Now that I’ve spent two evenings in a row processing tomatoes in my hot kitchen, it’s time to figure out what I’m going to do with some of the first batch of sauce.

I’m not a big fan of spaghetti, which continues to confound my husband, so I was toying with the idea of stuffed shells or something. But yesterday, a new friend placed a round, shiny amethyst-colored eggplant in my hands and I realized immediately what I must do: make eggplant Parmesan.

My mother used to make a tasty eggplant Parmesan on occasion. I seem to remember that she was forced to put ground beef in it because I had one of those fathers who insisted that every meal must include some sort of meat. I’m married to one of those men myself now, but I’m afraid he’s SOL. I’m making eggplant Parmesan without the meat, just like I had it during one euphoric meal in Little Italy two years ago.

Since Mom has threatened to start charging royalties for her recipes, I must strike out on my own this time and find one that looks just as good. If I had to fly by the seat of my pants, I guess I’d peel the eggplant and slice it thinly, then dip it in an egg bath and flour (or bread crumbs, I guess) before lightly frying each slice. Then I’d put it together in layers like a lasagna with sauce and cheese.

Of course, if Mom is reading this blog entry, she is welcome to contribute any tips…hint, hint.
See below for the recipes I dug up. And if you’ve got a better recipe, I’d love to hear it before I embark on this adventure.

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A few years ago, an acquaintance brought an appetizer like this to a cookout at my friend’s house. I can remember being awestruck over how beautiful it was. I could only assume that she had spent a great deal of time putting it together.

As it turns out, this Greek cheese torta is actually quite simple to prepare. I recently found a similar recipe in some Pampered Chef literature that might even be easier than the original version I had.

The white cheeses, green spinach and pistachios and bright red sun-dried tomatoes make for a lovely, colorful dish (Sorry I don’t have a picture). And of course, with all those ingredients, the flavor just explodes in your mouth.

If you’re heading to a cookout this weekend or next and you want to bring something a little different than the usual deviled eggs (not that I don’t adore deviled eggs), check out this recipe.

I always recommend that folks read recipes all the way through before they begin. With this one, you’ll see when you read it that the ingredients are going to be packed into a small to medium glass bowl, then inverted onto a platter to form a nice, round mound. You could make the torta ahead of time and leave it in the bowl until you’re ready to invert and serve.

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