Grilled Eggplant Recipe

I slice Eggplant thick, like a steak. Seasoned with salt and pepper, I then slide sliced Eggplant on my outdoor gas grill for about 10 minutes until browned and tender. A Grilled Eggplant is a tasty summer treat.

While bitter when raw, when cooked, Eggplant is soft, peppery, and earthy like mild mushrooms. When cooked, it can be creamy like a baked yam or tender like boiled squash or zucchini.

I usually grill sliced potatoes when I barbecue, but lately, I go with Eggplant. I can get a whole large one for less than $2, not a bad deal. 

Eggplants come in many sizes, from long and thin to fat and wide. When cooked, the interior flesh is soft and tender, while the skin is chewy and paper-thin.

I've cooked Eggplant a few ways (click on any recipe name to see all the delicious details). Breaded, fried, and covered in cheese, then baked in a tomato sauce, and you have an Italian Eggplant Parmesan. 

Baked, peeled, and blended with olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, parsley, and garlic, it makes a creamy Baba Ganoush that pairs with pita bread.

My sister, Denise, is well known for her Eggplant Burger. It takes a few steps to get there, but her friends and family rave about it.

Next time you are manning the grill, throw on sliced Eggplant seasoned with salt and pepper. It only takes a few minutes longer than grilling a burger or steak. Anyway you slice it, Grilled Eggplant is a tasty and tender addition to your grilling repertoire.

Grilled Eggplant - VIDEO            Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 10 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• Eggplant - any type. I sliced and grilled a large one. For thin and long eggplant, I would slice lengthwise.
• Salt and Pepper - to taste.

Directions

For a large Eggplant, cut it into one-inch-thick slices. For a long and thin Eggplant, slice it in half, lengthwise.

Salt and pepper to taste. It's okay to add vegetable oil to sliced Eggplant to reduce the grilling time. It will brown quicker with a coating of oil. I made my recipe without oil.

Grill the sliced Eggplant over a medium/low heat for about 10 minutes. I like to cook it slower to make sure the Eggplant doesn't blacken or brown too much. Although even when blackened, it will be tasty, just extra charred in flavor.

Grill Eggplant on both sides until soft and tender to the touch. Sometimes the Eggplant will turn creamy, and other times it will be soft and spongy. It's delicious both ways.