E Is For Eggplant

Did you know that eggplant is actually a species of Nightshade? I was very surprised to hear that one of my favorite vegetables was part of a family of plants that is known for their dangerously high level of alkaloids. Obviously, not all plants from that species are dangerous, but it was still very off putting! If that wasn’t enough, it turns out that eggplants are also related to both the tomato and potato plants. Strange, very strange.  Even though the eggplant has to be one of the oddest ingredients in my kitchen, I can’t help but to think about all of the tasty dishes that I can make with them!

I can thank a past coworker/friend for getting me hooked on eggplants; he would always bring in the most delicious fried eggplant. Thankfully, he would always bring in too much to eat and I was able to eat whatever he had left over. After getting my first taste, I had decided that the eggplant would make a unique soup that I just had to try. Every time I tried to talk to someone about my wonderful soup idea, I was either laughed at or shown signs of disgust. Despite all of my negative feedback, I was determined to make my soup vision a reality! Looking back, I can’t recall what exactly I put into my soup, but I remember it was pretty good. Now that it has been several years since I made my first batch, I might have to give it a second go; I’m sure I could make it even better now that I have even more cooking experience.

Even though I’m not much of a squash person, I really enjoy eggplant. A fried eggplant sandwich sounds really good right now, so I might have to write that down on my menu for next week. Monday’s blog post will be dedicated to bread lovers everywhere, so come back to see me if you think that might be you!

Till next time,

~Mr.McLovin