How gorgeous is this versatile vegetable? With dark purple silky smooth skin, not to mention the fact that it's wow, just outside my kitchen door, I find it irresistible! And though I'm a huge fan of eggplant (in its many different types) prepared in a variety of ways, when it comes to the fruit of my garden, I'm a minimalist.
Funny, but I'm reminded of a woman I met in the Dominican Republic about 7 years ago. Juanita, who taught me to prepare several of the recipes in Calypso Coolers, talked about her "del mar al caldero" (from the sea to the pan) philosophy with fish; well, I'm definitely into the garden to the kitchen way of thinking...and delighted to enjoy the fruits (hah!) of my son and husband's labor. (They are the ones planting/tilling...I'm much better in the kitchen...)So back to the minimalist thing, here's what I mean: fresh vegetables, like fresh fruit, don't require much. So in this case, I heated up a bit of oil (and meant to add garlic, but forgot!), and sautéed the eggplant over high heat for several minutes until browned, topped with a bit of coarse salt and fresh basil leaves, and voilà: a great dish was in front of me!
So my friends, take a visit to your garden if you're so lucky--or to your local market--and remember that as far as prep is concerned, less can be so much more....
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