Lola Rugula

These little red eggplant are Melanzane Rosso Di Rotonda eggplant from Baker’s Creek Heirloom Seeds and they are just as delicious as they are beautiful.

I started my plants inside in late winter so I had a good headstart on their growing season and now, in mid-August, I’ve been blessed with quite a few of these beauties. They vary a bit in size but on average are about the size of a pool ball with typically 10 or more fruit going on the plant at once.

My favorite, easiest way to enjoy these is to just trim off the stem end, cut them in half, brush the cut sides with olive oil, sprinkle with some gray sea salt and grill for about 12-15 minutes until slightly charred along the edges. They have a beautiful white flesh with tiny little seeds and I really love their flavor.

Another way we’ve enjoyed these are in a classic, pan roasted ratatouille. Ratatouille is one of the best ways to use up a bunch of garden fresh (or market fresh) veggies and pan roasting the veggies in a heavy skillet over high heat gives them a bit of a smoky flavor that we really like. I also like that pan roasting it makes it easier to keep the veggies having a little bit of bite and everything doesn’t turn into a watery pan of mush. I make a version of this a few times every summer, mixing up the type of eggplant and pepper, depending on what I’m growing and/or have on hand.

I bust out my biggest cast iron skillet for this dish, which works great with the high heat.

Pan Roasted Ratatouille with Melanzane Rosso Di Rotonda Eggplant Recipe

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 Melanzane Rosso Di Rotonda eggplant, 2 Japanese style eggplant, or 1 standard eggplant, stems removed and diced into 1/2 inch – 1-inch dice
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
• 10 Roma tomatoes, diced with juices
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil

Directions

• Heat skillet over medium-high heat
• Add olive oil and heat until shimmering, about 1 minute
• Add onion and stir well, cooking about 1 minute
• Add eggplant, yellow pepper, salt, and pepper and stir well.
• Spread veggies evenly in pan, increase heat to medium-high and pan roast about 3-4 minutes
• Add zucchini, spread everything back out, sprinkle garlic on top and pan roast about 2-3 minutes more until edges of veggies start to slightly char
• Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook about 4 more minutes, resisting the urge to constantly stir
• Add tomatoes, their juices, and oregano, stirring well
• Bring to a simmer and cook 7-10 minutes more, just until the tomatoes have released some of their juice and veggies are cooked through but not mushy
• Remove from heat, stir in fresh basil and serve.

This makes about 5 cups of ratatouille (full batch is not pictured here).

If you’ve never had ratatouille pasta, it’s a delicious way to enjoy this! Just serve it over freshly cooked pasta, sprinkle with some Parmesan, and you’ve got a fabulous meat-free Monday dinner. You can also serve it over rice if you prefer. I typically just serve it up as a side dish but occasionally a carb craving hits and then over pasta it goes. 🙂

If you want to mix up the veggies, you can also add yellow summer squash, leeks, mushrooms, or even toss in some greens. I’ve done this with chopped up kale, green radicchio, or broccoli rabe and they’re a nice way to add a nutritional punch to this. Don’t be afraid to clean out your veggie bins when making this.

I really love heating up the leftovers for breakfast and serving it with an over-easy egg on top. Nothing like a little oozy egg yolk over a pile of veggies to get your day headed in the right direction.

If you ever needed a perfect red eggplant recipe, this is it. Easy, healthy, and delicous.

Enjoy!