Drying vegetables is perhaps the cheapest and easiest, and also the least time-consuming way to preserve them for the winter. The blanks take up little space, as a result of which they do not require special storage facilities.
You can dry vegetables in the open air, in electric dryers, in a microwave oven. However, the easiest way is to dry it in the oven. With this method of harvesting, moisture from vegetables slowly leaves, while dietary fiber and vitamins are perfectly preserved. Using the last method, let’s prepare dried eggplant.
And in winter, when fresh eggplants are sold at a fabulous price in supermarkets, you can cook delicious dishes with dried fruits. It is enough just to pour boiling water over the eggplants, and when they are steamed, wring them out a little and cook your favorite dishes. By the way, dried eggplant dishes taste like dishes with mushrooms.
Note to the owner:
- The season for harvesting dried eggplant is August-September.
- You can also air dry the eggplant. To do this, wash the fruits well, dry them. Remove the stalks, and cut the fruits lengthwise into plates at least 1 cm thick. Make a hole in the center of each plate. Thread the slices on a strong thread so that they do not touch each other and hang to dry in a cool, dry place.
- Ready eggplants should resemble dried fruits. Before cooking, pour boiling water over the eggplants, leave for half an hour, and then cook as usual.
Ingredients:
For 1 wire rack for a standard gas oven:
- Eggplant – 800 g. –
How to cook:
1. Wash eggplant thoroughly.
2. Cut off the stems.
3. Peel the fruit from the peel. To do this, you can use a vegetable peeler or a knife.
4. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into slices about 7-8 mm thick.
5. Then cut across into strips or sticks.
6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Arrange the eggplant in a single layer on the grill.
7. Heat the oven to 50⁰ C. Place a baking tray on the top shelf in the oven. Dry the eggplant for 7 hours. Be sure to keep the oven door ajar.
After the specified time, remove the eggplant slice. If it breaks easily, the dried eggplant is ready. And if not, add more drying time.
Let the cooked eggplant cool completely.
8. Place cooled eggplants in clean, dry jars and close with lids.
Enjoy your meal!