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Picky eaters Alison, 9, Riley, 12, and Alex Clingan, 5, of Hagerstown, seem a bit uncertain of their first taste of eggplant fries. In the end, they preferred baba ghanouj, a dip made from eggplant. (Photos by Kevin G. Gilbert/Staff Photographer / August 14, 2012) |
Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series on children eating vegetables. The series explores ways to highlight a vegetable's flavor and appearance as a way to work around the resistance some picky eaters have to trying unfamiliar vegetables.
Eggplant has a long history in southeast Asia and in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It's a key ingredient in traditional dishes like moussaka, baba ghanouj and eggplant Parmigiana.
But not in my family. I don't remember eggplant appearing on my plate when I was a kid. I did eat eggplant occasionally as a young adult, but I didn't like it.
Then I married my wife, who was raised on Italian food, and eggplant became a regular part of our diet. I'm still not crazy about it, but, well-prepared, I enjoy the complex flavors eggplant adds to dishes.
Eggplant is nutritious, of course. It's low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin K, thiamin, vitamin B6 and manganese and dietary fiber. A one-cup serving has about 38 calories, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar and 3 grams of fiber.
But none of that makes any difference if kids will not try eating the vegetable.
Creative cookery
I was my No. 1 test subject when I went to write this story on getting picky eaters to try eggplant. But I wanted actual kids to try my eggplant dishes.
I arranged a visit from my neighbors, the children of Alan and Cindy Clingan — Riley, 12; Alison, 9; and Alex, 5. Cindy assured me her kids were certified picky eaters.
Part of the problem I have with eggplant is its texture. Also, in general, in this series on getting kids to try unfamiliar vegetables, I have tried to present vegetables in new, appealing forms.
So I offered the Clingan kids eggplant in two ways. My wife, Yolanda, made baba ghanouj, a traditional Middle Eastern dip mixing pureed eggplant with sesame-seed butter. I made something more contemporary — "french fried" eggplant strips.
Eggplant is about 92 percent water, which can be a problem when cooking. So virtually every fried-eggplant recipe begins with directions to drain away some of the water by slicing eggplant, salting it generously and laying the slices between layers of paper towel for at least a half hour.
The verdict
And how did the Clingan kids like the eggplant dishes? They gamely tried the fries and the dip, and didn't immediately wrinkle their noses. They especially liked the baba ghanouj.
I made the fries big, like steak fries, but they were squishy inside. Riley had a suggestion for the fries — make them thinner and crispier — that I tried later and liked. My recipe at right uses his suggestion.
So the afternoon was fairly successful. The Clingan children tried an unfamiliar vegetable, and I had eggplant fries and baba ghanouj as part of my dinner.
A tasty day? Maybe. But definitely a productive day on the path toward getting kids — and adult picky eaters — to try eating more vegetables.
Yolanda's baba ghanouj
2 small eggplants (see cook's note)
Eggplant has a long history in southeast Asia and in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It's a key ingredient in traditional dishes like moussaka, baba ghanouj and eggplant Parmigiana.
But not in my family. I don't remember eggplant appearing on my plate when I was a kid. I did eat eggplant occasionally as a young adult, but I didn't like it.
Then I married my wife, who was raised on Italian food, and eggplant became a regular part of our diet. I'm still not crazy about it, but, well-prepared, I enjoy the complex flavors eggplant adds to dishes.
Eggplant is nutritious, of course. It's low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It is also a good source of vitamin K, thiamin, vitamin B6 and manganese and dietary fiber. A one-cup serving has about 38 calories, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of sugar and 3 grams of fiber.
But none of that makes any difference if kids will not try eating the vegetable.
Creative cookery
I was my No. 1 test subject when I went to write this story on getting picky eaters to try eggplant. But I wanted actual kids to try my eggplant dishes.
I arranged a visit from my neighbors, the children of Alan and Cindy Clingan — Riley, 12; Alison, 9; and Alex, 5. Cindy assured me her kids were certified picky eaters.
Part of the problem I have with eggplant is its texture. Also, in general, in this series on getting kids to try unfamiliar vegetables, I have tried to present vegetables in new, appealing forms.
So I offered the Clingan kids eggplant in two ways. My wife, Yolanda, made baba ghanouj, a traditional Middle Eastern dip mixing pureed eggplant with sesame-seed butter. I made something more contemporary — "french fried" eggplant strips.
Eggplant is about 92 percent water, which can be a problem when cooking. So virtually every fried-eggplant recipe begins with directions to drain away some of the water by slicing eggplant, salting it generously and laying the slices between layers of paper towel for at least a half hour.
The verdict
And how did the Clingan kids like the eggplant dishes? They gamely tried the fries and the dip, and didn't immediately wrinkle their noses. They especially liked the baba ghanouj.
I made the fries big, like steak fries, but they were squishy inside. Riley had a suggestion for the fries — make them thinner and crispier — that I tried later and liked. My recipe at right uses his suggestion.
So the afternoon was fairly successful. The Clingan children tried an unfamiliar vegetable, and I had eggplant fries and baba ghanouj as part of my dinner.
A tasty day? Maybe. But definitely a productive day on the path toward getting kids — and adult picky eaters — to try eating more vegetables.
Yolanda's baba ghanouj
2 small eggplants (see cook's note)
