Eggplant

Serve this with crusty bread to soak up the delicious olive oil.

What northerners call stuffing, southerners call dressing. Oysters and eggplant are a classic Louisiana combination, and the bite of cayenne adds to the authenticity. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

You can use either Chinese or Japanese eggplants for this recipe; both varieties have purple skin, a long, slender shape, and small seeds. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

"While visiting Long Beach, California, we dined at a bit of elegant, imported Italy called L'Opera," writes Shirley Harris of Sun Lakes, Arizona. "The service was excellent, each dish divine, but the veal scaloppine was what my husband begged me to try to re-create. It would be great to surprise him with this dish at home." If you can't find porcini powder in the spice aisle of your supermarket, grind 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms in a spice mill; that will be enough for one tablespoon.

Warm pita bread would make a delicious accompaniment to this dish.

This dish has wonderful smoky flavors and just a touch of sweetness. Using oven-ready lasagna noodles simplifies the preparation.

This would be nice with any roasted meat.

(Gratins d'Aubergine, Mozzarella et Pistou) This makes a terrific meatless main course. It would serve eight as a side dish; simply layer the ingredients in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish, then bake and broil it as directed.

Suitable sides for the vegetables and pasta are grilled pita bread and assorted olives. End with baklava and fresh apricots.

Gaeng Pah Muu Most curries from southern Thailand use coconut milk. This one, from the mountainous north, doesn't, because the climate is too temperate for coconut palms to survive. Don't be intimidated by the start-to-finish time; the curry paste and chicken stock can be made days ahead. Once you have those components at hand, the recipe only takes about 1 hour to put together. If you prefer your food less spicy, use the smaller amounts of curry paste and vegetable oil. Active time: 3 1/4 hr Start to finish: 7 1/4 hr (includes making curry paste and stock)

Silky Japanese eggplant and fiery serrano chile unite in this no-fuss frittata that’s brunch-ready, dinner-worthy, and wildly good.

Split open like a baked potato, eggplant becomes a custardy vessel for dinner.

No coating or frying here! Toasted breadcrumbs and a blanket of melty cheese replicate the flavors and textures of eggplant parm in a fraction of the time.