Eggplant Effusions

This has been a great summer for eggplant. Rob and I have globe-shaped eggplant and cucumber-shaped eggplant in three colors: solid purple, solid white, and purple-and-white striped. The fruits are so bright and cheerful they look like balloons festooning the plants, and every day it seems as if the garden is decorated for a birthday party. Even if you couldn’t eat eggplant, I think I’d grow it just because it’s pretty.

But luckily you can eat it—and it’s good for you too. It’s low in calories and high in fiber, and the skin (of the purple varieties) is rich in disease-fighting phytochemicals. For the last couple months Rob and I have been enjoying eggplant all kinds of ways. My favorite way to eat it is in thin slices drizzled with olive oil, rolled in panko, and roasted in the oven.