Finally - fresh food!
After working 70 hours last week, I was delighted to get into the kitchen and make some fresh food after wrapping up the Healthy Devils training on Sunday evening. Luckily, when I finally had the time to make dinner, we had all the ingredients to make a totally local dinner.
Inspired by Jennifer’s Eggplant Steaks Alla Pizziola from Last Night’s Dinner and the fact that we had a fresh bottle of olive oil delivered to us directly from Greece, by our friends Kathi and Rob, who were lucky enough to spend 10 days there just before Labor Day, I knew a good meal was in order. :-)
Eggplant steaks
Slice 1 pound eggplant into 3/4-inch thick “steaks” lengthwise.
Preheat grill pan over medium heat.
In a small, lided, plastic container, combine:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Cover container and shake until emulsified.
Coat eggplant steaks with balsamic sauce and place on grill pan coated with cooking spray. Cook on each side for 10 minutes.
I really liked the grilled eggplant steaks. They were hearty and made this vegetarian dinner feel like a full meal. But the kick of the pizziola relish on top of the arugula was what really made this dinner.
Pizzaiola Relish
Chop 1 small tomato and quarter 1/2 pint of Sungold tomatoes.
Add:
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
Stir to combine.
To assemble:
Place 2 cups of baby arugula on each plate.
Top each plate with 4 eggplant steaks, sprinkle with 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and then finish with 2/3 cup of pizziola relish.
