Eggplant -- The End of the Season

I just wrote a blog about eggplant the other day and then the whole system was down. My blog just vanished into well, I just don't know where.

I went into great detail about the regular globe, white and lavender eggplant that I have been buying and how the season was short this year. I have not had quite enough.

My husband Rick and I went out for dinner to an unnamed (at this point) restaurant here in Santa Rosa. Along with the Caesar Salad that was far too expensive at $6.95 for 6 inner leaves of romaine with a tasty dressing, I ordered eggplant Parmesan. The 3 large eggplant slices were splendidly fresh and delicious. This dish wasn't layered and the rounds were delicately drizzled with a light bechamel sauce, cradled with marinara and served with pesto pasta topped with toasted pine nuts. All together it was yummy with the eggplant rounds retaining their firm but meaty texture -- the pleasant surprise being that it was not at all oily, which is often the case as eggplant just loves to soak up oil.

I like to slice eggplant and bake it and then use it in a variety of ways. Or maybe I make a quick (in the pressure cooker) eggplant and potato curry or Thai eggplant dish with red rice. I also like to grill eggplant but especially the Asian varieties which I did not purchase this year from Triple T Ranch and Farm (a Santa Rosa establishment with 2 nice farmers named Larry). So, while I lament the end of eggplant I am still relishing the thought of colored peppers that will appear for a few more weeks, along with the late season tomatoes.

Winter squash has started to arrive but I like to wait until November to eat it just so I can hang onto summer vegetables just a bit longer. While I enjoy winter squash, the time to eat it is when the weather is a bit coooler here.

I am going back east to Boston to do a cooking demonstration and talk at the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival (http://www.bostonveg.org/foodfest/) on the 22nd of October. There I will l use squash since the cooler autumn air will make it seem more normal. If you are in the area, please stop by.

It's time to survey the vegetable drawer and figure out what to make for dinner.