Eggplant Chips

So you have these beautiful Thai Eggplants in your basket – what next?

First of all let me tell you why we decided to grow Thai Purple Ribbed Eggplant (that’s a mouthful!). Have you seen them? They’re beautiful! Outside of that, it’s something we would personally like to see in grocery stores or at the very least Farmer’s Markets. So we figured we would grow it ourselves! And while its stunning beauty is why we started growing it, its taste and ease of preparation is why we will continue growing it!

So just how do we prepare?

The Eggplant

Since your eggplant came from Bain Home Gardens or Hawkins Homestead Farm, you do not have to worry about harmful chemicals. It has been rinsed and inspected for critters. Having said that do one final wash before cooking.

  • Preheat oven to °400.
  • Remove the stems from eggplants. We have found this to be a little tricky with these varieties. The cap of the stem tends to really hug the fruit so you will need to pull the cap up on each of the ends to see the best place to cut. This is the best way to prevent excessive waste of your veggies. If that is not a concern for you, you may simply cut as you wish.
  • For our chips you really want to cut the slices thinly. Otherwise cut them to your liking and adjust cook time to account for thickness. We cut ours thinly thus a shorter cook time.
  • Place sliced eggplant on a plate and sprinkle with salt. Leave 10 minutes. This allows time for the salt to pull the water out of the eggplant which makes for crunchy slices (chips). Pat dry with a cloth.

*If you are going for a more traditional take on your meal, skip the above step.

  • Brush on a thin coat of oil of choice. We used Olive oil.
  • Sprinkle with seasoning of choice. We love garlic so we used garlic powder.

Let’s Cook

  • On a nonstick cooking sheet arrange eggplant slices so they are not touching.
  • Bake on °400 for 15 minutes. *Remember to adjust this accordingly if your slices are cut thicker.
  • Once done, remove from oven allowing to sit for 2 minutes before eating.
  • Enjoy!

We prepared our Eggplant Chips with Fettuccini & Greens Pesto for a more sophisticated switch up on brunch. That recipe to follow in the upcoming weeks. Look out for it along with more home grown goodness – from our family to yours!