Okay, here's another, maybe not family tradition.
Paul doesn't like eggplant. At least, he didn't during the kids' growing up years. Now he does.
My mother made this recipe all the time, especially for special occasions. We found out a few years ago that my Dad hated it. But, my mother made it anyway.
The Frank in the title? Frank was the fruit guy. He came around on a truck. He had many things on the truck that my Mom had never cooked or eaten. He was Italian, and he told her, this Polish Jew, how to make some of the things she didn't know about. That's why, when Jennie, Caitlyn and Andrea were little, when we were in Virginia, we bought and cooked some artichokes. I'd been eating them since I was a kid, and loved them. Therefore, I made them for you. The first Grandma Joan was astounded, she'd never had them until she was much older. Of course, you were also living through something of a food revolution in this country.
Anyway, back to Frank the fruit guy. I remember the truck, I don't remember Frank. I don't know how old I was when he stopped coming, but I would guess under ten. I could check with Janet. Oh, you're expecting a recipe? Okay, here it is:
You'll need
1 large eggplant (although I've also made this with several small eggplants)
bread crumbs
olive oil
garlic, minced
parsely
tomato sauce
grated cheese
toothpicks
large Dutch oven-type pot
Slice the eggplant lengthwise, but not all the way--you want to cut from the wider end almost to the narrow end, but not quite. Leave about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of the narrow end to hold the eggplant together.
Now, mix together bread crumbs, garlic, parsley (Grandma used dried flakes) and enough olive oil to make the whole thing wet. You want measurements? Too bad, I have none. I can show you sometime, and I'd be honored to, but I have no idea what the amounts are.
ohhh nooo, we seem to have lost the rest of this??