Culinary SMACKDOWN: Eggplant! http:www.ladivacucina.com

Darlings!  Our dear "Eggy" aka Eggplant to Go has brought back the CULINARY SMACKDOWN!  A friendly little culinary contest "just for fun" and what I'd like to consider as a way for me to spread my cooking wings and a chance to try new things!

However...

La Diva has been laid up with a very nasty leg injury, so I've not been cookin' much as I've had to keep off my leg and keep it elevated.   When I am on the computer, I manage to put my leg up on my filing cabinet  (thank goodness for yoga!) I finally went to the doctor yesterday and they think I could have used stitches, if only to make the inevitable scar "more pretty!"  (doctor's don't like to think that people can do the job without them.  hmpf.)  In any case, all's good, I'm on antibiotics, the gash is healing up and I should be back in action in a few more weeks....and believe me, I will be raring to go!

So, the DJ has been Le Chef.  He's been doin' a pretty good job, especially with my directions yelled from the sofa!  In spite of forgetting to put in the garlic to sweat with the onions, this dish turned out very, VERY good!

 Little neck clam and Spanish chorizo stew as prepared by DJ Nevah L8 (4 dinnah!)


So, my entry for the lovely eggplant is my own recipe for a very old, traditional Sicilian dish with as many ways to make it as there is to utilize it, called caponata.  When I made this, my little blog had just started, so you most likely didn't even read it then!  For fodder, I had begun a challenge that every day I would make dinner using an ingredient from my CSA box without going to the store for any ingredient and just using what was on hand! 

LA DIVA'S EGGPLANT CAPONATA:  Click HERE to take you to the original post!  

Happy SMACKDOWN, good luck and thanks EGGPLANT TO GO for hosting!  You can see all of the entries HERE.  I'll be back in a few days with PART TWO of La Diva's Key Largo Boating Adventure! Ciao, darlings! x

13 comments:

  1. God is that beautiful. I dont like eggplant but this might make a believer out of me. Look at all the butta too. MMMMMMMM. take good care of your leg! I feel for you. make DJ neva L84 dinner make that coconut cake for you. heal quickly!

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  2. Thanks so much, Chicky baby. Us active types don't like being off our feet very much, getting really bored and cranky. I hope you are feeling better too. xo

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  3. Oh my goodness, I just want to dive into that bowl of stew...it just looks mouthwatering! I can't wait to try your caponata, it sounds like it would be great for dinner parties.

    And thanks for the tip about grilling, I think if I did anything different for my "lasagna" I would have added more veggies and baked them before assembly.

    Also, I hope your leg gets all spick and span better soon!

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  4. Mmmmm, that stew looks delicious. And thanks for your fabulous caponata entry! I think it would have been much more successful than the eggplant pickles Cindie and I attempted. I'll be up later today with our eggplant fest.

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  5. Hey La Diva, the stew looks amazing. Can't wait to try it.

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  6. Eggplants are all well and good, but I want to find out how your Key Largo story ends!!

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  7. Eggplandts are one of my big harvests in the garden.All organic.Did you know that in China where they first were discovered in 19th century people thought they are poison and used them only as table decoration.Lucky these days we know better;)

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  8. Thanks for stopping by, Stephanie. I do a layer of each grilled vegetable and it's to die for! Adds a bit of smoky flavor too and meat eaters don't even miss the meat, it's such a filling, satisfying lasagna.

    Eggy, gotta come by and see the pickles, sounds great!

    Hey Zach, thanks for your sweet comments and popping over! Cheers!

    Thombeau....I KNOW! Almost all written...with my leg on the filing cabinet! YIKES!

    Thanks for the cool facts, Dzoli, I did not know that. Oddly enough, I was originally going to make a twice fried eggplant dish from a Chinese recipe! I guess some Chinaman got brave! Thanks for stopping by.

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  9. I'd walk all the way to Meee-ah-mee for your caponata! Oh, and to see you, too, of course :o)

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  10. I'm having tough time getting the image of you with your leg on a file cabinet. Hopefully it's a 2 drawer and not a 4 drawer (now everyone has the image in my head).

    I like the clam dishe the DJ put together. I like chorizo but never think to buy any. I'm having a tougher time visualizing the caponata dish, but the picture of the eggplant in the basket is very cool. Take care of the leg.

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  11. oh NO!!

    What happened to yore knee La Diva C?

    Caponata? Yum!

    Hope youse on the mend.

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  12. Dear Moi, thanks for your advice about my leg, I really appreciate it. I owe you a caponata and more!

    Buzzy~Thanks for the well wishes. And the cabinet is just over two feet! I should post the recipe for the clams but I doubt your Missus would eat that either! The caponata post was back in the days before I took my own photos, wow, seems like a lifetime ago.

    Thanks, Aunty, injured two weeks ago today, two more weeks to go. HUGE gash in my leg at the shin, about three inches long. Imagine an ice cream scoop on a new carton of ice cream, that's what happened to my shin/skin. My flesh was gouged off from some hard plastic at the gym...I'll be fine in time. Just mad at myself for being bloody stupid. Thanks for your concern.

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  13. This is soulful. I love it. I know that Eggy will love it too.

    Velva

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Tell La Diva ALL about it!