What's the first thing you think when you see these little purple eggplants?
They're sooooo cute, right?! No wonder they're called fairytale eggplant. We found these at the farmer's market and just had to try them. They're much smaller than the traditional globe eggplants and shorter than the japanese ones. After poking around online for some suggestions, we decided to just grill them to get a sense of their flavor.
Tops removed, brushed with a little olive-oil, salt and pepper, they went on the top rack of the grill. After about 20 minutes, they had softened, turned brown (not so cute now!) and smelled delicious. We plucked them off and ate them plain - they were delightful. No need to salt and drain them in advance, they had a delicate, sweet taste and even the skins were edible.
If you forget to allow enough time to chop, salt and drain larger eggplants during the week, it would be easy to substitute these little ones in a quick dish, like a stir-fry or oven-roasted side. They would probably get lost in something that required substantial cooking times, but since they're not bitter they should be easier to fit into the week.
And, they're just so darn cute!
Great photos!
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