Friday, June 4, 2010

Day 199: That Purple Thing

On the third day of my vegetarian diet, and Day 199 of the blog, I made eggplant parmesan as the thing I've never done before.

This is going to be short for many reasons, but most importantly because what really can I say about eggplant parmesan?

It seemed natural that I would attempt this dish as some point during the week. Isn't eggplant parmesan the go-to for vegetarians? Plus, I was distracted by the pretty purple color of it at the store, and hastily bought it, not realizing until later that like many of the foods that I bought for this experience, I had no idea what to do with it.

But dousing it with bread crumbs, spaghetti sauce and cheese sounded like a winner, so away I went.

I had no trouble making the recipe (I'm turning into quite a cook, if I do say so myself), and the end result was tasty. Not as good as it could've been since I opted to broil the breaded eggplant instead of fry it, but definitely worth making, and eating, again.

With no one to sample my handiwork, I was forced to eat the dish for several days, which did get boring, but helped me to achieve my week-long goal of staying meat-free. I really like eggplant, though I admit other than eggplant parm, I am at a loss as to what else to cook with it. And is it a fruit or a vegetable? It has seeds, so I'm not sure.

Please feel free to leave your suggestions and answers below.

2 comments:

  1. i like to slice it in rounds (and sometimes take the skin off), sprinkle w/olive oil, balsamic, some spices and feta cheese. bake and enjoy!

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  2. "It bears a fruit of the same name, commonly used as a vegetable in cooking" (Wikipedia.com).
    Answers.com says it's a fruit. "Eggplant isn't a particularly popular vegetable in the United States..."(fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov).
    Seems nobody knows...

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