Drowning in eggplants

Does anyone else have this problem? My husband loves to shop in bulk. That's not too bad when he comes back from Costco with enough toilet paper for a small army or detergent for the new millennium (the whole millennium) , but recently he found a new place where he can get perishables in huge quantities. Now, I admit the price and quality are unbeatable but what in the world does one do with 20 Lbs of.....turnips.

As far as the turnips go, I am still stumped (no one in our home even likes turnips) but then he also bought a very big box filled with eggplant. Now, eggplant I can do. My daughter loves eggplant (she has a very eclectic palate) and I am not opposed to it myself. The younger daughter will not come near it (takes after her uncle, that one) but she doesn't eat much anyway.

So, what do you do with a mountain of eggplant?

Dish one
I started by broiling about 6 of them. You cut a few slices in each, arrange them on a pan and broil until they are very soft. If they char a bit - even better. If you can grill them - best. Once they are cool enough to touch (and if you're busy, they will patiently wait until you have time for the next step, so no rush) , scoop out the flesh, put in a food processor with 2 cloves of garlic per eggplant (or more, if you're brave), salt and pepper to taste, and 1-2 teaspoons of Tahini (raw sesame paste) per eggplant. Process until smooth (or you can stop at the chunky-ness level you prefer). You may have to add a little water to get things going but keep it to a minimum (a tablespoon or two at most). Voila!, Babaganoush A-la the middle east.

My friend Mara,  while bravely trying my weird foods,  feels much more comfortable with milder (i.e. "normal") versions. For her I omit the Tahini and mix in some mayo instead (the amount depends on your taste. Start with half a tablespoon per eggplant) . This also makes the dish appropriate for Pesach (and saves any matzah from its ho-hum status).

 Dish two
To remind you, we still have eggplants aplenty. Next, I halved a few, scooped out the flesh (leaving about 1 inch thick "walls" all around), stuffed them with a mixture of cooked grains (brown rice, wheat berries, barley) and cooked legumes (a few varieties of beans and lentils, whatever I had on hand), to which was added one onion, chopped and sauteed in oil, and the following spices: salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric and granulated garlic. The eggplants were then put in a large baking pan, surrounded by a good tomato sauce that contained similar spices, covered and baked at 325F for 2 hours (yes, two hours. I believe in cooking food until it melts in your mouth). 

Dish three
Those of you with sharp detective skills must have noticed that after scooping out the flesh of the eggplants in the previous dish, I did not specify what I did with it. G-d forbid I should toss it out.  Never fear. I heated a little olive oil in my latke pan (which has straight sides) and piled all the "discards" into it. Covered well and cooked over low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure everything was uniformly cooked. When it was all soft, I de-glazed (love that word) the bottom of the pan (to which some eggplant was stuck) with a small (and I do mean small) amount of apple cider vinegar (I had the insides of 6 eggplants and I used less than a tablespoon of vinegar), scraping vigorously, then dropped a few garlic cloves, minced, into the space that was just de-glazed, let it cook for a minute then put in about 4-5 canned whole tomatoes that I hand chopped first. Salt and pepper, cook for a few minutes longer. Serve cold. You can add some chopped fresh parsley, if you wish. This is an awesome salad and you notice the calorie content is low. Unfortunately, it goes so well with bread that it's fattening anyway.


 Dishes four, five and six
Next, we plan to make eggplant parmigiana, fried eggplant (this one is too easy to count as cooking) Here's the recipe: you slice eggplants into rounds about a finger thick, fry them on both sides in oil (olive is best but canola will work too) until so soft they fall apart when you try to take them out (don't worry if they turn brownish, that's the best part) , drain on paper towels and then layer with crushed garlic, salt, pepper, a little lemon juice and lots of chopped fresh parsley, Serve cold.), another kind of fried eggplant (this one, instead of the garlic and such, I will dot with feta cheese and broil a little until the cheese melts. Just a quick light meal for my vegetarian girl). And then I will really have a problem because I think all these dishes will make no more than a small dent in my purple mountain.


I heard eggplants make good missiles, being somewhat aerodynamic. Hmmm....
  
Suggestions welcome. We are desperate.

BTW - Those 20 Lbs of turnips may yet come in handy. My mother in law says turnips are good for what ails you: cold, flu, pneumonia, whatever. It seems you can feed a dish of turnips to a dead person and it will make him feel better. I say she wins the "Ess, Bubbeleh" contest hands down.