Not My Mama's Eggplant Sandwich

When I was a kid my mom would fix eggplant Parmesan every ten years or so. Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration; but I love eggplant and it seemed that we never had it often enough. I can understand why she didn't make it frequently. All the cutting, the dredging, the frying, the sauce preparation, and the final dish assembly was not something a woman who worked 50+ hours in a factory each week wanted to do with her weekend. But her dish was delicious and always appreciated. It was even better the next day when we had cold slabs of the leftover eggplant Parmesan stuffed between thick slices of Italian bread soaked in tomato sauce.

Now that I have my own garden, I always grow eggplant. I'm partial to the long, slender Japanese variety but for the sake of tradition, we always plant a few Italian ones. This year, all my Japanese plants failed to thrive. But VIVA ITALIA! Those plants are producing like crazy and I have been on the lookout for creative ways to enjoy this great end of the summer vegetable.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were at GOOSE the MARKET for lunch and Chris had an eggplant sandwich on the menu. As you might expect, this was no ordinary sandwich. The crisp baguette was filled with luscious thin slices of perfectly grilled eggplant and a sauce that I simply could not identify. Chris shared his recipe with me (which is in the Summer Recipes Section on this site). The special sauce? Indiana's own Country Mouse City Mouse Mama J's Romesco made with roasted bell peppers and finely ground almonds. If you're an eggplant fan, stop by GOOSE and let Chris make you one of these seasonal delights or head for a market or your garden (or your friend's garden), grab some eggplants, get yourself a tub of Mama J's Romesco Sauce, and try this one at home!

Comments

[Erin]

I had NO idea. Wow, I would have liked to try that!!