Roasted Eggplant Salad

I just spent three days hanging out with a vegetarian who showed me how to make some amazing food featuring vegetables. Which makes me happy since I am a HUGE fan of the vegetable. Haven't met too many I didn't like and the ones I have -- well, it usually wasn't the vegetable's fault but the way it had been prepared.

Anyhoo... I'm going to share one of the recipes today. It's SO simple and tastes SO good!

Roasted Eggplant Salad

(serves 6)

3 medium to large eggplants

2 tomatoes

1 small or half of a large onion

salt

vinegar & oil (your choice; I usually reach for olive oil and balsamic vinegar)

Poke eggplants a few times with a fork, roast in hot oven for 1/2 hour or so until skin is black and wrinkled.
While eggplant is roasting, cut up tomatoes and onions in a bowl.
After removing eggplants from oven, slice down middle and carefully scoop out all the pulp (which is VERY hot so be careful!) onto a cutting board. Chop into small pieces and add to tomatoes and onions.
Toss with salt, oil and vinegar to taste.
Chill for at least 2 hours.

[Eggplant can have a bitter taste but prepared this way, it doesn't.]

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I'll be sharing the other recipes soon: bombas de papas and an onion/summer squash frittata. ¡Muy delicioso!

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Had a busy week in Sta. Rosa and virtually no internet connection so was only able to post twice and was not able to get around to visit so there's a lot of catching up to do. Unless everyone was out Christmas shopping and/or decorating this week and didn't have time to post either.

After cleaning/organizing for twelve hours Monday and another eight on Tuesday, my energy sputtered out and I quit. Didn't have everything done but figured the rest could wait for another time. Wednesday our guests arrived and stayed through Friday. My Spanish got a serious workout! I have a really hard time understanding Julio and sometimes Magdalena talks too fast and I have to say, "Mas lento, por pavor." Another phrase that saw a lot of use was "No intiendo." But she was gracious and would slow down or repeat when necessary.

Although I like the peace and quiet of Sta. Rosa, I was ready to come home this trip because it was an exhausting week in every way. I felt like I needed to come home to rest; there's just so much to be done out there and after cleaning for twenty hours at the beginning of the week and then trying to keep things in some semblance of order while entertaining company (and speaking only Spanish)...well, I am flat done in. In a good way :-)

Packed up and headed home late Friday afternoon. Once we arrived back in Carlos Paz, we unloaded the car but not the trailer (which we just backed into the garage and left for today) and I headed downtown to the 40th anniversary celebration of the cultural center where I take an art class. Each student had contributed a piece or two of their work for an exhibit inside the building and outside they'd blocked off the street in front to traffic and had a little variety show going on. Art is only one of the things taught there...also music, drama, pottery, etc. I think most classes were represented in some form or another. Plus they had folklore groups as well.

After watching for an hour or so, we walked around downtown and then Ivan took me to a new Basque restaurant for my birthday dinner. We both ordered fish and it was quite yummy. I also had a side of pureed orange squash that was served on a square plate with a small mound of puree in each corner and one in the center. Very pretty presentation but it wasn't the kind of place I felt comfortable whipping out my camera to take a photo, even though I really wanted to. There was live music too (keyboard) but it was subdued and pleasant and we could still converse and be heard, even though we were right next to the musician.

It will take me two days to catch up on laundry. Looks like a nice sunny day so clothes should dry quickly. I also have to get started on that dreaded monthly paperwork. Aaaargh! But like we always told the kids when they'd complain about a chore they didn't enjoy, "It doesn't have to be fun, it just has to be done."

The laundry isn't going to start on its own or the paperwork file itself, so ¡hasta luego!