At Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery’s Caprae Restaurant in Champaign, we have developed close relationships with our farmers. It’s truly a two-way street. Being a farm-to-table restaurant, our menu is driven by what our farmers can provide for us. Often, they go out of their way to accommodate our needs. In return, if they have perishable products in excess of their orders, we will take them off their hands as a courtesy.
Recently, we accepted a delivery of a large amount of shisito peppers and both Japanese and fairy tale eggplants. They weren’t part of the current menu and were occupying valuable space in our produce cooler. I’m always the first one in the kitchen every morning, and I received the following text message from our executive chef, Garron Sanchez: “Do you have any ideas of what to do with the eggplants and shishitos we have? Maybe we can do a special. Eggplant can be a tough sell. If we put enough cheese and sauce on it, they’ll usually buy anything, LOL!”
The shishito peppers were easy. Shishitos are small, mild peppers (though one in 10 can be hot). They are best prepared simply. Place them on a lightly oiled griddle or skillet and cook until they are blistered. Sprinkle with a little flaky salt. Give them a squeeze of lemon and serve with citrus-spiked aioli or mayo.
The eggplants took a bit more thought. The long Japanese eggplants became eggplant involtini, an Italian-American dish also known as eggplant rollatini, which translates to “small roll or bundle” in Italian and features cheese and sauce. For the tiny fairy tale eggplants, I opted for miso-glazed nasu dengaku, a popular drinking snack in informal Japanese bars.
The eggplant presented two challenges. Its flesh rapidly browns after cutting due to an enzymatic reaction to oxygen and it tends to become mushy when cooked. Applying vinegar to the cut surfaces helps by lowering the pH, which in turn inhibits the browning enzymes and slows the breakdown of pectin.
At Caprae, we offered the blistered shishitos and miso-glazed fairy tale eggplants as appetizers, and the involtini as a vegetarian entrée. Happily, all my “specials” sold out, freeing up valuable cooler space!
Blistered shishito peppers
Serves four as an appetizer.
Ingredients:
½ pound shishito peppers
1 tablespoon avocado or grapeseed oil
Lemon wedge, for squeezing
Flaky sea salt, to taste
For the dipping sauce:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, grated
½ tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
In a small bowl, stir together all the dipping sauce ingredients.
In another bowl, toss the peppers in the oil.
Preheat a cast-iron pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and sear until they are blistered, for about two-three minutes. Turn over and sear the other side. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice and salt. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.
Involtini di melanzane – eggplant involtini
Serves four as an entrée.
Ingredients:
4 Japanese eggplants
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup neutral oil
For the tomato sauce:
1 28-ounce can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and halved
A pinch of salt
For the filling:
8 ounces fresh chèvre (goat cheese)
½ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
¼ cup raisins, soaked in hot water until plump, then drained
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the eggplant slices
2 tablespoons panko or breadcrumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon mint, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 large egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Remove the stems from the eggplants and slice them lengthwise into ¼-inch pieces. Arrange the slices on a rack over a sheet pan, then brush both sides with vinegar and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for one hour.
To make the sauce, combine the tomatoes (with their juices), butter, and halved onion in a saucepan. Season to taste with salt. Place the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and mashing the tomatoes. Discard the onion halves.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the chèvre, pine nuts, raisins, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, panko, garlic, lemon zest, mint and parsley. Beat the egg and stir it into the cheese mixture—season with salt and pepper to taste.
Thoroughly dry the eggplant slices. Brush them with oil and arrange them on a parchment-lined sheet tray. Roast for five-eight minutes, or until softened.
Once cooled, spread the cheese mixture evenly over each eggplant slice. Tightly roll them up and arrange them snugly in a small baking dish. Spoon the tomato sauce around the roll-ups.
Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Nasu dengaku – miso-glazed eggplant
Serves eight as an appetizer or four as a side dish
Ingredients:
8 fairy tale eggplants
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil, plus more for brushing the eggplants
2 tablespoons white or yellow miso
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Furikake or toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Preparation:
Remove the stems and cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Using the tip of a small knife, score the cut surface in a cosshatch pattern. Brush with vinegar and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Thoroughly dry the eggplant slices. Brush with sesame oil and arrange them on a parchment-lined sheet tray, cut side down. Roast until the skin begins to shrivel and the flesh is slightly softened, about five to eight minutes. Remove from the oven and preheat the broiler.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the miso, mirin, maple syrup and sesame oil until smooth.
Remove the eggplants from the oven and brush the cut sides evenly with the miso glaze. Return to the oven and broil until the glaze begins to bubble, about one minute.
Transfer to a platter and garnish with furikake or toasted sesame seeds.
This article appears in September 4-10, 2025.
