Eggplant Lasagna with Parsley Pesto (and Pistachios)

I received this recipe from a dear friend who has recently departed the Winston-Salem area in order to pursue Greater Ends: to save lives and make the world a better place. She is wonderful. To protect her identity I will call her Dr. Wonderful. Here she is with her lovely husband Mr. Wonderful (who will, we trust, become Dr. Wonderful in the relatively near future—as soon as the PhD is phinished): 

Anyway. Dr. Wonderful made this recipe last Lent, when Thomas More and I were attempting to refrain from the flesh of all living things—inspired by some E. Orthodox friends (i.e. Great Fast). We had good intentions, but we couldn’t seem to cut all animal products out of our diet. We somehow justified the eating of fish, shrimp, chicken broth…and pepperonis…and bacon… We’ll do better next year.

Anyway. Dr. Wonderful made this FULLY VEGETARIAN and DELICIOUS dish for us, which was wonderful of her. Because I miss Dr. and Mr. Wonderful and because there is a profusion of local eggplant these days, I decided to make it for myself. The recipe is originally from Gourmet and can be found at Epicurious here. I also made zucchini bread, which is very comforting.

For the “nuts” called for I followed Dr. Wonderful’s lead and used pistachios: 

Pistachios are very beautiful, I noticed, once hulled. They are a striking combination of bright green, olive green and an almost magenta pink. Here is the finished product.

And here is Thomas More enjoying the Finished Product: