Why are eggplants useful?
Many years of culinary experience and scientificResearch has proven the benefits of eggplants for the human body. They contain fiber, proteins, sugars, a number of vitamins and minerals, which also have a therapeutic effect. Due to their low energy value (only 24 kcal), eggplants are considered a dietary product and can be used in the diet of people watching their weight. They contain substances that break down fats, so these vegetables are recommended for atherosclerosis. The high potassium content has a beneficial effect on the heart and regulates the water-salt balance in the body. This allows us to recommend regular consumption of eggplants for the elderly and people suffering from heart disease, edema, and stomach and intestinal diseases. They are useful for gout, constipation, as well as liver and gallbladder diseases, as they increase the secretion of bile. Eggplants contain many other minerals necessary for the body: iron, magnesium, sodium, iodine, fluorine, phosphorus and copper, which promotes hematopoiesis. The fruits contain a large amount of B vitamins, which regulate the nervous system and help fight insomnia and depression. In addition, it contains vitamin C, which improves immunity, vitamins A, E and PP. Eggplant juice has an antiseptic effect and is successfully used in folk medicine to treat pustular skin diseases. Healers note another important property of eggplants - its ability to neutralize the effect of some poisons. For example, in case of alcohol intoxication, mushroom and berry poisoning, they recommend drinking a decoction of green cups of the fruit. There are recipes for preparing remedies for toothache and gum disease. Therefore, folk medicine advises not to throw away eggplant cups, but to dry them and store them.
Marinating vegetables
Marinating occurs with the participation of acid,which prevents the growth of microorganisms. It is usually used for preserving vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, meat, and fish. To prepare pickled vegetables, use a marinade containing sugar, salt, and possibly vegetable oil. If the products are prepared for long-term storage (preparations for the winter), additional conditions are required to prevent the development of mold and yeast fungi. In this case, salt is added in a certain concentration, pasteurization or sterilization is used, tightly sealed with lids to prevent air access, and subsequent storage at a temperature not exceeding 4 C. For pickling, a marinade is important, which can be prepared in advance and stored in a glass container, using as needed. Recipes for marinade differ in the amount of salt, concentration and type of acid, as well as sugar content and combination of spices. For example, to prepare a regular marinade marinade, you will need:
- Water - 10 l.
- Green dill - about 100 g.
- Horseradish root or leaves - 40-50 g.
- Dill seeds - 1 tsp.
- Celery and parsley leaves - 50 g each.
- Bay leaf - 5-6 pcs.
- Garlic - 40 g.
- Red pepper and tarragon - 15 g each.
- Salt and sugar - 500 g each.
- Vinegar essence 80% - 400 g.
All spices must be washed well beforehand andCut into pieces no larger than 1 cm. Add salt and sugar to the water, boil for 10-15 minutes, then add spices and vinegar, then cover the pan with a lid and leave for 24 hours. During this time, a saturated solution is obtained, which is filtered, heated to 70 C and poured into an airtight container for storage. Most often, table vinegar of varying concentrations is used for marinating. But there are marinade recipes that use wine, apple or grape vinegar or regular table vinegar infused with herbs. It is recommended to pour a thin layer of vegetable oil, preferably olive oil, over the marinated vegetables. This protects against mold. Marinating allows you to not only preserve vegetables for a long time, but also gives them an unusual, rich taste. Eggplants can be classified as products whose taste changes beyond recognition when marinated: they resemble mushrooms. But at the same time, they retain all their beneficial properties.
Eggplant in an instant marinade
Marinated eggplants before cookingusually boiled or fried. There are recipes that are suitable for both winter preparations and everyday use. Here is one of them: Eggplant cold appetizer It is easy to prepare, quick, and very tasty. The appetizer can be stored in the refrigerator for quite a long time. To prepare this dish you will need:
- 3 young eggplants.
- Carrots, onions for 1 pc.
- 3-4 Bulgarian pepper.
- 1 head of garlic.
- 2 tbsp. l. salt.
- 4 tbsp. l. vinegar (apple or 9% table).
- Vegetable oil, herbs, spices.
Cut the eggplants into circles (in the skin)1-2 cm thick and lightly fry in a large amount of vegetable oil. Transfer them to a cup. Peel the garlic, chop the onion and bell pepper coarsely, cut the carrots into strips. Mix the vegetables and fry until soft in oil. Then add them to the eggplants along with the chopped greens, salt everything and pour in the vinegar. Mix well and leave overnight in a cool place. The appetizer is ready. Below are other recipes for marinated eggplants that do not require mandatory preservation and are ready to eat a few hours after cooking. Stuffed eggplants with vegetables Have a piquant spicy taste, they can be used as an appetizer or as a side dish for meat dishes. To prepare stuffed eggplants, we need the following products:
- Medium sized eggplants - 6 pcs.
- Bell peppers, tomatoes - 2 each.
- Carrots - 3 pcs.
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 3 cloves
- Vinegar - 9% 6 tbsp.
- Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp.
- Salt, sugar, spices to taste
The eggplants must first be lightly boiled.To do this, pour 3 liters of water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, add 3 tbsp. vinegar and 1 tsp. salt and sugar. Drop the eggplants into the prepared solution and cook them over low heat for 15 minutes. You can determine the readiness of the eggplants with a match - it should easily pierce the fruit. But do not overcook the vegetables. Take out the eggplants, let them cool, make shallow cuts on the sides and leave under a small weight for 30-40 minutes. At this time, peel the onion, garlic, peel the carrots and pepper. Grate the garlic and carrots on a fine grater, cut the onion into rings. Cut the bell pepper and tomatoes into cubes, chop the herbs. Mix all the vegetables and season with 1 tsp. vinegar, 1 tbsp. oil with the addition of salt, sugar and spices to taste. Mix the resulting mixture well. Prepare the marinade: mix 2 tbsp. boiled water, vegetable oil and vinegar with the addition of 0.5 tsp. salt, sugar and black pepper to taste. Grind until smooth. Stuff the eggplants with the vegetable mixture, place tightly in a bowl and pour the marinade over them. Leave for 2-3 hours in a cool place, and you can serve, sprinkled with herbs. Eggplant he or Korean eggplant He recipes differ slightly. Below is one of them, which has been tested many times in practice and has many positive reviews. Necessary ingredients:
- 2 medium eggplant.
- 1 pc. carrots and red bell peppers.
- 2 medium bulbs.
- 2 cloves garlic.
- 1 tbsp. l. 9% vinegar.
- Vegetable oil, salt.
Cut the eggplants into strips, add 1 tbsp.salt, mix and leave for about 8 hours. After that, squeeze the eggplants well and fry with the addition of vegetable oil. Cut the peeled vegetables - onion into half rings, carrots and peppers - into strips, finely chop the greens. Add them to the eggplants, pour in the vinegar and mix. Add garlic and salt to taste, mix thoroughly again and leave in the refrigerator for a day. You can add spices for Korean carrots. The proposed recipes are universal, since the ingredients can be changed, the composition of the spices can be varied, and it is not necessary to adhere to the exact proportions. The taste will not change much from this.
Tasty aubergines for the winter
Recipes for pickling eggplants for the winter are fewhow they differ from quick-cooking recipes. The main feature of winter preparations is sterilization of jars and hermetically sealing with lids. In this case, the products are not subject to spoilage and can be stored for a long time. There are a huge number of pickled eggplant recipes. Below are some of them. Eggplant salad with onions Eggplants prepared in this way taste like pickled mushrooms. You will need:
- Eggplant — 2.5 kg..
- Onion - 1 kg.
- Vegetable oil - 0.5 l.
- Salt - 0.5 kg.
- Vinegar 6% to pickle onions.
Cut the washed eggplants into strips.Boil 5 liters of water and prepare a brine, pour it over the prepared eggplants, weigh them down and leave for 2 hours. Cut the onion into half rings and marinate in 6% vinegar for 2 hours. Then rinse the eggplants to remove salt and squeeze well. Lightly heat all the oil in a deep frying pan and lower the fruit into it. Fry the eggplants over low heat for about 20 minutes until done. Squeeze the marinated onions and add them to the eggplants at the end, stir, remove from heat and place in jars. Sterilize for 15 minutes, then quickly roll up the lids, turn over, wrap up and keep the jars like this until completely cool. Then transfer to a cool place for storage. Eggplants with a kick This is a pretty spicy snack. Necessary products:
- Eggplant — 5 kg.
- Garlic - 300 g.
- Vegetable oil - 500 ml
- Bulgarian red pepper - 1.5 kg.
- Hot pepper - 1-2 pcs.
- Vinegar 9% - 1 glass.
Grind garlic, bell peppers and hot peppersmincer and pour the resulting mixture with vinegar, add 2 tbsp. salt and 2 tbsp. sunflower oil, mix. Cut the eggplants into 1-1.5 cm thick circles, sprinkle with salt. After 30 minutes, squeeze and fry in oil until golden brown, combine with the spicy mixture, mix and arrange in liter jars. Sterilize for 40 minutes, roll up the lids and turn over. Baked eggplants for caviar For cooking you will need:
- Eggplant.
- Bulgarian pepper.
- Vinegar 6%.
- Salt.
Bake the vegetables in the oven or on the grill,after piercing in some places. During the baking process, the fruits should be turned over and checked for softness. Peel the cooled vegetables and place them hot in prepared half-liter jars (1.5 cm below the edge of the jar). Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1.5 tablespoons of 6% vinegar. Cover the filled jars with lids and place them in a saucepan with water heated to 60 C, bring to a boil and sterilize for 60 minutes. After this, roll up the jars with lids. The resulting semi-finished product is used to make caviar. To do this, place the vegetables on a plate, chop with a knife, add finely chopped onion, pepper and sunflower oil. All the proposed recipes are simple, accessible and deserve attention.
