This is an R rated post. You may not want to open it in front of children.
How could eggplant not be appropriate for all audiences? Well, that’s not the problem. It’s The Tipping Point
. That’s the problem. I read the book during the winter holidays. It was great, completely interesting and had been on my reading list for a couple of years.
Unfortunately, last night I gave it to my 10 year old son to peruse. Why did I do such a thing? We were talking about his school report (on Paul Revere) and I mentioned to him that there was some good information on Revere in The Tipping Point.
I gave him the book to read at bed time and the next thing you know he was asking me, “Mommy, what is that disease, syphilis?”
“It’s just a disease like heart disease.” I simply responded. I don’t like to go into detail with the boys on subjects I feel are not age appropriate. He seemed satisfied.
I continued to cuddle with my little boy and the older one walked into the room a few minutes later, “Mom, what’s crack cocaine?” he asked.
Baffled as to what to say, I answered him, “honey, I gave you an inappropriate book to read that has information on sex and drugs. After I tuck in your brother, I’ll find the parts about Paul Revere and you will not have to read anything else.” He and his brother chuckled at my blunder and he walked out with a little grin.
I went into his room a few minutes later and we searched the book’s index, finding the relevant material.
The next night at bedtime when we were all discussing what we were going to read he said, “Mommy, I’m not reading The Tipping Point, it’s not appropriate, I have a better book, it’s Daddy’s and it’s called Buzzmarketing.
”
Ha! Might be time for a trip to the library for some age appropriate materials. Luckily dinner went better than other things. Here’s one of the items that I prepared. There wasn’t a drop left at the end of the meal. Nice to know I can still do something right.
Eggplant Caponata
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant, diced into ½-inch cubes (leave skin on)
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 2 tablespoons kalamata olives, sliced in half
- 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, tomatoes, olives, olive oil and salt
- Transfer mixture to a 9 x 13 inch baking dish
- Bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes until eggplant is tender
- Serve
This dish is quick and easy. I got the idea for it the other day when my friend Martha said she had roasted eggplant with tomatoes and olives at a holiday party. It sounded delectable and I was off to the races.
I think any kind of olives would work well in this delicious roasted vegetable dish. Enjoy!
elana says
pam –Outliers
is on my list; I think Gladwell is great.
VeggieGirl -Thanks. I like that expression –“holy yum.”
Lesley -It will definitely work with other types of olives. Feel free to experiment. Yes, I love the simplicity of this caponata. Thanks for stopping by!
Hayley -Always enjoy your comments. Let us know how the heirlooms work out if you use them.
Anne -I’m glad you have enjoyed my recipes. I agree, communication between parents and children is key. We’ve spoken to them at length on these subjects in an appropriate way. I just didn’t think it was necessary for them to read about it.
Shari -Thank you! :-)
Christianne -Yes, many celiacs have trouble with nightshades. I’m lucky in that this is something I can tolerate (up to a point); not something I eat a lot of or very frequently. Thanks for sharing your recipe and the nomination!
Emily -It never gets boring, that’s for sure. I served this with poached halibut, which I overcooked and it did not come out that well (neither my husband or I loved it). I usually buy my olives fresh from Whole Foods (though I purchase the ones pre-packaged and avoid the olive bar).
Bev -You are too funny. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the book. You can tell what we’re into by our reading material. Our whole family has caught the bug (marketing that is).
Bev B. says
LOL for at least 20 seconds straight. THX for great start to the week. Just think what your sons would be asking if you still lived in NYC! P.S. If this was a way to get us buzzed about Buzzmarketing, it worked – I’m ordering it!
Emily says
Oh Elana, what a funny story! Being a parent never gets boring no matter how old they grow does it?
This dish looks yum, I’ll definitely be trying it this week. I’m assuming you served this as a side dish, what did you have with it? I’ve never purchased olives before. Do you get them in bottles or fresh?
Christianne says
Great story and very funny… Elana!
The eggplant caponata looks very nice but unfortunately veggies of the solanacea family (like eggplant, tomato etc) for some reason don’t agree with me. I heard once that that is rather common for celiacs. Anyone else here..?
For those (and others who caught the roasted veggie virus), I made a roasted veggie dish yesterday that didn’t leave a drop either. For 2 people: 1 fennelbulb, 2 small sweet potatoes and 2 big red onions, all chopped in 8 (pretty large pieces). Grind 1/2 ts of both fennel seed, coriander seed and cumin seed with a mortar and pestle. Add a tiny amount of cinnamon to the mix (1/10 of a ts) and chop 1 clove of garlic. Mix these ingredients in 5 tbs olive oil, together with zest of 1 orange. Toss the veggies around in the oil, until they are well covered. Put them on an oven rack and cook them on 350F for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Delish!
O, and of course Elana for the health blogger award. Yes we can!!
Shari says
oh…Elena…HI-larious!!!
your writing and brain are great for the soul
as are your great recipes and cooking forays..
what a great treat from you…
thanks for it all!!
Shari
Anne says
Hello, Elena,
I have enjoyed your recipes for several months now.
They are wonderful.
Regarding today’s post and your son’s questions:I don’t know how old you oldest is (over 10 at least), but my suggestion is to have the discussion about drugs with him now, before someone else (who may not share your values) does. The discussion needs to go beyond “Don’t use them”. Our children do not live in a vacuum, and some of the nicest appearing people (like group leaders) can be drug dealers. My parents (Dad was in law enforcement)went by the dictum that if a child is old enough to ask the question, they are old enough for a legitimate answer. A good sign is that they are asking you. What an opportunity to talk with your children about sex and drugs from your perspective.
Thank you, Anne
Hayley says
You had me laughing out loud with this post. Kids are too funny.
I have some beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes that would be wonderful in this dish. Thanks!
Lesley Prince says
I like the ease of this dish. I prefer it with Kalamata but I think it would work with other types of olives too. Caponata is outrageously expensive at speciality stores and so easy to make at home.
VeggieGirl says
Oh goodness, what a book!! Haha ;-)
Such a lovely, classic dish – holy yum!!
pam says
That is so funny! I used to always give books to my daughter to read after me, and then try and remember if there was anything “bad” in them! Have you read “Outliers”, it’s really good too!