I spent the day in the kitchen. Okay, I’ll be honest, I didn’t get out of my pajamas all day. I just kept cooking. First, I made Basil Pesto. I needed it for a recipe later in the day.
Then I made Caponata Siciliana - eggplant salad. I am not a fan of eggplant so waited to make the eggplant recipes until the end of the chapter. Boy, was I wrong about this recipe. I would eat this recipe anytime. (So funny! I was flipping TV channels this evening and a contestent on a cooking show was making this dish!) It was a warm salad with vegetables, capers, raisins, pine nuts, and balsamic vinegar. It was a party in my mouth. There is salt from the capers, sweetness from the raisins, crunch from the nuts, a tartness from the vinegar and topped with fresh tomatoes. I didn’t even know there was eggplant in the salad it was so good. So many times I have been served slimy eggplant. This was anything but.
Then I made some vegan Shortbread Cookies. I needed to use small cookie cutters because there wasn’t much dough. So I had to use some non-Christmas cookie cutters and decorate them in Christmas colors. It worked.
After a short break while I let the eggplant soak in the salt, I started making the Eggplant Parmigiana. I had some firsts. I never cooked eggplant, I never fried any food before and I never made eggplant parmigiana. This eggplant parmigiana has eggplant that gets fried but with no breading. Then the eggplant gets put in a ramekin with tomato sauce and pesto. The ramekin goes in the oven and when it comes out I had to flip it over on a plate. Not as easy as you think it is going to be.
It tasted so good. I could not believe it was eggplant. There was nothing chewy or slimy. It was tasty and the sauce/pesto mix made me want to lick the plate.
After that I just wanted to sit down. It was a long day and I have another one tomorrow. My plan is to finish this chapter by the end of the weekend. I am done eating Italian food.
Until tomorrow...
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