Iron Chef: Farmer's Market

Tonight I had a little competition (by myself), Iron Chef style. I realized I had a bunch of really gorgeous produce and no idea what to do with it all before it went bad. So I made up a few things, and tried a few things for the first time, and it came out pretty darn good. This is apparently what happens when I have to cook by myself. If you live within a one mile radius of me, you've probably realized I hate cooking and eating by myself, so this was a fun alternative. The only thing missing was Alton Brown's narrative.

Secret Ingredient: Eggplant

Optional Ingredients: Onion, egg, bread, cheese, parsley, broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, yogurt, honeydew melon, peaches, pears, vinaigrette, salt and pepper

The Theme: Layering

Timeline: 30 minutes

Play-by-play:

I started by washing and slicing the eggplant in thick slices, then salting it heavily to rest - because that's what Michelle says to do with eggplant.

Then I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees, washed the chopped broccoli, and placed it in a baking dish with the tomatoes from my garden. I tossed with vinaigrette and salt and pepper with dill. Once heated, I baked for 20 minutes.

I sliced and plated the honeydew.

I preheated my George Foreman Grill. Once heated, I grilled the eggplant tossed in vinaigrette and pepper. (I should have sliced them thicker for the GFG to work better.)

I heated my mini cast iron skillet and melted butter. I added the chopped onions I had chopped a few days ago, and sauteed them. Then I added two eggs on top, sunnysideup style, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and topped with parsley. Covered with lid and let cook/bake for 5 minutes. Then sliced cheddar cheese.

Once everything was done cooking, I plated two slices of eggplant, topped them with the sliced cheese, and added the onion/egg/parsley on top - which melted the cheese. Broccoli and tomatoes went on the side with the honeydew. It was all very delicious, and felt complete, since everything was cooked so differently (raw fruit - roasted veggies - grilled eggplant and baked egg). The eggplant was the most surprising, it turned out fabulous in the GFG.