Recipe of the Week

I made this other night on a whim. I was at Central Market and picked up an eggplant simply because a) I haven't had eggplant in years, and b) it was just so shiny and pretty. I had no idea what I was going to do with it. You know when people ask you "If you had x amount of money to spend anywhere you wanted, where would you spend it?" Alot of people say "the Corvette dealership" or "Nordstrom" or "Ebay" or whatever. I would spend it at Central Market. Well, first I would go buy an enormous freezer and refrigerator, and then I would spend the rest at Central Market. I could walk around in there for hours. In fact, we have been known to spend our Saturday nights walking around Central Market. The kids love it because they can help put the produce and whatnot on the scales and push the numbers on the little computers, Kevin likes the meat and seafood departments, and I like everything, but especially the produce section. The other day I went in there and they had the most beautiful display of heirloom tomatoes. I wished I had my camera with me. And hey, you can sample just about everything in the store. Anyway, I had this eggplant and Kevin complained because he hates eggplant, so I kinda tweaked an existing recipe and came up with this. And ya'll everybody loved it. Blondie asked for seconds. Kevin went on and on about how much he liked it and requested I make it again soon. It takes a while (over an hour and a half), so start it early to prevent having dinner at 8:00 at night like I did. Eggplant Parmesan-y Kinda Thing 1 or more eggplants, skin peeled salt olive oil grated mozzarella and parmesan cheeses marinara sauce (I just used a jarred sauce from the grocery store) Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay on a baking sheet in a single layer and sprinkle generously with salt. Let it sit for about an hour to bring out all the bitter juices. Rinse the slices in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Turn on the broiler and place the slices on a baking sheet. Lightly brush the eggplant with olive oil and broil until lightly brown. Turn and brown the other side. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a baking pan, first spoon a small amount of marinara sauce into the bottom of the pan. Place eggplant in the pan and spoon a small amount of marinara on top. Sprinkle a little cheese on top, then layer with more eggplant. Repeat the layers, about 3 or 4 eggplant high, finishing with cheese on top. Bake for about 30 minutes or so, until bubbly and lightly browned.