The perfect hangover food!

Soo hungover this morning! 

Thank God I got to celebrate it with a savoury American hangover  breakfast!

Grilled cheese sandwich with processed chester cheese (I don't even know what this bright orange shiny stuff has to do with cheese, anymore) and a little extra protein: two eggs, nicely placed in a cut out hole in the middle of each slice of bread, called "eggs in a hole" (logic) or "birds in a nest" (for the smarter kids out there) or many other names ("cyclops" would be my recommendation) .

Some might say this is not healthy, but it sure helped killing my hangover.

Thank you, America.

PS: bacon could be found in it, as well.

PPS: tomorrow = diet.

PPPS: no more booze for at least two days!

Grilled eggplant pockets

Last weekend we got invited over to our friends Anna and Beau to meet Beau's lovely parents.

Therefore and also because I went a little "cooking crazy" 

I prepared all kinds of summer food stuff to bring and eat.

I already posted the Gazpacho which was one of the things I made. 

But I also felt like trying out more new things!

I've never ever prepared eggplant myself.

 So I decided to make these little grilled eggplant pockets:

For 8 pockets you'll need:

2 big long eggplants

2 plum tomatos (these are the long ones!) cut into a total of 16 slices

225g / 8 slices mozzarella (preferably buffalo mozzarella!)

16 basil leaves

salt, pepper

Vinaigrette:

1 tbsp tomato purrée

1 tbsp Balsamico vinegar

4 tbsp Olive oil

salt, pepper, sugar or honey

Garnish: 

Roasted Pine nuts

roughly chopped basil leaves

To prepare the eggplants first remove the stems, 

then cut each fruit in 8 thin slices (lengthwise!) of approx. 5mm thickness.

The pieces at the edges do not count.

Boil the slices in salted water for a maximum of about 2 minutes 

(they should not be completely cooked yet).

Dry them between sheets of paper towel.

Cut each tomato and the mozzarella in 8 slices.

Now take two eggplant slices and lay them on top of each other in the shape of a cross.

Put a slice of tomato in the middle, season it with salt and pepper and top it off with a basil leaf one slice of mozzarella, again a basil leaf and another slice of tomato seasoned with salt and pepper.

Now flip the ends of the eggplant over the little tomato-basil-mozzarella tower and form a pocket.

It doesn't really matter which eggplant slice you start with.

It just should all stick together and look neat in the end...

Now coat both sides of each pocket with a thin layer of olive oil 

and throw it on the grill of your hibachi! 

Grill for about 5 minutes each side (depends a bit on how hot the hibachi is).

The mozarella should start melting

In case you don't have a hibachi you can also sear them in a pan.

Same thing: 5 minutes each side.

For the vinaigrette mix tomato purrée, balsamico and olive oil and season to taste with salt pepper and a bit of sugar or honey.

Sprinke the vinaigrette and roasted pine nuts such as chopped basil leaves 

over the grilled/seared eggplant pockets.

Eat!

PS: 

I also made some tapas. 

More about this in my next post!