Chez David
Tuesdays are one of my marathon days – I get up at 6:15, go to the high school I’m student-teaching at, act like an adult (I’m trying!), talk and teach till 3, zip home then walk (and have a mental tune out while on my journey) to PSU -- then I have a course in professional development until 6, whereupon I stumble onto the street car and arrive at the door of our apartment around 7. I am usually hungry, grumpy, complainy and can’t even remember what I did for the previous 12 hours – it’s a blur!
Dave has taken it upon himself to get in the kitchen on these evenings and I’m forever grateful – he’s got a few aces up his sleeves – sweet potato fries, big salads and pizza . . . but tonight I got the special dinner with David treatment. He was at the gym (how virtuous, I know!) after his work and noticed “that annoying chef lady” cooking up an eggplant Parmesan sub sandwich. I knew it was Rachel Ray and her crazed enthusiasm that inspired – I walked in and he was in an Italian frenzy – I just tried to ebb and flow with his wildness and do a little sous cheffing. It was a nimble little dance we did in our kitchen and well worth his efforts. He’s a good one. So good.
And now – although I look haggard and feel worn out –I am full of eggplant nirvana and warm fuzzies for this evening’s chef . . . I believe romance is something we don’t just feel, it’s an action – and these gestures of caring and loving: cooking and nourishing each other are important actions—we don’t simply state “ I love you” sometimes, we do “I love you.”
Rough Estimate of Dave’s Eggplant Sub Sandwiches
Sauce:
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 glug olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 jar tomato sauce
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, minced in food processor
1 bunch basil, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bolios (small baguettes), split like a hot dog bun with a little of the insides removed
soy cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and chop eggplant then rinse it in a little cold water. Toss in olive oil and salt and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping eggplant at 10 minutes.
Preheat a large pan with a light coating of olive oil. Stir in garlic and all tomato products. Cook on medium for approximately 10 minutes. Add the cooked eggplant to sauce and stir until combined (resist eating all the eggplant). Fold in fresh basil right before serving.
Preheat oven to broil setting. Scoop out a little of the bread from your bolio, add a generous spoonful of eggplant/sauce and top with a little soy cheese, if you please. Broil sandwiches for approximately 2 minutes (careful not to burn the sandwiches at this stage—you’ve come so far). It’s even better without the vegan rella, I felt. Enjoy with a few potato chips and a glass of red wine – stretch out onto the carpet and roll around to fully digest the yummy explosion. Bad-a-bing!
Tuesdays are one of my marathon days – I get up at 6:15, go to the high school I’m student-teaching at, act like an adult (I’m trying!), talk and teach till 3, zip home then walk (and have a mental tune out while on my journey) to PSU -- then I have a course in professional development until 6, whereupon I stumble onto the street car and arrive at the door of our apartment around 7. I am usually hungry, grumpy, complainy and can’t even remember what I did for the previous 12 hours – it’s a blur!
Dave has taken it upon himself to get in the kitchen on these evenings and I’m forever grateful – he’s got a few aces up his sleeves – sweet potato fries, big salads and pizza . . . but tonight I got the special dinner with David treatment. He was at the gym (how virtuous, I know!) after his work and noticed “that annoying chef lady” cooking up an eggplant Parmesan sub sandwich. I knew it was Rachel Ray and her crazed enthusiasm that inspired – I walked in and he was in an Italian frenzy – I just tried to ebb and flow with his wildness and do a little sous cheffing. It was a nimble little dance we did in our kitchen and well worth his efforts. He’s a good one. So good.
And now – although I look haggard and feel worn out –I am full of eggplant nirvana and warm fuzzies for this evening’s chef . . . I believe romance is something we don’t just feel, it’s an action – and these gestures of caring and loving: cooking and nourishing each other are important actions—we don’t simply state “ I love you” sometimes, we do “I love you.”
Rough Estimate of Dave’s Eggplant Sub Sandwiches
Sauce:
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 glug olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 jar tomato sauce
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, minced in food processor
1 bunch basil, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bolios (small baguettes), split like a hot dog bun with a little of the insides removed
soy cheese (optional)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and chop eggplant then rinse it in a little cold water. Toss in olive oil and salt and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping eggplant at 10 minutes.
Preheat a large pan with a light coating of olive oil. Stir in garlic and all tomato products. Cook on medium for approximately 10 minutes. Add the cooked eggplant to sauce and stir until combined (resist eating all the eggplant). Fold in fresh basil right before serving.
Preheat oven to broil setting. Scoop out a little of the bread from your bolio, add a generous spoonful of eggplant/sauce and top with a little soy cheese, if you please. Broil sandwiches for approximately 2 minutes (careful not to burn the sandwiches at this stage—you’ve come so far). It’s even better without the vegan rella, I felt. Enjoy with a few potato chips and a glass of red wine – stretch out onto the carpet and roll around to fully digest the yummy explosion. Bad-a-bing!
sounds delicious!
ReplyDeletehey i started subscribing to this:
http://simcalena.blogspot.com/
its a really great Guatemalan cooking blog
its not really vegz but i think a lot of dishes could be modified!
its a little tough on me tho because i want to cook this food but im in japan!!!