Cast Iron Chef: Brie and Eggplant

I feel the need to share this recipe far and wide. I found eggplant on sale and took on the Iron Chef Challenge of making something edible with it.

With a little help from my 'ol cast iron, I may have discovered the most savory midday treat ever created.

Before I launch into my recipe, I want to share a little lesson on choosing and preparing eggplants. Not all eggplants are created equal. Male eggplants tend to have more seeds and can be more bitter than their female counterparts. Inspecting the naval on the bottom of your eggplant will reveal its gender. Not unlike certain parts of the human anatomy, a female has an elongated slit, a male's is more circular.

A friend pointed out that it is easy to typecast the eggplant and never realize the potential of this bulbous purple veggie. They do not need to be soaking in oil or covered in marinara sauce to taste good. In fact those two things should be avoided altogether. I recommend prepping eggplant by the following technique.

• Rinse eggplant, remove stem, and chop into 1/2in cubes. 
• Warm a pan to med/high heat and fry in 1 tbsp oil. 
• Cook for 15 minutes turning often and adding another 1 tbsp oil. 
• Eggplant is ready when all pieces are soft and somewhat transparent.

Now down to the business. To copy this masterpiece and feed two or three people the most amazing mid-day snack know to man, you will want:

• A Female Eggplant
• Hummus Spread (I like garlic Sabrasa)
• Bread
• Brie 
• Coconut or Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Fresh Arugula or Baby Spinach

To achieve bread and topping bliss. Follow these steps:

1. Cook eggplant (as described above)
2. Slice brie into 1/8in wide strips and lay across one slice of bread.
3. Pile warm eggplant on bed of cheese.
4. Heap leafy greens on top, and splash with balsamic vinegar.
5. Spread hummus on other slice of bread and slam it onto the savory mound, thus completing the celebrated eggplant brie sandwich.
6. ENJOY!