Sunday, April 15, 2012

Mosaic Monday...

I have a confession to make... I LOVE LOVE LOVE eggplant!!!
Not this much...
or this much...
Okay.. maybe a little of this.. (yummy)
but This.. This.. This
  
My first taste of eggplant came 20+ years ago when I visited Uncle Jacques' Bull farm for the very first time.
My husband's family raises Bulls for Bull Fighting in the South of France.  We go back every other year and every time I can expect to eat Aunt Françoise grilled eggplant and homemade marinara sauce.
Here I am in 2011 at the farm with my new BFF.
My adorable husband with Jacques on the tractor
Françoise and her son Fabian...I love this family!
Back in the USA.. I make my own version of Eggplant Parmesan which has gotten many compliments because it is so dang easy!! 
  1. Slice 2 eggplants lengthwise (keep skin on) very thin. 
  2.  Stick in oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until eggplant is a nice golden brown. 
  3.  Put tomato sauce on bottom of baking dish so that eggplant wont stick. 
  4. Layer 1/2 eggplant into dish.  Top with more marinara and sprinkle generously shredded cheese.
  5. Another layer of eggplant, marinara and cheese. 
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 
  7. When it comes out of oven, I sprinkle goat cheese crumbles all over the top.  Viola!!
Another eggplant favorite in the Dumas house is the Ratatouille and the VERY BEST recipe for that can be found here.  Taste just like mémé's (grandma).
 
Recently we ate at SaZa's in Newnan and I tried a cold eggplant dish that my mouth now waters for.  This recipe looks very close to Chef Joe's but I haven't tried it yet to confirm that!

Delicious!  My stomach is starting to growl!!  In honor of Mosaic Monday, I have put together some eggplant love.  Pictures were found on Pinterest and Google.
This mosaic has also been linked up with Little Red House.  Happy Monday.

Enjoy!!

15 comments:

  1. I love eggplant parmesan too. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I enjoyed your post and the lovely photos.

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  2. Love eggplant...and I really like that eggplant colored hair! Not real sure about the tattoo, but...why not!!

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  3. My husband doesn't like eggplant so I order it when out when I find it on a menu. I'd like to try your eggplant parmesan though, it does look easy.

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  4. I LOVE eggplant. I enjoyed your eggplant colors and mosaic ... the tattoo made me laugh! Aubergine is a lovely color. Fun post.

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  5. Oh yes, I LOVE eggplant! My mom used to make Eggplant Parmesan frequently, and I always wanted to eat the pieces of fried eggplant before she assembled the dish... :) Thanks for sharing at MM. :) xoxo

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  6. I've never tried it. I do think it has a lovely color. I was just saying to my husband, "How often do you hear 'My husband's family raises bulls for bull fighting in the South of France'?" I love Blogdom!

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  7. Vee you are hilarious!! Just wanted to let you all know that Bull Fighting in Southern France is NOT like Bull Fighting in Spain. The Bulls do not get killed or hurt...they are the stars of the show!

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  8. I never ate eggplant until I my my Italian born husband. Now it is one of my favorite summer foods. I like your eggplant Parmesan recipe as you don';t fry the eggplant and that saves calories. I will try it soon.

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  9. I love eggplant Parmesan, too. Your recipe sounds very similar to mine, except for the addition of goat cheese. I'm definitely going to try that next time.

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  10. Lovely mosaic and I too love eggplants:)

    Shantana

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  11. We really do love aubergines too. A lovely post with great photos and afantastic mosaic.

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  12. Your photo of the eggplant is PERFECT! I love the color and it looks so delicious. I will plan to use your recipe. Wonderful mosaic and your photos are wonderful.
    Brenda

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  13. Another eggplant lover here. I love the EP Parmesan too. That is one of my favorite colors also. I chose an eggplant colored two piece outfit for one of my daughter's wedding that was in the fall. My hair was white then too and I must say it looked pretty good. Beautiful post today.
    QMM

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  14. Your images are so vivid, that now my mouth is also watering. I enjoy eggplant as well, and try to get the smaller ones and that is not always easy where I live. What a beautiful couple you all make as well...beautiful and handsome~

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  15. I'll have to copy the recipe and then go grocery shopping. Yum!

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