in the Kitchen

I used to teach Chemistry and Physics... now I make dinner. I used to wipe down lab tables... now I use baking soda to clean my bathrooms and kitchen counters. I used to edit and test lab demonstrations... now I fiddle with spices and make recipe changes.

So really, not a whole lot has changed.

Well, now an explosion/fire is NOT the desired result, but other than that, not a whole lot has changed.

I first learned to cook in my mom and grandmother's kitchens. I remember making my first apple pie when I was four... Mom would save the little pie holders from the Little Debbie single serve pecan pie snacks (when they still made those) and she would let me make a small apple pie when she made big ones. (When she taught us the alphabet, P stood for Pie, and being the great teacher that she is, she made us do "lab work" to really cement the concept... so we baked pies. Is it any wonder why I became a Chemistry teacher?) The apple pie recipe was never written down, but was simply passed down from grandmother to mother to me. To me, that apple pie recipe is such a part of my family history that we even had a few at our wedding reception!

Mom taught me the basics... how to boil water, the difference between making rice and making spaghetti, how to fry/scramble eggs, the fine art of cookie baking, how to make Chicken Cacciatore and, most importantly, how to follow a recipe. (We won't mention the time I accidentally used 1 cup of baking soda instead of 1 tsp. of baking soda in some bran muffins... oh wait, I mentioned it... oh, well.)

My first year of teaching, I had a housemate who was still in college. I would get home at 4:30, and she wouldn't get home until about 6. It was my job to make dinner so she would leave 4 ingredients on the counter and I would have to make a meal out of them. (Well, if one of the ingredients was chicken she wouldn't leave it on the counter... that would just be gross.) From these experiments, I learned a few things... mainly that with the right combination of spices, anything can taste good! (Well, not spoiled chicken... once again, gross.)

I've had a number of friends say to me that they could never be that brave in the kitchen so I thought on these "in the Kitchen" posts,  I would write about some of my favorite ideas/recipes that are easy to experiment with. (hmm... also realizing that I should probably start taking pictures of some of these things... this one might be boring for today.)

Eggplant Melts

3 basic steps to this recipe... Bread, Eggplant, Grilling.


Bread: 
I use the Honey Oat Beer Bread recipe found here. (I double the sugar and honey since we use strong tasting beer.) But really, any kind of bread would work. Got leftover Garlic Bread? Awesome. Sesame Seed Rolls? Great. Homemade Focaccia? Mmmm... focaccia...


Eggplant: 

• Slice a ripe eggplant into 1/4" - 1/2"thick rounds. (An eggplant is ripe if it is still firm but gives a little bit... the plant part at the top should be mostly green. If it is too mushy, it is starting to go real bad, real quick.)

• Dip into a well-mixed egg. (1 egg = 3 pieces of eggplant)

• Dip into breading mixture. (We like panko + basil + oregano. Store bought Italian Bread Crumbs? Why not. Beer batter mixture? Sure! Uncle Sal's secret recipe from the old country? I guess... if you have an Uncle Sal.) 

• Place eggplant on a slightly oiled cookie sheet and BAKE (yes, I said bake!) at 375F for 15 min. Flip and bake an additional 10 more min. (At this point, you can refrigerate these and use later.) (You can also pan fry your eggplant, but I find they get mushy if you try to refrigerate the slices later.)

Grilling: 
The grilling part is really just a fancy grilled cheese. Butter one side of two slices of bread and put cheese between them. But this time, also put a piece of eggplant in the middle! (To make the sandwich stick together, you will need a piece of cheese both on top and on bottom of the eggplant.) The following is our favorite combination:

• Colby cheese

• Eggplant

• Grated Parmesan

• Eggplant

• Colby Cheese

You can use any type of cheese you like. Then, we like to dip ours in a mayonnaise + pesto mixture. Seriously, yum. Other combinations? Marinara sauce. Spicy Mustard + Mayonnaise/Sour Cream/Yogurt. Indian Hummus. 

Don't like eggplant*? How about zucchini*? or squash? or broccoli?

*Helpful Translations for my British friends as well as those who are having a Dr. Who themed dinner... Eggplant = Aubergine. Zucchini = Courgette. 

Happy Experimenting!!