return of the eggplant

Sunday inspires dinner. Homemade, that is. Last week, was super lame. I wasn't feeling it. I had spent a week in Oregon, driving, taking care of my favorite running partner, Pete, and making sure that other peoples' needs were attended too. I was exhausted and over being attentive to other people. I got a massage to try to relax but the masseuse and I had conflicting ideas over what relaxation should be. Gifted, sure, at trigger release therapy, but that was not, at all, what I had in mind when I arranged an 80 minute massage. No, I wanted to be beat up, thoroughly, and hopefully, release some of my stress.
Since the massage lacked, the dinner was a loss. I threw together a nice salad and crostini and mostly went the motions of what a Sunday night dinner should be. Looking back, I know that I was completely transparent in my mood.
Regardless, this week, I am inspired by the eggplant. Perhaps watching several hours of the food network motivated my need to really prepare a meal tonight. I think a sangiovese would be a wonderful accompaniement to the meal. Still on the fence with that one. I think a bottle will be opened and soon. I believe cooking (my cooking) goes much smoother when I am able to drink a glass (or two) of wine.
Tonight, I am roasting eggplant, tomatoes, and garlic. Meanwhile, I will boil penne pasta and wait for the aromas to entice my friends. So far, I have managed to keep them out of the kitchen and my laptop relatively safe on the island. A few months ago, I tried to make dinner with the laptop and a bottle of club soda blew up and spattered all over my beloved laptop. Thankfully, it is functioning and works. Yet, since then, the letter "z" is challenging to type. It sticks or just doesn't want to comply.
Accompanying the meal is a green salad with raspberries. Sometimes it is good to change things up. I like berries on salads especially in the summer.
I believe this will go over well. If not, oh well. Kitchen closed til next Sunday. I have made this dish before and it went over well. This time, I added more garlic and tomatoes to offset the eggplant. It sort of overwhelms the dish. The color of the overall dish is unpretty to look at. Delightful fare to sample though. I look forward to seeing how the small changes will affect the outcome.
Stay cool and enjoy your Sunday~