Saturday Beefcake

Ah, the versatile eggplant, it can make friends with so many of its mates on the plates and in the oven or on top of the stove. It’s like a bad girl, it can go anywhere. But also something like a good girl in that it can take you to heaven, if not go there exactly. It can be manipulated and used in so many different ways in that it absorbs the flavours and textures of just about any spice that comes near.

Mediterranean culture is enamoured of the vegetable’s capability and just about every cuisine associated with the Sea has a standout recipe for it.

In some traditions it is sliced and peeled lengthwise into very thin pieces, salted liberally and then pressed for 20 minutes to a half hour to let it weep so that the bitterness is alleviated. That may good advice for some rapidly aging homosexuals as well, or it may be good advice for anyone who is experiencing the rapidly aging thing.

Anyway, once the eggplant is no longer bitter it should be wiped clean. The next step is to drench the slices in eggs beaten with a touch of milk and then dredged through either seasoned bread crumbs or seasoned flour – often with dried basil or parsley and some grated cheese and then sautéed in olive oil and garlic to delicate and ever so slightly crispy perfection.

It’s good right then and there, but may also be used in the heavenly eggplant parmigiana of which there are angelic choirs of versions. There are as many versions in the United States as there are descendants of and friends of Italian Americans.

The basic idea is to let the eggplant mingle with the above flavours as well as a marinara or a ragu along with cheese.

For the moment CoL will simply tantalize its dear readers with the idea of it, which is why there comes along a picture of the versatile and tantalizing Timothy Adams. Enjoy the heavenly thought of him as well as the thought of heavenly food. You can also, by the way, enjoy the heavenly new fansite we and ours have put together for him at www.timothyadams.net