I have been craving fresh vegetables of late. Every time I walk into a farmer’s market or the grocery store, my eyes are overwhelmed by the fresh fruits and vegetables and all the beautiful colors! Bountiful is putting it mildly. Tonight I really didn’t want a lot of meat. Actually, I had seen a package of four baby eggplants at Costco (yes, there is a Costco in Minneapolis, too) and wanted to give them a good home. However, not everyone is an eggplant fan, so I left them at the store and have been thinking of them ever since. Well, today there were some great-looking eggplants at the little store in Jordan, MN. Medium size, and one was just right. Although I had no idea “just right” for what yet. Got back to the RV and thought about what I had to work with. I actually had more than I thought. Grilled Eggplant with an Italian Flair Serves 2-4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 medium Eggplant, quartered lengthwise (I peeled the skin off) 8 very thin slices of Pancetta 2 Roma Tomatoes, halved 1 Scallion, thinly sliced (I had a little sweet onion leftover, so I used that, too) 1 Elephant Garlic clove, rough chopped 4 large fresh Basil Leaves, rolled up and then thinly sliced 1 tsp. chopped fresh Oregano (I didn’t have this, but wished for it) 1 tsp. white balsamic vinegar (Didn’t have this either, but used some red wine vinegar instead) Fresh Cracked Pepper, to taste Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl drizzle olive oil over eggplant quarters and tomato halves and add a bit of fresh cracked pepper. In a heavy skillet – I love cast iron for this – put about 2 tablespoons (or what is left in the bottom of your drizzle bowl) of extra virgin olive oil and heat on medium-high heat until pan is hot. Be sure your oil does not start smoking or burn. Everyone’s stove is a little different, so keep an eye on your oil. When oil is hot, place tomatoes in and grill on one side of the pan and saute’ the scallion and garlic on the other side. Grill the tomatoes until slightly brown on both sides of the halves. Remove from pan and place tomatoes on cutting board and the sauteed scallions and garlic in a small bowl. Wrap […]
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