In the world of vegetables, eggplants are the ugly, forgotten sisters of more beautiful, glamorous, and dare-I-say promiscuous produce such as the cherry tomato (Such luscious color!) or the cucumber (So tall! So slender!). It’s not that there’s anything quite so unlikable about eggplant. It’s just that collective unfamiliarity breeds ignorant attempts at preparing eggplant, rendering her mushy, spongy, greasy, slimy, and just plain not-in-the-mood. This wins no admirers for the eggplant.
But you can believe what you’ve heard about neglected ladies making eager bedfellows, for treat eggplant right, make your approach firm, yet gentle, and she will truly come into her own, yielding to your touch, trying her best to please you in new and exotic ways, teasing you, causing your eyes to roll in ecstasy. Oh, why did you ever doubt her, why did you ever think it strange to coat one another with miso paste and honey, how could you have not seen this strange and beautiful thing unfolding before your very eyes this whole time?!?!
Too much? Okay. But seriously. Let’s talk about the eggplant’s virtues:
1) Low-maintenance;
2) Excellent child-bearing hips;
3) Sophisticated purple hue;
4) Absorbs flavors well (and especially enjoys dabbling in the miso).
There are recipes that would like you to mix your miso with vinegar, sugar, water, oil, blah-di-freaking-blah, before you can even lay hands on your eggplant. There are those that require the laborious use of both stove AND oven (for shame!). But you know me well enough by now to know that I’d never put you through all that. Eggplant enjoys a good quickie, and this baby is hot and ready for you in twenty minutes tops (hey, I never said there wouldn’t be ANY foreplay).
Try this big girl on for size, and you won’t find her anything but luscious, oh-so-sweet, yet punchy, and totally kissable–I mean, lickable. I mean…I would never bring miso into the bedroom. At least, I’d never admit to it.
Miso Honey Eggplant
Ingredients:
1/4 cup mellow miso paste
1/4 cup raw honey
2 cloves minced garlic
1 heaping tablespoon minced onion
few grinds fresh pepper
2 medium eggplants (regular; if using Japanese eggplants, you’ll probably need 5 or 6)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F degrees. Rinse and dry eggplants. Cut off top and slice lengthwise, from top to bottom, into 3/4 inch thick slices. Lay on parchment-lined cookie sheets (I needed two). In small bowl, cream together miso, honey, garlic, onion, and pepper. Spread evenly on eggplant slices. Bake until eggplant is just tender, then switch to the broiler until the tops are browned and bubbly (optional, but pretty–the eggplant, she will like it). Serve over steamed brown rice and, if you’re craving an extra indulgence, a fried egg with a still-runny yolk. Serves 2-3.
