The Flower of the Eggplant....who knew?.....

...how perfectly lovely, in a Halloween-y sort of way. We've had good success with the eggplants this summer; from two plants we've had perhaps a dozen full-size gorgeous fruits. I like to slice them across in about half-inch slabs, arrange them on a plate with kosher salt in the 'fridge for a few hours. Rinse and pat dry; then dip the slices in beater egg and fry in a bit of olive oil 'til tender. These can be eaten as a vegetable as is. Or stack a slice of mozarella cheese and a spoonful of marinara/ spaghetti sauce and nuke for a few seconds til everything is melty and warm.  That's a better vegetable. All from this pretty purple flower!