Grilled Graffiti Eggplant

I am sleeping seven hours on most nights. This is a fact I want to record because it still has the quality of something I should not take for granted, the way you do not take granted the thing you went without for a long time. Seven hours. Owen goes down at 7:30 and mostly stays down. Nora goes down at 7:30 and occasionally gets up once, briefly, and then goes back. Seven hours is what I have, and it turns out seven hours is sufficient, and I am a functioning adult again in a way that I could not have said at this time last year.

The school year is ending in two months. I have twenty-two students I have known since September and who I am going to know for one more month and then send to fifth grade. Three of them are going to fifth grade with new IEPs that were not there in September, which means I did something right. All twenty-two of them know their times tables through twelve, which is the other thing I was hired to do. I am going to miss this class.

Ryan and I have started talking about the future in a way we could not during the NICU year and could not during the survival year. Concrete future things: whether we want a third child, which is a question I am not ready to answer but have started being willing to ask. Whether we want to stay in this apartment or look for a house. Whether his lieutenant position is something to pursue when one opens up, which it might, next year. These are conversations for people who are not in survival mode. We are out of survival mode. It took us fourteen months.

Pasta primavera on Tuesday: whatever spring vegetables were at the farmers market that set up two blocks over in April, sauteed in olive oil with garlic, tossed with pasta and parmesan. The market had asparagus, which is the first real spring vegetable, and cherry tomatoes, and a bundle of basil. I spent eight dollars and made dinner for four people, which would be two adults and two toddlers, if you count toddlers as people who eat dinner, which I do, except that their dinner was mostly pasta with butter and a side of asparagus that Owen declined and Nora stole from his tray.

The pasta primavera that Tuesday came together so easily it almost surprised me — eight dollars, one pan, dinner on the table — and it reminded me that this is what cooking feels like when you’re not just surviving. The farmers market two blocks over had graffiti eggplant the following week, those small striped ones I always pick up and then feel slightly unsure about, and I finally just bought them and fired up the grill for the first time since last September. It felt like a small ceremony. The grill coming back out, the evenings long enough to use it, me standing outside while the kids were still awake — all of it felt like evidence of something I’ve been waiting fourteen months to prove.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 14 minutes | Total Time: 24 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 graffiti (zebra) eggplants, about 1 lb total, halved lengthwise
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, torn
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

Heat the grill. Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (about 400°F). Clean and oil the grates well to prevent sticking.
Score and season the eggplant. Using a paring knife, score the cut side of each eggplant half in a crosshatch pattern, cutting about 1/2 inch deep. This helps the heat and seasoning penetrate. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Brush the cut sides generously with the mixture, letting it soak into the scored cuts.
Grill cut-side down first. Place eggplant halves cut-side down on the hot grill. Cook without moving for 5 to 6 minutes, until distinct grill marks form and the flesh softens and begins to turn golden at the edges.
Flip and finish. Turn the eggplant halves over so the skin side is down. Brush any remaining olive oil mixture over the scored surfaces. Grill for another 6 to 8 minutes, until the eggplant is completely tender when pierced with a fork and the skin has charred slightly in spots.
Rest and finish. Transfer to a serving platter. Drizzle with lemon juice, scatter the parsley and basil over the top, and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Graffiti Eggplant — When the Grill Comes Back Out and So Do You