I love eggplant. Needless to say, I did not grow up with fresh vegetables. I doubt that my mom even knew what an eggplant was. I think the first time I tasted it may have been in the early ‘80s, and it was, of course, eggplant parmigiana. When we moved to Old Lyme, my next door neighbor told me she had the original recipe from Fatone’s restaurant, where she once worked. I mentioned that Sam Gejdenson used to make it, and she said he learned it from the Fatones. She made it and it is still the best eggplant parm ever.

She showed me how to make it, too.

Today I love eggplant in every way imaginable. I have made ratatouille, even before that adorable animated movie. I once cooked it whole, unpeeled on a charcoal grill, when its insides have the texture of a Three Musketeer candy bar and the skin has the snap of a warm-from-the-garden tomato.

My south-of-the-Baldwin-Bridge editor, Pem McNerney, who is no slouch when it comes to cooking, recently posted on Facebook about something she made with tomatoes and eggplant. I forgot to ask Pem for her recipe, but I found one in an old cookbook by Michele Scicolone. For me, the star of the show is not just the eggplant but the fact the recipe is so simple. It will be my favorite eggplant go-to until its summer bounty is a memory.

Summer Vegetable Stew

From “Italian Holiday Cooking” by Michele Scicolone (William Morrow, New York, 2002)

Serves 6

1 medium eggplant, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces

2 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 large onion, diced

2 large ripe tomatoes, diced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bit-sized pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup freshly grated pecorino Romano

In a large pot, combine all the ingredients except the cheese. Add ¼ cup water, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender.

Just before serving, stir in the cheese. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Cook’s Tip: The author says you can add any vegetable to the mix, including zucchini, summer squash, celery and green beans. Sometimes she leaves out the cheese and adds basil or parsley. Best of all, she mentions it makes a wonderful sandwich stuffed into a fresh grinder roll.

On the Side

Amy Schumer. Oh man, this somewhat-Renaissance woman (comedian, actor/writer/director/producer, mom, wife, and cousin of Senator Chuck Schumer of New York), really doesn't know how to cook. Good thing she married Chris Fischer, who cooked at Babbo, wrote a lovely cookbook/memoir, runs a farm in Martha's Vineyard and writes for the Vineyard Gazette.

I think they began the series on YouTube, but I watched the first episodes in June and July on the Food Network.

Now there is another bunch. He is adorable and, unlike those guys who look like real doctors on television, he really is a chef. The twosome seem to really like each other, and they are actually sheltering in a place they are renting; its kitchen isn't much. Their almost-toddler son and a small poodle that isn't theirs make cameos.

One of the photographers is also the baby's nanny. I am learning stuff and loving it. Maybe you will, too.

Amy Schumer Learns to Cook

Food Network

Lee White lives in Groton. She can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.