

It is not difficult to dry foods in an Isidri dryer. What can’t you dry on it in excitement: pepper with eggplant, carrot, and even cabbage leaves! Only now we have not yet learned how to cook from these uniquely useful dried fruits, we are not used to it. Will learn?

They say that from dried foods the dishes are as tasty as from fresh ones. I decided to check. Took 2 identical eggplant.

One - dried, previously cut into circles, the other - no. By the way, the eggplant drying process took only 2 hours! In this case, the product has dried out in diameter.

In the photo on the left are the dried eggplants, and on the right - without drying, they are larger.

Then dried eggplant soaked in water. According to the recommendations - for 2-3 hours, I had only 1 hour 20 minutes. If it is soaked in milk, it will be tastier, but in our experiment in dried vegetables, compared to fresh, water is not enough, we will not deviate from the experiment! When soaking the eggplant, flexibility returned, it became like a sponge that absorbed water. But in diameter, it did not return to its previous size.

In the meantime, I cut the raw vegetable into rings of the same thickness that I cut the second before drying. And then they were stuffed the same way on the basis of pizza: a piece of sausage, a ring of tomato, smeared with mayonnaise-tomato sauce, sprinkled with grated cheese and - into the oven, until the cheese is baked in a delicious golden crust!

Do you still not salivate? Then I'll tell you further: the taste of baked eggplant in both cases was worthy of the best feasts! Only the consistency was different: in the control it was very tender, such that I had to put it on the plates very carefully. And on the experienced - harder. So, I had to chew a little more. Apparently, the recommended soaking time should still be observed. Or take off the blue skin. Although the son noted that he liked the dried ones better, and for dinner I had only control tidbits on the plate!

What we have: taste and appearance - equally wonderful. Consistency is in favor of raw (although this is adjusted). But the fact that in winter you will have to buy expensive vegetables of unknown origin for such a dish, and in summer we don’t know how to store eggplants for the winter, inclines the thicket in favor of a new method of harvesting.

So dry to health! And how to eat it deliciously - come up with!

Valeria Zashchitina