Eat Local Challenge from Whole Foods Market

So, our friend (and client) Whole Foods Market in Buckhead has issued an Eat Local challenge, and we here at MLA are up for the challenge! As someone who is an ardent fan of both Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and Omnivore's Dilemma, I deeply support eating local and do my part as often as possible. I subscribe to Moore Farms' CSA and shop at the Peachtree Rd. farmer's market on Saturdays, but, honestly, I never truly tried to make an all local meal until last night. And, let me tell you, this isn't the easiest feat ever. True, with the abundance of local produce right now, it is probably easier than ever, but this meal took some definite forethought.

After shopping at the Saturday farmer's market at the Cathedral of St. Philip, I came home with some beautiful eggplant, way too many tomatoes than I know what to do with, an awesome loaf of crusty bread from Holeman & Finch bread company, and a jar of the best basil pesto I have ever tried from Hope's Gardens.

With a little help in the way of a recipe from the kind folks at Hope's Gardens, I whipped a pretty darn good all local eggplant Parmesan! Let me preface this recipe, with a few footnotes. Now, I don't know exactly what the rules are for Eating Locally, but taking my cues from Barbara Kingsolver, I decided that I was going to allow basic pantry items (olive oil, salt and pepper) to count even though they definitely aren't locally made. Other than this, my only iffy ingredient was mozzarella cheese. I bought this freshly made from Whole Foods Market in Buckhead. This counts as local, right?

Without further explanation, here is Hope's Gardens' recipe for Eggplant Parmeasan. (I know, I know - my photography needs serious help!)

1 jar of Hope's Gardens Basil Pesto
Eggplant, sliced into 1/2" slices (from Farmer Jeff)
Fresh tomato slices (from Moore Farms CSA)
Mozzarella cheese slices (from Whole Foods)
Salt and pepper to taste

Arrange sliced eggplant on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, flip slices, and continue baking for another 10 minutes. When eggplant is done, remove from baking sheet and layer with tomatoes and mozzarella slices in a baking dish. Top each layer with a few spoonfuls of pesto and salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and a great local wine. We drank Wolf Mountain Vineyards' Plentitude and the acidity cut the richness of the pesto nicely!

Be sure to check back and see what everyone else whips up as part of Whole Foods Market's Eat Local challenge!