Eggplant suggestions?

Baba Gahnoush-Indian dip. Or Kashk badmenjen- Persian dip with lavash. Delicious!! These both use roasted eggplants. Similar to each other but unique.

Eggplant parm! It freezes real well and it uses a good amount of eggplant since its stacked. U could make one for u and one for a friend or freeze the other for a weekend dinner party!

Moussaka is a possibility. Google it on the Food Network and the first recipe that comes up looks good. A family member of mine self-published an eggplant cookbook years ago so that is my gold standard. That recipe cuts down on some fat by baking the eggplant, but it can be grilled for extra flavor. The cookbook I mentioned had a delectable eggplant cake recipe--google eggplant cake, choose a good-looking recipe and slather it with a classic cream cheese icing. Moussaka freezes well after baking and so does the cake. You might wait and ice the cake after it thaws if you choose that route. Leftover cake also freezes well.

This is my mother's cooked eggplant with ground pork and prawns:

In addition to the ingredients below, you will need to make nuoc cham, http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/basic-vietnamese-dipping-sauce-nuoc-cham.html
which can be made ahead. Do make this sauce with the chilis, it's just better with some spiciness, especially with this dish.

Cook an eggplant (about 1 very large or 3-4 small) whole, not peeled or cut, by either boiling or grilling it. I like the smokiness when it's grilled You want the eggplant to be cooked until it's tender and very soft, and collapsed. Peel off the skin. Slice up the cooked flesh into longish strips. Fan out the strips on a large plate and keep warm.

Chop 6oz of shelled deveined prawns to a coarse texture. Mix it gently with 4-6 oz ground pork, 2Tb chopped onions or scallions, 1 tsp minced garlic (optional), 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Fry up this pork/prawn mixture in a skillet with a little oil, breaking up the meat mixture as it cooks. The meat does not need to brown, just be cooked through.

Take this cooked pork/prawn mixture and spoon on top of the prepared eggplant. Then pour the nuoc cham over the whole thing. Start with about 2-3TB, add more if you like. Have extra nuoc cham on the side if you wanted to add more. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Eggplant does not freeze well but what about canning it?

Sautéed with green pepper carrots and mushrooms in a Thai chili sauce and a little soy sauce. Serve over brown rice

Anytime I have too much eggplant or yellow squash I enlist my sister and niece and we slice and batter them and freeze them.
To freeze battered vegetables:
Line baking sheet(s) with parchment. Add vegetables in single layer. Put sheet in freezer until vegetables are frozen. Usually only takes a couple hours. Pull out your sheets and bag vegetables to freeze again.
We have a family farm, squash becomes a near nuisance to deal with for us. By the end of summer all of our freezers are stocked well enough to last until the next season.
Just an FYI, for yellow squash, it doesn't have to be battered to freeze. Cube it or slice it and throw it in a ziplock.

i am certainly very late , but i can still contribute to this thread. Here is one of my recipes,
http://food52.com/recipes/15336_baigan_bhartha_on_makki_di_roti_bites

It's favorite of my non-Indian friends. Can be frozen well for about 6 months or so..

Emily C's suggestion looks authentic and awesome!

Lidia Bastianich has family favorite recipe, Eggplant, tomatoes and onions. Check out lidiasitaly.com

Don't know how I missed this question. No one's yet mentioned one of my favorites, the Greek Melitzanosalata. Roast whole eggplants until the skin is really wrinkly. Let cool and peel them. Then chop the "meat" and mix with an eggy, lemony dressing, feta chunks and pitted Kalamata olives.

The eggplant 'bharta' is a cinch to make,
http://www.panfusine.com/2011/12/terra-madre-day-celebrating-mother.html

you can try this one ,http://soulkitchenblog.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/delicious-greek-moussaka-almost-georges-mothers/ , i have made this and it was so good

Nasu dengaku! Japanese grilled eggplant with sweet white miso sauce (combo of miso, sugar and mirin... And a tablespoon of Sake if you wish). Absolutely delicious, simple. Sprinkle with sesame seeds after grilling. Delicious

Eggplant rollatini is also delicious and free able!

I'm a bit late so it is probably rotted weeks ago, but - babaganoush !

My Filipino recipe using Japanese eggplants is called "Tortang Talong". It is a stuffed eggplant. Roast eggplants in oven (or grill), then peel off skin..In skillet, place peeled eggplant, top with sauted mix of onions,tomatoes,pork,chorizos,eggs,breadcrumbs. See Recipe http://www.queensnotebook.com/2010/10/meat-and-vegetables-dish-with-a-twist/

@Syronai - You are welcome. I'm thrilled you enjoyed them.

@Summer of Eggplant: I made your meatballs. They're incredible! I just doubled the breadcrumbs to cut down on the stickiness (and since I was using gluten-free bread crumbs). Thanks for the recipe!

And don't forget Eggplant Caviar. Julia Child's recipe is in "In Julia's Kitchen." I usually do half-and-half hazelnuts and walnuts instead of all walnuts. It's been around for 50 years, but is still so-o-o good. It's freezeable. ALSO slices of eggplant, 3/8-inch thick, as Julia would advise, brushed with olive oil, lightly salted-peppered, put on a sheet and baked at 425 degrees F. for 12 minutes, flipping midway. They freeze well and are good for stacking with leftover leg of lamb-tomato sauce-parmesan. Or with feta and an aromatic tomato sauce like Julia Child's coulis de tomate..

Wow, what a great group of people giving and giving...love it...and plan to buy some eggplant...lots of great recipe ideas to try. Thanks so much

Imam Bayildi stuffed eggplant is always a good choice.

Imam Bayildi stuffed eggplant is always a great choice.

sliced really thin, dipped into a chickpea batter & deep fried!

Thanks everyone! I ended up making: caponata, ratatouille, a spicy tagine, and some "meat"balls. I used a recipe that had breadcrumbs and walnuts in it: http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/recipes/eggplant-meatballs
I'm going to rework the recipe to eliminate the breadcrumbs and use some whole grains instead. Will post when I'm happy with the recipe. Since I just got another 6 lb of eggplant (LOL), I will be making a moussaka and some Clay-Baked Chick Peas and Eggplants, both from Diane Kochilas "The Food and Wine of Greece".
Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions!

Eggplant meatballs. This recipe uses a regular globe eggplant, about a pound I think. Also not mentioned, but necessary, is to oil the baking sheet you bake the meatballs on, that is if you decide not to fry them. :) http://summerofeggplant.blogspot.com/2011/06/summer-of-eggplant-sequel.html If you all try them let me know how they work out.

@helen
for the tagine if you want to try a gluten free couscous. Try this technique for cauliflower couscous.
http://www.food52.com/recipes/14493_cauliflower_couscous

@summer of eggplant: I too would like to the see the eggplant meatball recipe. My partner's mother is a eggplant lover.

Summer of E......please post your eggplant 'meatball' recipe.

Thanks everyone! All great ideas. Now I can get started. First up: tagine...

A Thai green curry, with mushrooms and eggplants (shrimp or chicken if acceptable). Simmer with coconut milk, lime and lime zest. I would think that would freeze well in boil/bags.
Boast it up when defrosted with lightly sauteed carrots and onion and fresh basil and some fresh lime addition.

Also, eggplant fries with powdered sugar and Tabasco, sounds weird, it's really good. http://www.rathbunsrestaurant.com/Recipes/eggplantfriesrecipe.htm

Meatballs, eggplant meatballs freeze great. They can be used in pies, hoagies, on top of spaghetti, as appetizers. 1 large eggplant makes about a dozen meatballs. Let me know and I can post or send the recipe. I also like grilled eggplamt salads with feta, arugula, mint and basil.

If you are looking to do something different try making this Indian dish called Vangi Batata Bhaji it's a poptato and eggplant curry here is a link to an easy recipe: http://www.indianfoodforever.com/gujarati/eggplant-potato-curry.html it's vegetarian and would hold up fine in the freezer.

I do this at the end of every summer. After you've barbecued, when the grill is still hot but not at its peak anymore, arrange as many whole washed eggplants on the grill as will fit with some space between and put the lid on. Turn them over after 1/2 hour. Let them go about 1 to 1 1/2 hours total, until they're shriveled and blackened. When they're cool enough to handle, cut them open and scoop out the insides. Freeze the insides in plastic bags or containers. You can use this for baba ganouj all winter. It's also great for some fillings or as a shortcut in Khoresht-e Bademjan. When barbecued like this, it has the most wonderful smoky summery flavor.

Hi, fairly new to Food 52! Well, that's not true, I have been reading for more than a year but just recently registered.
This might be a fairly boring-ish suggestion, but I adore eggplant rollatini and it freezes really well.
I normally do the classic flavor profile (ricotta/mozz) but the sky is really the limit with the filling. Goat cheese/basil/lemon zest (with either fried or grilled eggplant) could be tasty.

Roasted eggplant slices are also wonderful. I use the Japanese, which don't require salting/draining. I cut them on the diagonal, toss in a very small amount of olive oil and salt, then roast when I have something else in the oven. Then Iet them sit on the pan until they're completely cool (if not eating right away). We use them on wraps -- freshly made roti + pauljoseph's fried fish + plus a fresh fruit chutney or cucumber raita are a favorite combination here. They're also good with carnitas, avocado, a drizzle of lime juice and a few tomato slices wrapped in a flatbread such as a tortilla or (our personal favorite here) fresh roti. ;o)

monkeymom's Criss-cross Eggplant, which uses Japanese eggplant (the long, thin ones) is outstanding. We love it. I make it at least twice a month when the eggplants look good here, which seems to be just about always. http://www.food52.com/recipes/4199_crisscross_panfried_eggplant
If you look at the comments, you'll see that many of them are mine, and that I describe many variations. ;o)

I was just going to say the same thing!
You could also look through the other contest entries for eggplant, and see if any strike your fancy. http://www.food52.com/contests/43

I second Emily C's suggestion: awesome recipe!

You could assemble and freeze a couple batches of this eggplant parmesan (http://www.food52.com/recipes/431_eggplant_parmesan?fp2r). I haven't tried it yet but it looks and sounds wonderful. The recipe calls for 3 lbs of eggplant.