Freezing Eggplant

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Freezing Eggplant

March 11, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

When eggplants were in season at the end of last year, I picked up a ten kilo box at the markets for $8.

That’s a lot of eggplant! After passing a few to my neighbour Maude, I cut the rest into long slices and brushed them (top and bottom) with a little olive oil. These were then laid out on a parchment lined baking tray, sprinkled with a little sea salt, and baked until dark and caramelised.

We’d seen frozen char-grilled eggplant for sale, and thought it was worth experimenting to see if we could freeze our own. Slices were interleaved with a square of parchment paper and then packed into a small plastic container.

It’s now been a couple of months, and the freezing process has been a great success. The whole container needs to be defrosted each time – the slices won’t separate without tearing otherwise. I’ve used them to make eggplant parmigiana, pasta melanzane, as well as the beef brisket moussaka I blogged about recently…

This isn’t a proper moussaka, or even really a proper recipe, but rather a simple layering of flavours. Here’s how we make it…

Potatoes – boil or microwave peeled whole potatoes until tender but firm, then slice into discs. Grease a large baking dish (I use a square ceramic one) and lay the potato slices out in a single layer.

Meat Filling – this was made with our slow cooked brisket, but could just as easily be made with mince. If using mince, we usually add it to the pan after the onions and before the wine, ensuring that the meat is browned before the wine is added.

Heat butter and olive oil in a large pan, then slowly sweat a chopped onion until translucent and very soft. Add a little red wine, stir well, and allow to reduce. Then add garlic, chopped zucchini (optional), fresh oregano and a tin or two of pulped tomatoes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then stir in the cooked meat. Allow to reduce further if necessary, then spoon the filling evenly over the potato slices.

Eggplant – lay the defrosted roasted eggplant slices over the meat.

White Sauce – Pete’s white sauce formula is as follows:

50g butter
3 cups milk (UHT, at room temperature)
¼ cup flour
½ cup grated pecorino cheese
2 egg yolks

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then add the flour, whisking to combine. Continue whisking for a minute or so to cook the flour slightly, then add the milk and continue whisking until it just comes to a boil. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly and then quickly whisk in the egg yolks, followed by the pecorino cheese.

Ladle the sauce over the eggplants, then bake in a preheated 180C (fan) oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to rest for 10 – 15 minutes before serving.

Posted in Recipes | Tagged beef brisket moussaka, beef brisket ragu, easy moussaka, freezing eggplant | 55 Comments

55 Responses

on March 11, 2012 at 12:11 am Norma Chang

The slices will separate without tearing if you interleave slices with double layer of square plastic wrap (parchment paper may work too but I always used plastic) instead of a single layer.
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:23 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Norma, that’s a great tip, thank you very much! :)
on March 11, 2012 at 1:56 am Tandy

That is good to know, thanks :)
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:23 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Most welcome, Tandy! :)
on March 11, 2012 at 2:57 am Just A Smidgen

I haven’t heard or seen moussake in ages… I’m so glad you posted this as an awesome reminder and I’m sure your recipe tops any others I’d see! I love your creativity! I’m always on the look-out for how to freeze ingredients.. Some day someone needs to do a whole section on that. So often I end up throwing out food that could, perhaps, have been frozen!
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:23 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Smidge, I can’t bare to waste stuff, and I get a bit obsessive about it sometimes. Almost everything gets put into the freezer if the alternative is the bin – it doesn’t always work though! :)
on March 11, 2012 at 4:48 am Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide

Such a great tip. I also saw Lida Bastianich preserve them in oil. Obviously, not as healthy or versatile!
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:20 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Greg! Our elderly Italian neighbour used to preserve them in oil too – they were delicious!
on March 11, 2012 at 7:56 am sportsglutton

I hadn’t thought of freezing eggplant before, but that is an extremely useful idea.
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:19 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Jed! It’s been fun to find uses for the eggplant as it comes out of the freezer!
on March 11, 2012 at 8:03 am Misky

Great tip, and I intend to try it this summer when I make moussaka, something I’ve never made YET. :)
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:18 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Misk, it’s a fun thing to make – the boys especially love the potatoes and white sauce…
on March 11, 2012 at 9:05 am Amanda

You clever old thing, Celia!! I would never have thought of freezing eggplant – brilliant idea.
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:18 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Amanda! Please don’t tell everyone I’m old, it’s a secret.. ;-)
on March 11, 2012 at 10:51 am J Cosmo Newbery

Does the eggplant loose moisture when it thaws? Or has it all gone in the baking?
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:17 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Cosmo, I try to bake them until they’re very dry. I find that when I leave them on the bench to defrost, they come back to almost perfect antipasto condition..
on March 11, 2012 at 10:57 am Duncan | Syrup and Tang

That’s a nifty idea. Hadn’t thought about eggplant in the freezer. Have you tried freezing raw eggplant too? I’ve always assumed it would turn to mush.
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:17 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Hi Duncan, thanks for stopping by! I’ve never tried freezing raw eggplant, but I suspect you’re right – it probably would turn to mush! :)
on March 11, 2012 at 12:10 pm Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

If anyone would know what to do with a 10 kilo box of eggplant it would be you! :D
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:16 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Hehehe…it’s in the genes, L.. :)
on March 11, 2012 at 12:21 pm hotlyspiced

What a great idea. And what a bargain – all those eggplants for $8.00. Your version of moussaka looks so delicious. I’m now feeling very hungry!
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:16 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Charlie, I can’t tell you how often I come home with a box of something from the market, and think, “Great. Now what am I going to do with it?” ;-)
on March 11, 2012 at 1:11 pm Sally

Great idea Celia, My version of moussaka is pretty time-consuming so it’s a really excellent tip.
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:14 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Sally, thank you – I think it’s the preparing the eggplant step that always puts me off making moussaka from scratch! It’s been nice to be able to work around it! :)
on March 11, 2012 at 1:32 pm Lee

I do a moussaka where I cook the eggplant, make the meat sauce and bechemel sauce and then assemble it on the plate. It presents beautifully.
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:13 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Lee, that sounds very elegant, but how do you get the bechamel sauce to brown if you don’t bake it?
on March 11, 2012 at 2:08 pm heidi

I’ve never made moussaka, although I’ve always wanted to! Love this post, Celia- I’m going to grill and freeze some eggplant this summer and make moussaka when the more adventurous eaters of my family are around!
Thank you!
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:12 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Heidi, I really do feel sheepish, as it’s nowhere near an authentic moussaka recipe. But my tribe really like it! :)
on March 11, 2012 at 3:17 pm The Wild Wood

What a brilliant idea!
I really love eggplant coated in fine polenta before cooking; I’ll try freezing the next batch.
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:12 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Elaine, I’d love to know how that goes!
on March 11, 2012 at 5:51 pm tania@mykitchenstories

Wow frozen eggplant . I might have to try. What kinda freezer you got there girl?
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:10 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Ha! You have no idea, Tania! I have a huge stand alone one, plus an old one we bought from a friend 20 years ago – the latter doesn’t get nearly as cold as it used to, so we just use it to store flour.. :)
on March 11, 2012 at 7:08 pm Chris@slowlivingessentials

Perfect! We have eggplant accumulating in a basket in the kitchen. I will be trying this as I had no idea what to use them up in something that everyone likes!!

(I was so sorry to read of the loss of your dear feathered friend, Celia. Hugs to you xxx).
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:09 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Chris, thank you, poor little Queenie, it was sad to lose her..
  
  I wish we’d grown a glut of eggplant this year, but they just didn’t seem to do very well. I suspect it was all the rain and lack of sunshine!
on March 11, 2012 at 7:25 pm stuart

I normally buy bacon in blk then freeze it. Once it it frozen, I throw all the rashers in a bag in the freezer so I can pull as many or as few out as I wish. I do the same with my steak. I cut up a whole fillet then freeze the steaks and bag them. This means I don’t have to package them in meal sized bundles. I don’t see why this couldn’t be done with eggplant too.
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:08 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Stuart! The eggplant slices could probably be open frozen first and then stored together as you suggest, but I never seem to have that much room in the freezer to lay everything out flat.. :)
on March 11, 2012 at 10:05 pm Joanna

Thank you for the recipe for the sauce ! Once the eggplants come down in price a bit I might be making this too xxx
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:07 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  You’re most welcome! Pete’s white sauce with the egg yolks is especially nice – he uses it on all sort of pasta bakes!
on March 12, 2012 at 2:04 am C

It’s a great way to save them. I’ve been doing this for a while now – but mostly because one aubergine is too much for me. I bake them until soft and then sort of ‘open’ freeze them. Put in plastic bags in one layer so they don’t stick together and I can grab a couple of pieces to add to a pasta sauce or similar. Love your bargain. I think they’re about £1 each in the supermarkets here at the moment.
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:06 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  C, it’s a bit of feast or famine with eggplants, isn’t it? I used to make baba ganoush and freeze it as well…
on March 12, 2012 at 7:05 am Lizzy (Good Things)

Celia, such a fruitful idea…. wow!
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:04 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Lizzy! It certainly does make life easy when it comes to pulling out a quick dinner! :)
on March 12, 2012 at 12:19 pm Nic@diningwithastud

I would never have thought of freezing eggplant. What a great idea!
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:02 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Nic, I was surprised how well it worked! But it wasn’t an original idea – I did see chargrilled eggplant in the freezer section at a wholesaler recently.. :)
on March 12, 2012 at 4:58 pm Sous Chef

Well I’ve learnt something! thank you kindly.
- on March 12, 2012 at 5:01 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  You’re most welcome, Sue! :)
on March 12, 2012 at 5:48 pm Claire

This looks brilliant – I used to make moussaka for my kids by roasting whole eggplants and then adding the insides to the mince as they didn’t like the texture on its own (but sometimes they explode…). I think it’s time to revisit e recipe however! Do you freeze/defrost/re-freeze the eggplants or do you use a whole box at a time? Cheers – and I love your ‘in my kitchen posts’ – tempting and interesting!
- on March 12, 2012 at 7:07 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Claire, I use a whole box every time – I pack them in small takeaway containers, and it seems about the right amount for dinner. I try to never refreeze something I’ve defrosted previously (unless it’s been cooked in the meantime), as I’m always worried about food poisoning!
on March 12, 2012 at 5:49 pm spiceandmore

That moussaka looks delicious! I used something from my freezer today and thought “Celia will be proud of me”! :)
- on March 12, 2012 at 7:06 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  You used something from your freezer? Not just me, Pete’s reading over my shoulder, and he’s proud of you too… ;-)
on March 13, 2012 at 6:55 am InTolerant Chef

Great bargin Celia, and brilliant idea to freeze it like that too. I love my freezer, its full of all sorts of bits and pieces- there’s hardly enough room for plain old meat!
What a yummy recipe, I’m very impressed with your plating. The resting timel let your layers firm up beautifully. Yummo!
- on March 13, 2012 at 5:04 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Oh Chef, I’m glad you liked the plating! I was pretty pleased with how the pic turned out – it was lot more messy in real life! ;-)
on March 13, 2012 at 9:40 am Katherine Martinelli

Great post!! So helpful. Lizzy from Bizzy Lizzy’s good things pointed me in your direction.
- on March 14, 2012 at 7:08 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Katherine. I love Lizzy’s blog!
on March 25, 2012 at 6:00 pm Growing vegetables in the desert « My Custard Pie

[…] to farm in such inhospitable conditions. I sliced and grilled the aubergines for freezing (thanks Celia), the enormous bunch of coriander went into taboulleh and I made this dip out of the courgettes. […]