I am easily inspired.
I can’t lie.
I meet people and experience things that make me feel all the feels pretty often.
But, one thing that consistently makes my heart race and my mouth water is food. I love trying different restaurants, tasting delicacies from various cultures and whipping up a new recipe in my kitchen. It thrills me to make something delicious from scratch, to use up what's left in the fridge to make magic. I love taking pictures of food and people eating.To me, food is sensual, something to experience with more than just my taste buds.
Food is beautiful, nostalgic and experiential.
Food is a foundation on which memories can be built.
Having been raised in an Italian-American household, my family’s life centered around meals. Family dinner was a daily ritual, and planning for this feast was important to my mother – who did the cooking, and for my father – who bent his schedule to make sure he would be in attendance at the event. To this day, I try to make family dinner happen with my own children and husband, although schedules today are tighter than they were when I was growing up. Still, the idea of life centering around food is not lost on my family. My daughters are mini-foodies, my oldest often proving this by critiquing meals at the restaurants we try.
“Margherita pizzas shouldn’t have pizza sauce on it mom, just tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella.”
Or my favorite
“This Caprese salad is a joke. Caprese salads don’t have lettuce.”
She's a food diva. It comes kind of naturally to her, I’ll admit it.
When we are on our annual vacation in Marco Island, Florida, the first decision we make in the morning is usually about which restaurant we should visit that evening. We have to make sure we get our favorites in. In fact, the foods we look forward to on Marco Island are part of the experience of the vacation. We know we have to go to Joey’s Pizza and get mussels, garlic knots and an eggplant stack salad. We absolutely have to hit Kokomo’s and order the Ahi tuna nachos. After we are back home in snowy Pittsburgh, we long for these tastes just as much as we long for the sand and the surf. They are essential. They are reminiscent of togetherness and renewal.
When I recreate a dish in my Pittsburgh kitchen, we are transported back to Marco. We talk of seashell hunting and dolphin sighting. My youngest reminds us that she likes the pool better than the beach. My middle daughter boasts that she found the first sand dollar of the trip. My oldest is still stuck on the vodka sauce she had at that little place in Naples.
“Best vodka sauce I’ve ever eaten,” she says, her eyes dreamy. “Except for yours, mom.”
Sure.
So, I’ve decided to do a blog series about food and how it inspires. Readers of my novel, Beautiful Secret, have confessed that my book made them hungry. Reportedly, my food descriptions made their mouths water with cravings for steaming plates of pasta and glasses of wine. This makes me smile. I’m glad to impart my passion for food, especially Italian food.
Here on the blog, I’ll be interviewing authors about how food inspires them. I’ll be asking for their favorite recipes and how their own culture has shaped the way they experience food. I’m hoping to not only get some phenomenal recipes but also to learn about other writers who are, like me, in love with food.
So, get ready to meet some fabulous authors, learn a little about what they love to write and a little about what they love to eat!
For my first blog post, I’ll share my take on Joey’s Eggplant Stack Salad. If you are ever in Marco Island, visit Joey's Pizza. Best food on the island. To me, this dish is sun-kissed shoulders and serene smiles. It pairs well with a glass of wine and a suntan.
Eggplant Stack Salad
~What you’ll need:
Olive oil for frying
1 eggplant peeled and sliced into thick rounds
Salt
½ C Parmesan cheese
1 C Italian breadcrumbs
½ C flour
2 eggs, beaten
A bunch of arugula
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced into thick rounds
10 or so fresh basil leaves
Fresh Mozzarella cheese, sliced into thick rounds
Balsamic glaze
~What you’ll do:
Lay the sliced eggplant rounds on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit for about 10 minutes. The salt will extract the any bitterness from the eggplants.
Place flour on one dish.
Combine cheese and breadcrumbs and place on another dish.
Heat oil in a large pan.
Coat eggplant slices in flour, then dip in beaten egg.
Next dredge the eggplant in the breadcrumb/cheese mixture and place in the hot oil to fry.
Once they are golden, lay the eggplant slices on paper towels to cool slightly.
Lay the arugula on a large plate. This is the base of your salad.
Place one fried eggplant on top of the arugula then top with sliced tomato
Add basil leaves on top of the tomato slices and then some mozzarella.
Continue with this pattern until you have a few layers.
Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with balsamic glaze.
Mangia and enjoy!
If you try the recipe, reach out and let me know how you liked it!