Eggplant "Cop out"nata

Happy Sunday! Super bowl Sunday- to be exact.
This past week, my aunt sent me a new cook book from the CIA (culinary inst. of america) and it is so gorgeous, Ive done nothing but mark off recipes and drool over pictures for days. When my boyfriend's... I guess you all know thats Chris, so I might as well call him so... when CHRIS's  parents extended us an ivitation for the big game, I knew exactly what I was going to prepare from my new book for the occassion.

Eggplant Proscuitto Paninis!
This recipe grabbed my attention because
a) there was a picture :)
b) whenever a dish calls for only a few simple ingredients, I know it will shine. Most of my endeavors in the kitchen are relatively simple when it comes to the ingredient list because its cheaper that way AND the flavor, complexity, and whole experience you get from simple ingredients holds no flame to overspiced and busy plates.

This recipe called for: procuitto, riccota cheese, basil, and Eggplant caponata. What the heck is eggplant caponata!? So, to google I went to find out. Apparantly, it is a kind of Italian chutney-ish salsa-ish thing. You chop eggplant, tomatoes, olives, and add capers and various herbs, vinegars, and spices. You let these various ingredients marinade, you bake, you sautee, blah blah. Sounds really good, but a few things struck me. One- too many ingredients. Two- im putting this on a sandwich, I dont want a chutney sandwich, I want an eggplant sandwich! Sorry, Panini. I like to bit through an even textured item on sandwhiches, especially when its one of the main ingredients.

Therefore, I decided to do my own thing. I improvised and made my own version, im calling it an eggplant "cop out"nata. I used the basic idea and flavors of a caponata, but changed up the process.
I took an eggplant and sliced it super thin- about 1/8 inch thick. I put the slices into a small container and filled it half way with heavily salted water. Then I added a two count of EVOO, a splash of balsamic vinegar, splash of apple cider vinegar (I would have used white vinegar, but im out), a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and a few sprigs of fresh dill. I then let this sit in the fridge overnight and got a sort of pickling effect. I removed the slices from the container and did a quick pan fry with a little butter. I stored these in the fridge for a few hours, separating each slice with some paper towel (I would have used cheese cloth, but im not that sophisticated) so they wouldnt get too soggy. For the acctuall panini process I used a ciabatta that was coated with sesame and poppy seeds which, when toasted, proved to be especially delicious. The seeds added a nice crunch and a little flavor as well, I sliced this in half. I slathered one side of the bread with ricotta cheese that was mixed with a little white pepper and some fresh thyme leaves, layed down a few slices of the Eggplant "cop out", and then added a layer of proscuitto. I drizzled the other half of the bread with EVOO, folded, and put into a panini press for about 5 minutes.

This panini was REALLY GOOD. It was accompanied by an equally good flank steak sandwich created by Trish who supplied my panini press and kitchen space :)

So I guess cop outs aren't always bad
Till next time