Purple reign (+recipes)

Eggplants. Photo / Babiche Martens

Eggplants (or aubergine) are in season now, so it is the ideal time to buy to appreciate the best flavour as well as get the best value.

Surprisingly, many people find eggplants a little mysterious and don't know what to do with them but fear not! Three simple recipes today will prove how delicious and versatile the vegetable can be.

Eggplants come in various shapes and sizes, which adds to the confusion.

There are tiny pea-sized specimens from Thailand, long slender eggplants from Japan and the more common large, deep purple offerings which make you instantly crave moussaka or eggplant parmigiana or ratatouille or baba ganoush... Versatile indeed.

So, what to do with them? Eggplants don't need to be peeled unless you are charring over a flame before pureeing.

Just slice and fry in olive oil for a juicy addition to a sandwich or either crumb or dip into a light batter before frying.

Stuff, bake, grill or make into a pickle that will last for weeks and add a bit of spice to panfried fish, chicken or barbecued lamb.

When buying eggplants, always look for taut and shiny skin - forget about any that are even slightly wrinkled or have any dark spots.

Chef's tip

Salting eggplants can seem like a bit of a palaver but some believe it is essential to remove bitter juices. In my experience, if using young and fresh eggplants, this isn't necessary, but to do it - just slice the eggplant, scatter with salt and leave for 30 minutes then rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.