Bhaigan fiesta
LOOKING for something new to tickle the family’s taste buds with? Well, we can help you there, as we happened upon quite a few little goodies ourselves the other day while running through the homegrown ‘International Cooking, Guyana Style’, a nifty little cookbook put together as a fundraiser some 13 years ago by a group called United Women for Special Children.
That group was primarily made up of prominent local and expatriate women, and was an offspring of an earlier one started by a group of Spanish-speaking women back in 1987 to further the cause of Special Needs Children.
But to get back to the book at reference, among its many contributions were a variety of interesting dishes made of the humble Boulanger (ba-lan-jay in Guyanese parlance), which, we’re not ashamed to admit, took us quite by surprise. 
We were also amazed to find out (from other sources) that the boulanger (or eggplant, aubergine, melongene, brinjal, bhaigan, or guinea squash as the vegetable is called from place to place) is a close relative of the nightshades, and as such is closely related to the tomato and the potato.
This native of India is botanically classified as a berry, and a close relative of the tobacco plant also, due largely to the high content of nicotinoid alkoloids in its seeds.
As a matter of fact, the boulanger is reportedly richer in nicotine than any other edible plant, with a concentration of an approximate 0.01 mg/100g). The good news, however, is that the amount of nicotine found in boulanger, or any other food for that matter, is negligible when compared with passive smoking. Research has it that on average, 20 lbs of boulanger contains about the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette.
Do remember this when you get the urge to gorge on the vegetable. Meantime… Bon Appétit! 

Eggplant cheese casserole
1 medium eggplant
1 cup onion and garlic croutons
1cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
½ cup milk
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp oregano
1 tsp butter or margarine
Peel eggplant and cut into ¾ inch cubes. Cook, uncovered, in boiling salted water for 3 minutes and drain. Combine eggplant, croutons, and ½ cup cheese. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased, one-quart casserole.
Combine milk, flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Pour over eggplant mixture. Top with remaining cheese, and dot with butter.
Cover and bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking 5 to 10 additional minutes, or until lightly brown.
Yield: 4 servings.
Submitted by: Anita Hilary, The UK

Boulanger casserole
2 boulangers, thinly sliced
4-6 tomatoes, sliced
2-3 onions, chopped
(Other seasonings optional)
Grated cheese
In a greased baking dish, place a layer of the boulanger slices. On the boulangers, place a layer of tomato slices, and then a layer of chopped onions. On the onions, sprinkle a layer of grated cheese.
Place in a medium oven to bake until done, and cheese is browned.
Submitted by: André Sobryan

Eggplant casserole
1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick         
2 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 tsp salt                                                                          
1/8 tsp thyme
½ tsp pepper                                                                 
¼ cup chopped parsley
2 tbsp oil                                                                          
½ cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp butter                                                                    
1½ cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped onion                                                        
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Place eggplant in greased 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil 4 minutes on each side.
Heat oil and butter in a saucepan. Add onion and garlic, and cook until yellow. Add tomatoes and cook until thick. Add seasoning.
Pour mixture over eggplant rounds; top with breadcrumbs and cheese.
Bake at 350F until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).
Serves 8
Submitted by: Christine Humphrey, the USA

Eggplant patties
1 medium eggplant                                        
2 tbsp parsley
1¼ cup breadcrumbs                                     
1 clove garlic
1¼ cup shredded cheese                                
½ tsp salt
2 eggs                                                               
1/8 tsp pepper
Peel, cube and boil eggplant in salted water. Drain and mash. Mix other ingredients together and add eggplant. Mix well, mould into patties, and fry in a little oil, or bake on cookie sheet.
Mixture freezes well if there are any leftovers.
Submitted by: Ruth Ann Smith, the USA

Eggplant soufflé
2 medium eggplants                                          
1 cup milk
3 tbsp oil                                                             
2 eggs, separated (whites beaten)
2 tbsp flour                                                          
Salt and hot pepper to taste
½ cup chopped onions                                       
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped celery
In a large pot, boil peeled eggplant until tender. Remove, mash and set aside.
In a heavy skillet, heat oil. Add flour and cook for 5 minutes — do not overbrown. Stir in celery and onions. Cook till done, 5 minutes. Add milk, heat until thick. Add grated cheese and egg yolks, stir.
Cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes. Add eggplant to the cream sauce. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Season to taste.
Preheat oven to 350F or Gas Mark 4. Bake in buttered soufflé dish for 1 hour.

Balanjay (Boulanger) choka
(Puree of roasted eggplant)
1 eggplant                                  
Margarine                                  
1-2 cloves garlic Small onion                            
1 small onion
Salt and black pepper
Red or hot wiri-wiri pepper to taste
Roast eggplant over fire or open flame on a stove. When it is burnt and crisp all over, remove the core/stem and peel off the burnt crust. (This comes off quite easily)
Using a fork, whip the eggplant with a small amount of margarine. Add chopped garlic and onions, black pepper and salt. Add some finely chopped red or hot peppers to taste. Serve the dish with bread, roti or rice. This is a popular dish in Guyana. “I have eaten a similar preparation as a side dish in Greece.
Note: If you do not have a gas stove , preheat oven to 450F. Cut eggplant in half and score the cut sides with a sharp knife down to the skin, but not through it. Place eggplant, cut sides down, on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes until the skin is charred and shrivelled. Remove from oven. Allow to cool. Remove skin.
Submitted by: The late Mrs. Janet Jagan
Former President of the Republic of Guyana

Stewed eggplant (Colombian style)
2 medium eggplants                           
14 oz can tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp salt                                             
Juice of ½ lime
½ cup flour                                          
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ cup vegetable oil                             
1 tsp dried oregano
1 medium onion, chopped                  
Black pepper to taste
Cut each eggplant in half, lengthwise, and slice each half into ½ inch slices. Sprinkle with salt and leave to drain in a colander for 15 minutes. Pat dry.
Toss eggplant in flour and fry in hot oil until browned and well cooked.
Drain on paper towels. Add onion to the pan. When cooked, add remaining ingredients.
Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Add eggplant and reheat.
Submitted by: Jane Hendrie, The UK

Pasta and eggplant
1 small pack spiral pasta                    
½ tsp thyme
1medium eggplant                            
½ tsp parsley
1 cup flour                                          
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil                                     
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped                  
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium green pepper, diced
Cook pasta in salted water until tender and drain. Dice and soak eggplant in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and roll in flour.
Fry eggplant in small amount of olive oil until tender, then drain on paper towels.
Sauté chopped onion, green pepper, thyme, parsley, garlic and tomatoes, and lightly season with salt and pepper.
Place pasta in serving bowl, add eggplant and vegetables and toss to serve.
Submitted by: Poly Scott, the USA