Eggplants don't return the love I give them

(Fresh eggplant, tomatoes and basil are now in season)

There are some things that don't want to grow for me — eggplant is one of them.

Oh, I've tried, and keep trying, every year I plan out the garden.

I've started eggplants from seed, bought healthy seedlings from a reputable farm store, planted them with loving care, added lots of compost, kept them well watered and even tucked them in under a sheet of Reemay to keep those pesky flea beetles at bay.

But, blah!

Last week I pulled out the stunted plants that looked even smaller than the plants I had put in back in May. What's up with that? Don't they know they make my top three, all-time favorite vegetables list? Don't eggplant know how much my husband craves them? Or how happy he becomes when he catches a wiff when I fry them up to make his favorite dish, eggplant parmigiana?

I think in our collective years of gardening together, my husband and I had one year where we got a bumper crop of these midnight beauties.

But that doesn't stop the love for them from flowing. Let's hear it for farmers markets — yay!
And for gardening neighbors who have much better luck with them than I have — double yay!

(Traditional Italian and Sicilian eggplants are begging to be used)

I found the most beautiful local eggplants recently at the Poughkeepsie Farmers Market — the traditional Italian eggplant with their shiny, jet-black skins; Sicilian eggplant, which are squat and round and come in the most beautiful shades of purple streaked with white; and the long, lean, tapered Japanese eggplant. Che, bella!

So, happily, I picked some out and made the most delicious eggplant parmigiana last weekend, which we enjoyed throughout the week.

There was one eggplant left after the frying spree was over, and I wondered what to make with it.
Baba ghanoush came to mind, that wonderful, roasted Arabic eggplant dish.
After roasting the eggplant on the grill outside, I played around with the ingredients that would normally go into that recipe and came up with a deconstructed version of baba ghanoush, which was delicious and simple to make.

Deconstructed Baba Ghanoush

1. 1 medium eggplant
2. 1 small tomato, diced
3. 1/2 small red onion, diced
4. 1 clove garlic, minced
5. Fresh parsley, mint and dill, chopped
6. Olive oil
7. 2 tablespoons tahini
8. 4 tablespoons plain yogurt
9. Fresh lemon juice
10. Tamari
11. Salt and pepper, to taste
12. Ground cumin and cayenne

• Prick the eggplant and place it on the grill with the cover closed. Let it roast about 10-15 minutes per side under it is fork-tender.
• Place the eggplant on a plate and, leaving the stem intact, slice it lengthwise, skin and all, and fan it out on the plate.
• Drizzle some olive oil on it and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Smoosh it with a fork.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
• Top with a dollop of tahini sauce, made by mixing together the tahini, yogurt, a dash of Tamari and about a tablespoon of lemon juice.

Serve with warm pita bread as an appetizer or light lunch.