
Simply Perfect Eggplant, that says it all. This dish intensifies the already delicious flavor of eggplant. It is sauteed beautifully with good olive oil and garlic. The result is a smooth silky texture with a light smoky flavor. This is a great side to chicken, grilled fish, or can even star alone for a nice vegetarian meal. Give it a try. You'll love it.
Ingredients for Simply Perfect Eggplant:
3 lbs eggplant, peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
6-8 fresh basil leaves, torn
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Time Saving Tip: A couple of hours before cooking the eggplant you can peel and prep it. You can also slice the garlic and have it ready to go.
Let's gather up what we need.
Now let's start cooking.

This beautiful eggplant is from our garden. Eggplant comes in all shapes and sizes. Try to get the smaller ones like the ones above. There aren't as many seeds in them. I weighed them on my Oxo kitchen scale. I use this scale all of the time. Click HERE if you want to some more information on it.
Peel and trim the ends off of the eggplants. Cut 1/4 inch slices lengthwise and then cut those slices into 2'' lengths. It's okay if your measurements are not exact. Put the pieces of eggplant into a colander and place on top of a dish. Toss in the 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Let the eggplant mixture sit for about 45 minutes, tossing once or twice.
After the 45 minutes or so passes, squeeze the eggplant over the colander. When you are done the plate will have collected the excess liquid.
Heat a pan to medium high heat and add the 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and sliced garlic. Saute for 30 seconds or so. Add the eggplant to the pan and toss a few times. Add 2 more tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to coat.
Continue sauteeing for about 10 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Turn off the heat once the eggplant is tender and add the basil.

It's ready! This is really a delicious and simple way to prepare eggplant. I doubt you will have any leftovers, but if you do add to an omelette or toss with some pasta.
Enjoy!
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