Be an eggplant wizard Make your people purple eaters BY ANDY KING

Eggplant is one of those vegetables that most people either love or hate. Those who hate it reference slimy, gelatinous masses that marked casseroles prepared by their least favorite relative at family gatherings; those who love it fall into two sub-categories. The first consists of those who like eggplant parmesan, which involves breading the crap out of the vegetable and covering it in sauce and cheese, the second has had it prepared lovingly by someone who knows how to handle it.

Then there are those who only know the vegetable from its brief appearance on both the Nintendo game Kid Icarus, as the buffoonish Eggplant Wizard, and the Saturday morning Nintendo-based cartoon "Captain N: The Game Master," reprising the same role. History has shown these bigoted depictions of eggplants to be black marks on both genres.

We shall speak of it no more.

I straddle the classifications just a bit. I’m a big fan of almost anything fried, but I realize that it’s generally not the eggplant that I’m tasting. On the other hand, last week’s dinner at the Mediterranean Grill renewed my interest in Baba Ganoush, the cooked eggplant dip that still retains the veggie’s natural flavor while accenting it with tahini and lemon juice. So rather than force myself to take a side, I figure I’ll just give you a twofer.

The fried eggplant recipe pretty much just utilizes your standard breading technique, albeit with a twist before the breading even begins — eggplants are moist and spongy with a slightly bitter juice; salting the pieces and allowing some of the juice to drain will allow for a crispier, slightly sweeter final product. You can try to find an authentic topping, but I douse ’em with Frank’s Red Hot, just like chicken wings.

The Baba Ganoush, on the other hand, tastes best with some extra bitter. Char the eggplant as you would roasted red peppers, and you’ll get a nice, smoky result that’ll please the whole family. Maybe you’ll even convince your siblings to try it, despite their traumatic experience with Uncle Konstantine’s famous Eggplant Bake.

BABA GANOUSH

2 medium eggplants

5 tablespoons tahini

1 lemon, juiced

2 teaspoons salt

2 large cloves garlic

Heat up your grill until it is ripping hot. Prick the eggplant’s skin all over with a fork, and then place on the grill. Turn only when its skin is charred; by the time you turn to the last side, the eggplant should be pretty black but very soft. If it is not, move it to a cooler part of the grill and cook until it is. Alternatively, cook in a 400-degree oven until it is soft.

Place the eggplants in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a cover. This will steam the vegetable and loosen the skins. When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove the skins and stems.

Pulse the eggplant with the other ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and adjust the lemon juice and salt to your liking. Remember: Heat will allow you to taste salt and sour better. If you’re going to serve at room temperature, re-adjust the seasoning when cool.

Garnish with some parsley leaves and toasted nuts or seeds. I like sunflower seeds, but pine nuts might be more traditional.

FRIED EGGPLANT

1 eggplant, preferably the thinner Chinese kind, sliced into .25-inch thick rounds

1 egg, beaten with .33-cup water

1 cup flour

2 cups breadcrumbs

canola oil or olive oil-canola oil blend

salt

Sprinkle the eggplant with the salt and let stand in a colander or on a wire rack for an hour. This will release excess juice from the slices.

Pour enough oil into sauté pan or rondeau to cover the bottom. Heat until shimmering and very hot.

Coat each round in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, and cook in oil until dark brown. Flip and brown the other side. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with salt.

Top with nothing, or whatever you want.

YOLKELS: It’s eggplant season in Maine, and there are a bunch of styles to choose from. I got mine from the Rosemont Market and Bakery on Brighton Avenue; you should go there, a farmer’s market, or wherever local veggies are sold.