Cat(h) wrote:
You could sprinkle the slices with coarse sea salt first, and let the
salt draw out the excess water for a couple of hoursin the fridge,
then
wipe salt and moisture and follow rest of recipe.

I had hoped that growing them ourselves and eating them fresh and young
direct from the greenhouse would negate the necessity for salting them
(not to remove excess water as such, but to remove the bitter compounds
dissolved in said water – some people are lucky enough not to be able to
taste them, but I'm not one of them). Unfortunately, judging by the
ones I harvested the other day, this does not seem to be true. Does
anyone else find that they can eat their aubergines without salting?

Rhiannon

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote .
Does
anyone else find that they can eat their aubergines without salting?


I've never salted mine and they taste just fine. However, the following is
from Delia Smith's website:

"Chefs and cooks seem to have an endless debate about aubergines: to salt
and drain, or not to salt and drain. I'm for the former. I do take the point
that the modern aubergine has evolved to a state where it does not contain
bitter juices, but the juices are there, nonetheless, and I find salting and
draining gets rid of excess moisture and concentrates the flavour - there's
nothing worse than a watery aubergine.

Aubergines also have a capacity to absorb other flavours, so are great mixed
with tomatoes and spices, cheese or pulses. They also absorb oil at an
incredible rate, so frying is not recommended. I find the best way to cook
them is either by oven-roasting or char-grilling."

Janet Baraclough wrote:
The message
from Rhiannon Macfie Miller contains these words:



I had hoped that growing them ourselves and eating them fresh and young
direct from the greenhouse would negate the necessity for salting them
(not to remove excess water as such, but to remove the bitter compounds
dissolved in said water - some people are lucky enough not to be able to
taste them, but I'm not one of them). Unfortunately, judging by the
ones I harvested the other day, this does not seem to be true. Does
anyone else find that they can eat their aubergines without salting?

I used to salt shop-bought ones 20 years ago but gradually gave up
bothering when less and less came out; I have the impression that modern
varieties don't really need it like the old ones did. The tastiest ones
(imho) are the very small ones you can buy in Asian shops.

Janet

I find it depends on what I am cooking. If I am using them in a
ratatouille or other such type of "stewed" dish, I don't bother
salting.
But if I was making aubergines a l'espagnole (old Mammy food dish from
my childhood), or a moussaka, or any other gratin type dish, then they
are best salted. As someone else said, there is nothing worse than
watery aubergine.
It's interesting what you and a few other posters are suggesting about
the lower bitterness of new varieties. I had put the difference down
to "those nasty flavourless Dutch imports we get in supermarkets here",
as opposed to the locally grown aubergines I was lucky to find at my
local market, or those I was even more fortunate to get from my
father's cabbage patch back many moons ago on the old sod.

Cat(h)

[snip]

Aubergines + Barbecue = Ace

JMHO

Uncle Marvo wrote:
[snip]

Aubergines + Barbecue = Ace

JMHO

Here here (or is it hear hear? I could never tell)

Cat(h)

In reply to Cat(h) ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

Uncle Marvo wrote:
[snip]

Aubergines + Barbecue = Ace

JMHO

Here here (or is it hear hear? I could never tell)

Cat(h)

Hear.

Hear hear.

That and ratatouille (which nobody apart from me and probably Ms Puce can
pronounce)

:-)

"Uncle Marvo" wrote in message
...
In reply to Cat(h) ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

Uncle Marvo wrote:
[snip]

Aubergines + Barbecue = Ace

JMHO

Here here (or is it hear hear? I could never tell)

Cat(h)

Hear.

Hear hear.

That and ratatouille (which nobody apart from me and probably Ms Puce can
pronounce)

:-)



As a wild guess, how about rat - a - two - lee ??



Mike


--
--------------------------------------
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
www.nsrafa.com

In article ,
"Mike" writes:
|
| That and ratatouille (which nobody apart from me and probably Ms Puce can
| pronounce) :-)
|
| As a wild guess, how about rat - a - two - lee ??

That guess should have been left in the wild - it doesn't domesticate
well. I.e. "no".


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Mike wrote:
"Uncle Marvo" wrote in message
...
In reply to Cat(h) ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

Uncle Marvo wrote:
[snip]

Aubergines + Barbecue = Ace

JMHO

Here here (or is it hear hear? I could never tell)

Cat(h)

Hear.

Hear hear.

That and ratatouille (which nobody apart from me and probably Ms Puce can
pronounce)

:-)



As a wild guess, how about rat - a - two - lee ??

Very approximately: Ra-ta-too-yeuh

With equal emphasis on all syllables for the Southerners (they're the
best), and a relatively mute final e for the Northerners (booh).
(can't quite render the last "yeu" in plausible English phonetic, so
think of yeux as in eyes)

Cat(h)

Cat(h) wrote:
Mike wrote:
"Uncle Marvo" wrote in message
...

That and ratatouille (which nobody apart from me and probably Ms
Puce can
pronounce)

:-)



As a wild guess, how about rat - a - two - lee ??

Very approximately: Ra-ta-too-yeuh

I say 'ratatooee'.

Rhiannon

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote in message
...
Cat(h) wrote:
Mike wrote:
"Uncle Marvo" wrote in message
...

That and ratatouille (which nobody apart from me and probably Ms
Puce can
pronounce)

:-)



As a wild guess, how about rat - a - two - lee ??

Very approximately: Ra-ta-too-yeuh

I say 'ratatooee'.


It is actually pronounced

throat wobbler mangrove


Rhiannon

In reply to Des Higgins ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote in message
...
Cat(h) wrote:
Mike wrote:
"Uncle Marvo" wrote in
message ...

That and ratatouille (which nobody apart from me and probably Ms
Puce can pronounce)

:-)



As a wild guess, how about rat - a - two - lee ??

Very approximately: Ra-ta-too-yeuh

I say 'ratatooee'.


It is actually pronounced

throat wobbler mangrove

Almost right. Everybody says ratatooee unless they're French.

In article ,
"Uncle Marvo" writes:
|
| Almost right. Everybody says ratatooee unless they're French.

Who say rataplan plan plan plan plan, rataplan plan plan plan plan, ....


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In reply to Jane ) who wrote this in
, I, Marvo, say :

"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote .
Does
anyone else find that they can eat their aubergines without salting?


I've never salted mine and they taste just fine. However, the
following is from Delia Smith's website:

"Chefs and cooks seem to have an endless debate about aubergines: to
salt and drain, or not to salt and drain. I'm for the former. I do
take the point that the modern aubergine has evolved to a state where
it does not contain bitter juices, but the juices are there,
nonetheless, and I find salting and draining gets rid of excess
moisture and concentrates the flavour - there's nothing worse than a
watery aubergine.

Aubergines also have a capacity to absorb other flavours, so are
great mixed with tomatoes and spices, cheese or pulses. They also
absorb oil at an incredible rate, so frying is not recommended. I
find the best way to cook them is either by oven-roasting or
char-grilling."

This is from Uncle Marvo's feeble brane :

"Unless it's on a barbie or in a rat, the only thing to do with an aubergine
is to stuff it, as one would a marrow, with a mixture of onions and anything
else (like minced beef, peppers, garlic, more onion, etc) and oven bake
until the inside is done. Breadcrumbs optional for hungry kids. And chips."

On 7/9/06 12:44, in article ,
"Rhiannon Macfie Miller" wrote:

Cat(h) wrote:
Mike wrote:
"Uncle Marvo" wrote in message
...

That and ratatouille (which nobody apart from me and probably Ms
Puce can
pronounce)

:-)



As a wild guess, how about rat - a - two - lee ??

Very approximately: Ra-ta-too-yeuh

I say 'ratatooee'.

Rhiannon

Not bad. There's more of a touee at the end of it, though, with the 'ou'
bit barely audible. Or a 'twee', if you prefer with a touch of an 'ou'.
;-)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/