My kitchen; it's quite a show.

A few weeks ago, I invited you to an episode of the Back to School Backpacks Show. Today's pilot is more suited to the Food Network - maybe. Today's featured ingredient is Eggplant. Yes, eggplant.

Amigo, age 17, spend six weeks at the state school for the blind in a summer session featuring employment skills and independent living. He brought home a cookbook - one copy in Braille, the other in print for the sighted folk in the house. Then the drama began.

"Mom, there's a recipe for eggplant parmesan. It was really good. We should try it."

Me: "Eggplant?!"

Amigo: "Yes, eggplant parmesan. Ms. Kay made it. It's really good."

Me: "Was this a main dish or a side dish?"

Amigo: "Main dish."

I was speechless. This teenager, the kid with Asperger's, the one who is reluctant (if not downright resistant) to anything out of his comfort zone, had tried and enjoyed eggplant parmesan. The often narrow-minded kid who insists on Exactly Three Foods at all meals was also willing to try something vegetarian. After I picked up my jaw from the floor and regained my voice, I gave it some thought. Why not?

I've never cooked or eaten eggplant in my life, so off we went to the Saturday Farmers' Market. We stopped to listen to all of our favorite regular buskers, bought bunny food and sweet corn, picked up ingredients for a vegetable chowder we'll make later this week, and then I did it: I bought 2 eggplants. Eggsplant? What's the plural of eggplant? Eggsplants? Never mind.

Me: "Amigo, can you handle peeling these huge purple monsters?"

Amigo: "Nope. Ms. Kay's group made it. I don't know how."

So... I searched the Interwebs, found advice on peeling and soaking (to prevent it from going brown), and looked into the rest of the recipe. We had everything in the house except fresh parmesan. In fact, our mozzarella was fresh from the market as well. I had to freeze it slightly to get it hard enough to grate!

Eventually, the purple beasties turned into something that resembled a vegetarian lasagna and actually tasted quite good.  I can't wait to see what he tries in his Foods class at school. Wait, strike that, reverse it; I can be patient. I don't really want to know what kind of idea he'll cook up next. 

Ms. Kay found her eggplant parmesan recipe at AllRecipes.com.

Comments

[katie]

That's great that he's trying new things! I know how hard new can be for Aspergers -- have an 11 year old with mild Aspergers and he just started 6th grade (after 6 years of homeschooling) at a performing arts school. It's been good but hard. So good for Amigo!