I’ve Had Better From You

I fell in love with Eggplant Parmesan in Cortona in Tuscany. It was served in the gorgeous deep green and blue glazed dish. The deep purple in the skin of the eggplant, the red of the fresh marinara, the deep green of the freshly picked basil all made my first impression so dramatic and to top off the experience, it tasted glorious.

I’ve since tried a few recipes to recreate the masterpiece I enjoyed in Italy, yet every time I get different results. sometimes the eggplant is too chewy, or it’s too saucy and not substantive, sometimes the ratio of mozzarella and parmesan doesn’t compliment the dish, it’s a moving target. The last time I served it I asked my son what he thought, “I’ve had better from you”. Getting past my initial reaction to banish him to a life time of Top Ramen for the remark, I asked what made it better before. He wasn’t sure, but he just knew this wasn’t my best effort. Online marketing is some science and some art, when it comes to search, we’re cooking with ingredients that haven’t all been identified. Trying to document what ingredients we use every time we create a search marketing recipe is part of getting better.