Eggplant Monday

It is such a beautiful day outside, and although I waited three weeks without a working microwave to find out this morning that it's irreparably broken and we now need to start shopping for a new one that will cover the gaping home in the wall, I'm still psyched about this weather. It's Meatless Monday, and as I bought four eggplants over the weekend, I have just issued a decree that tonight's dinner will celebrate l'aubergine, la melanzane, both such prettier words than their English kin. With one, I'm not sure I can resist making Yotam's burnt eggplant-tahini recipe. With the others, I'm noodling on a lemongrass-coconut milk stew of sorts. At yesterday's farmers market, I found fresh lemon grass; each stalk is taller than Jack. So I got a bunch, three Asian eggplants and a cool red & green Jamaican green called callaloo. I have some steamed potatoes and thought some combo of all those ingredients might be good. I'm going to do some recipe research and see what happens.

Have you eaten black cerignola olives? I think they're my very favorite type. Soooo meaty and good but their flavor isn't slap-you-in-the-face briny which is nice sometimes.