After a month of busy work and vacation, I felt like I was finally back in the kitchen again. I had barely cooked any eggplant this season, so this week I piled on the eggplant recipes; mostly old favorites, but a few new as well. Even though the month has changed, it is still very much summer at the farmer’s markets!

Eggplant parm. This is a many step dish…but it is ALWAYS worth it. Helpful if you have another set of hands (or 2) to help with the breading and frying portion. Reward yourself partway by eating some pieces of fried eggplant. And maybe with a glass of red wine.

Chana dal with collards and tomatoes (from Vegetarian India). The original recipe called for spinach, but the collards leaping out of my garden right now called for a substitution. The chana dal does take over an hour to cook, but requires no soaking. I loved the starchy, spiced sauce it created that coated the greens. This was a good seasonal transition meal; full of summer produce, but a bit more warming for slightly cooler nights.

Gratin of tomatoes, eggplant, and collards and kale (from Vegetable Literacy, photo taken before baking). I made this with collard and kale instead of chard (Do you need any greens? I have extra!). There is some work upfront to prep the eggplant and greens for the gratin, but the assembly is as easy as layering. I used feta instead of mozzarella, and served it with my friend Zach’s roasted garlic sourdough….both excellent choices.

Eggplant parmesan pizza with crispy capers. I constantly post this recipe because it is my go-to pizza dough…but now was finally the time to make it in full! The eggplant melts into the pizza crust, and the crispy capers are brilliant bits of salty goodness on top.

Sichuanese “send-the-rice-down” chopped celery with ground pork and Hangzhou eggplant (from Every Grain of Rice). The original send-the-rice-down recipe calls for ground beef, but it works just as well with pork (and I’ve also made it with chopped turkey thighs). Spicy sauce, crunchy celery, and fatty meat make for a winning dish. I went for the Hangzhou eggplant instead of the usual fish fragrant eggplant so the meal wouldn’t be overwhelmingly spicy. Though they are similar preparations and it was certainly delicious, the sweet did not overtake my favorite spicy version.

Leftover rice, sauteed collards with garlic and ginger, a fried egg and chili garlic sauce. Why have I never thought to make this for breakfast before?!? I never seem to make exactly the right amount of rice, and often have an awkward extra amount leftover that isn’t enough for a full meal. Now it will always have a purpose.