Guess what Mike, you can eat again! Here is another installment of Feed My Brother, my series dedicated to my bro who is out there on his own in search of easy and tasty food to make and eat so he can be a well-fed, yet productive, member of society. And I think we all want that, don’t we?

Today we cover the eggplant. Yes, I know what you are thinking, Mike. It’s flavorless, and has the consistency of a rubber boot. And up until recently, I most definitely agreed. But that is because I didn’t know how to cook it properly.

Well, the tables have turned and I am currently a bit infatuated with that purple vegetable. Here is an incredibly easy recipe for eggplant that you can make a ton of quickly and eat off of it all week in a myriad of ways.

Marinated Eggplant Recipe

3 medium eggplants, sliced into 1/2″ slices. (Any smaller and you’ll have eggplant chips once they cook)
1 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
big pinch salt
pinch black pepper
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 splashes light-colored vinegar, ex. white wine, apple cider, plain ol’ distilled white, red wine
2 tsp honey

Heat pan to medium-high heat and drizzle with just a small splash of olive oil. Once pan is PREHEATED, place eggplant slices into pan. Brown each side of the eggplant, approximately 4-5 minutes per side.

Eggplant should look almost charred, and if its charred, that is okay too! Promise, it won’t taste burnt when it’s all said and done. There will be a lot of slices, so go watch TV, read a magazine or, by golly, converse with your family while you do this.

While the eggplant is cooking, prepare the marinade. In bowl, combine sliced garlic, honey, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.

Once eggplant is done, place eggplants in jars. Place slices of garlic in between each layer. Then, pour the marinade in the jars. It is okay if the marinade does not completely cover the eggplant. Just shake it up. You can just turn the jar upside down daily to re-distribute the marinade. Store the eggplant in the fridge. After sitting in the fridge overnight, it will be absolute perfection.

So how do you eat it? Let me count the ways…

-chopped up in a salad
-tossed in pasta with marinara and grated parmigiana reggiano
-served with slices of beefsteak tomato and mozzarella drizzled with olive oil
-diced in couscous
-on bruschetta
-when the eggplant is gone, re-use the marinade to make more eggplant or use it as a fabulous dressing for a salad

And my favorite way, on a sandwich with feta and hummus.