Aubergine
- Twelve Corners Communications
- 14 minutes ago
- 2 min read
I think a fundamental shift in my identity arrived this summer and I didn’t even realize it until now.
I think, just possibly, that my new favorite vegetable is eggplant.
This is not to diss other top shelf veggies; brussels sprouts, asparagus, cucumber; but rather to highlight how completely impressed I have been with the eggplant that I’ve been growing in the church’s community garden.
I planted the eggplant with a very limited amount of experience with the vegetable, either as something to be grown or something to be eaten, but I thought this was as good a time as any to see what happens. That baby ballooned! This success led me to a secondary problem: what does one do with eggplant? I know it’s not an egg, so I don’t think I could scramble it. I really only have a frame of reference of two different eggplant recipes: Eggplant parmesan and baba ghanoush. I love baba ghanoush but rarely ever order it. It feels like by the time I’m at the restaurant that I’d rather some hummus or a wrap, leaving the baba out in the cold. But a delicious baba ghanoush is an absolute smokey, smooth triumph. My opinion on eggplant parm was much more tepid. That’s mainly due to the fact that every bite of eggplant parm is a bite that I am not taking from a meatball parm sub.
But both of those items seem much more difficult for me to produce than I have patience for. This is the seed of my joy, because it forced me to look for other ways to dispose of this purple beauty. Here is a list of what I’ve made with my eggplant (so far) in order of preference:
Soy glazed eggplant -
Ravioli with roasted eggplant, tomatoes, and capers - https://www.marthastewart.com/1549756/ravioli-roasted-eggplant-tomatoes-and-capers
Vegetarian eggplant and bean chili -
Eggplant parmesan milanese - https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/aubergine/aubergine-parmesan-milanese/
Additionally, the eggplant and bean chili is killer over spaghetti for leftovers. It feels like a completely different meal.
When I started writing my blog, around five years ago in some form or another, I made the conscious decision to write what I was thinking about and not second guess myself. As a result, you just spent some time reading about my adventures with eggplant. I know that this might seem marginally related to anything of interest at best, but this was what I was thinking about and this is what I wrote. For what it’s worth, I’ve got more eggplant coming in, so if you have any other killer (easy) recipes, please let me know.
Peace,
Rev. Jeff Fox-Kline
Do you have another great eggplant recipe or another veggie you can’t live without? Share it with us! And if you’re nearby, come be part of our welcoming community this Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for worship and fellowship. All are welcome! Twelve Corners Presbyterian Church is located at 1200 S. Winton Road in the heart of Brighton, NY!