Messy and Picky

Last weekend, Messy's parents brought down some fresh vegetables from their garden, as well as a whole slew of non-perishables. So, tonight, we decided to make something out of the goods, which included two cucumbers, an eggplant and a small jar of sundried tomato spread. Messy looked through her recipes and found one she had torn out of the August 2004 issue of Real Simple magazine. She made some slight variations on the "Eggplant Parmesan with Goat Cheese Sandwich" recipe and tossed together our favorite cucumber and tomato salad on the side. The result was incredible. Here's how she did it:

Ingredients*
1 small eggplant, semi peeled and thinly sliced
Olive oil (ours is extra virgin and infused with basil and garlic)
4 slices of bread (we used Trader Joe's Crusty Italian Loaf)
1 small jar of sundried tomato spread
1/3 cup of goat cheese
1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
A pinch of salt

Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-hot. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Cook until browned and softened for about 4 or 5 minutes per side. Spread each slice of bread with sundried tomato spread. Spread the goat cheese onto 2 of the slices of bread. Top the goat cheese with the grilled eggplant slices. Top the eggplant with the remaining slices of bread, tomato spread side down.

Brush the outsides of each sandwich with olive oil. Pat about a tablespoon of parmesan cheese onto the outsides of the sandwich. The cheese should stick to the oil. Heat the skillet over medium-low heat, add another drop of olive oil. Grill the sandwiches until the parmesan has browned for about 4 to 5 minutes per side.

To make the salad, slice two small (artfully peeled) cucumbers and one large tomato. Toss with Paul Newman's Light Raspberry Red Wine Vinaigrette. Presto! A delicious meal.

*Since Messy is a messy cook as well as a messy eater, all measurements are approximate. She never makes the same dish twice!