Summer in Florida is a great time to grow eggplant. Actually, most every month in Central Florida is a good time. Except for a few freezing spells, eggplant loves our climate. And I love eggplant!
But at times I grow tired of eating sautéed eggplant and prefer to mix it up a bit. I like to vary my diet and I’ve recently discovered the most delicious way to serve up this gem. Meet the Eggplant-Egg Breakfast Sandwich.
I sautéed two slices of eggplant in olive oil, adding a dash of salt and pepper during the process. (Above the eggplant is pictured sliced in lengths, but for my sandwich, I sliced in rounds for a better “fit.”)
Once golden brown, I removed the eggplant from the pan and set it aside on a plate. In the same pan, I sautéed two cups of fresh spinach in olive oil along with a few dashes of garlic powder until soft, then set it aside on the plate. In the same pan, I fried an egg in prepared garlic butter and then set it aside, too. I cooked my egg over medium, so the yolk wouldn’t drain from my sandwich. Finally came the bread. I used a thick slice of bakery fresh multi-grain bread (12 grain seeded variety) and sautéed it in the same pan, grilled cheese style, using another dollop of garlic butter. For this recipe, I used prepared garlic butter, but you can create your own by adding garlic salt, garlic powder, salt and fresh basil to softened butter.
My sandwich was layered bread in the order: egg, eggplant, spinach, eggplant and topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. I deleted a bread top for an open-faced sandwich meal. This egg sandwich was amazingly delicious!!
What varieties or cultivars of Eggplant have you found most successful here in Central Florida? Our current faves here on Florida’s Zone 9 Nature Coast are Rosa Bianca, Bride, and Rosita, but we’d love to find more eggplant varieties that are just as mild and “bitter free,” yet also earlier to fruit and more resistant to Root Knot Nematodes. What’s your favorite bitter-free early eggplant, and your most nematode tolerant that still tastes good 🙂 ?
I prefer Black Beauty and Ichiban. Both do well in our climate. For cooking, I like Black Beauty due to its large round shape. Ichiban fruit grow long and slender (and not the perfect shape for my egg sandwich!). Unfortunately, nematodes are difficult pests in the home garden. Best solution is to practice crop rotation and maintain healthy growing conditions for your plants. A healthy plant is a “resistant” plant!