Beautiful Eggplants

This was supposed to be my year of squash, but the squash bugs curtailed what had started out to be a fabulous crop. What I didn't expect was a bountiful harvest of eggplants. I've never had much luck with eggplant. The Japanese beetles seem to come from miles away to eat my eggplants. But this year the bugs have left them alone, and they are producing big beautiful shiny purple fruit. We've had eight already from my four plants and many more are almost ready to pick. Yesterday after work I picked a gallon of okra, a gallon of chili peppers, three big eggplants and a dozen ripe tomatoes. The garden is really rewarding me for my work this year.

Here's a sandwich recipe I adapted from the Food Network.

Eggplant Sandwich with Black Olive Pesto

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium Italian eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup olive oil
1 loaf focaccia (I love the basil pesto focaccia from Panera Bread)
1 cup Black Olive Pesto (recipe follows)
4 tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 roasted red peppers, peeled and seeded
1 1/2 cups grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Coat each eggplant slice with the seasoned flour.
In a large skillet heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over medium-high heat and fry the eggplant slices until golden brown on both sides, adding more oil as needed. Remove the eggplant from the skillet and blot lightly on paper towels.

Cut the focaccia in 1/2 horizontally and spread the Black Olive Pesto on the inside of both halves. Arrange the eggplant slices on 1 half of the focaccia. Layer the tomatoes and roasted peppers on top and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with the other half of the focaccia, pressing firmly to join.

Cut the sandwich in 2 pieces. Brush each side of the focaccia with olive oil. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and grill both sides until golden and crispy. Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and gooey.

Black Olive Pesto:
1 cup black olives, pitted ( I like oil cured Italian or Tunisian olives for this. Kalamata will do)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic

In a food processor puree the olives, Parmesan, olive oil, and garlic until smooth.
Can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks in an air tight container.