Grilled Eggplant With Seared Scallion Recipes

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH SEARED SCALLION

Steps:

• To expose each eggplant fully to the heat, peel off the pointy flaps of the cap but leave the stem attached. Use a fork to poke 6 to 8 sets of holes into each eggplant to prevent it from exploding while cooking (skip this step if you are oven roasting).
• To cook the eggplants on a grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire (you can hold your hand over the rack for only 2 to 3 seconds) or preheat a gas grill to high. Grill the eggplants, turning frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the skin is black and dry and the flesh is soft. To cook the eggplants on a gas stove top, turn on the burner to high and place the eggplants, one at a time, directly on the burner grate. Cook the eggplant, rotating it often, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it has sagged and is pleasantly smoky and charred. Run the exhaust fan during cooking to avoid filling your kitchen with smoke. If the eggplant isn't sufficiently soft in the middle, finish it off in a preheated 450°F oven. To oven roast the eggplants, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450°F. Split each eggplant in half lengthwise and place, cut side down, on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the eggplant halves are soft and oozing a bit of juice.
• When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, remove the skin. (The eggplants may be cooked and peeled several hours in advance of serving, covered, and kept at room temperature.) Cut the flesh crosswise into 2-inch sections. Use your fingers to separate the flesh into strips, placing them in a lovely pile on a serving plate. If the strips weep lots of liquid, pour it off the plate. Top with a mound of scallions.
• In a butter warmer or small saucepan, heat the oil until it starts to smoke. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the oil over the scallions. The scallions will sizzle as they sear from the hot oil. Serve at once with the dipping sauce.

MASHED EGGPLANT WITH CAPERS, SCALLIONS AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• Put the capers in a bowl and rinse off salt thoroughly with lukewarm water. Soak rinsed capers in lukewarm water for 20 minutes. Drain and rinse again, then blot dry. Chop roughly and set aside.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Peel eggplants and cut into 1-inch cubes. Toss cubes in a mixing bowl with salt and pepper, then drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil and toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet in one layer and roast uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden and tender when pierced with a fork. Cool.
• Put cooked eggplants in a food processor and pulse briefly. Add capers, scallions, parsley, garlic, lemon zest and juice, pomegranate molasses, yogurt, cayenne and 2 tablespoons olive oil and blend until well combined. Transfer to a bowl. (May be prepared and stored at cool room temperature, covered, up to 2 hours in advance, or refrigerated for up to a week.)
• Before serving, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve eggplant spread on toast, sprinkled with scallions and parsley, or as a dip for pita bread.

SEARED SCALLIONS WITH POACHED EGGS

Steps:

• Mince 1 whole scallion, transfer to a bowl, and whisk in 2 tablespoons oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set scallion sauce aside. Put the remaining scallions on a plate. Drizzle with remaining oil and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat a large cast-iron grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook scallions, turning occasionally, until tender and slightly charred, about 5 minutes. Divide scallions between plates.
• Pour 1/2 cup water into each of two 8-ounce microwave-safe coffee cups. Crack 1 egg into each cup, making sure it's completely submerged. Cover each with a saucer. Microwave 1 egg on high until white is set but yolk is runny, about 1 minute (cooking time will vary depending on microwave). Uncover; using a slotted spoon, transfer egg to top of 1 serving of scallions. Dress with half of the scallion sauce. Repeat with remaining egg and sauce; serve.

CHARRED EGGPLANT WITH BURRATA AND FRIED CAPERS

Steps:

• In a small saucepan or skillet, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high until it shimmers, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, dry the capers very well by wrapping them in paper towels or a clean dish towel and wringing out the moisture. (If there is too much moisture, the oil will sputter aggressively.) Line a plate or tray with paper towels or a clean dish towel.
• When the oil is ready, carefully drop the capers in and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. (Watch closely, as smaller capers will cook more quickly.) Remove the capers from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on the lined plate. They will crisp up further as they cool.
• Transfer the caper-infused oil to a large heatproof bowl and set aside to cool for a few minutes.
• Lay the disks of eggplant on a large cutting board or sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, flip over and drizzle the other side. Heat a large (12-inch) grill pan or cast-iron skillet on medium-high. (See Tip for grilling instructions.) When hot, working in batches, add the eggplant disks in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes, pressing the eggplant into the pan to encourage browning. Flip, reduce heat to medium and cook on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes, until completely tender. (The eggplant continues to soften as it soaks up the marinade in the next step, so don't be tempted to overcook.) Remove the eggplant from the pan and place them back on the cutting board or plate. Continue cooking the remaining eggplant.
• Meanwhile, to the bowl with the cooled caper-infused oil, add the herbs, garlic, red-pepper flakes, lemon zest and juice, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and a few pinches of black pepper. Toss to combine and taste, making sure it has enough salt. Add the warm eggplant slices to the oil and gently toss to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 5 minutes (see Tip).
• Serve this on one large platter or as four separate servings. Place the burrata (for single servings, halve each ball of burrata) on the plate along with the eggplant and top with any remaining marinade and the fried capers, and scatter with fresh herbs.

SEARED SCALLOPS WITH ROASTED EGGPLANTS AND MARINATED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Arrange the oven rack in the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Use a fork to poke holes all over the eggplants. Put the eggplants on a foil-lined baking sheet in the oven. Roast, turning occasionally, until the skins are charred and the eggplants are very soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board.
• When cool enough to handle, peel the eggplants and cut in quarters lengthwise. Cut each piece in half crosswise. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the garlic, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the oil, a pinch of chile flakes, and a pinch of salt. Gently stir well.
• Turn a gas burner to high. Set the peppers directly over the flame and cook, turning frequently, until the skin is charred all over. Alternatively, broil or grill the peppers as close to the heat source as possible. When cool enough to handle, use paper towels to rub off the charred skin. Remove and discard the stems and seeds, then cut each pepper into very thin slices. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the lime juice, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and a pinch of salt. Stir well.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat until very hot. Season half the scallops with salt and pepper. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan, then add the seasoned scallops, one at a time. Cook until a golden brown crust forms on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes, then carefully flip and cook until a crust forms on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining scallops in the same pan, letting the pan get very hot again and adding more oil if needed.
• Divide the eggplant mixture among 4 serving dishes. Top with the scallops, then the pepper mixture. Scatter the dill all over.

GOCHUJANG-GLAZED EGGPLANT WITH FRIED SCALLIONS

Steps:

• Place the eggplant in a colander set inside a large bowl or the sink. Sprinkle with the salt, toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
• To a large nonstick skillet, add the olive oil and the white parts of the scallions. Turn the heat to medium and fry the scallions, stirring often, until crispy and evenly browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried scallions onto a paper towel.
• Reserve a small handful of raw scallion greens for garnish, then fry the remaining scallion greens in the oil until crispy and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer fried scallion greens onto a paper towel.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully pour the hot scallion oil into a glass container or measuring cup.
• After the 30 minutes of salting, dry the eggplant segments with a paper towel. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the reserved scallion oil.
• When the oil starts to shimmer and you see a wisp of smoke, add half the eggplant, cut sides down, and fry until browned and starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip once and cook another minute on the other side. Transfer to a plate, add 2 more tablespoons of scallion oil back to the pan, and repeat to fry the second batch of eggplants. (If you are lucky enough to have any scallion oil left, use it to fry eggs or to dress a salad.)
• Finally, sauce the eggplants: Add the first batch of eggplants back to the pan alongside the second batch. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour the reserved gochujang sauce over the eggplants. Toss until evenly coated and the gochujang starts to caramelize, about 1 minute.
• Plate the eggplants on a large platter and garnish with the fried scallions and the reserved raw scallion greens. Serve immediately. (To store for later, transfer to a resealable container and keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. This dish tastes great cold, straight out of the fridge, or at room temperature.)