A Mid-June Recipe

If you are someone who likes to eat "seasonally," then you probably have some little tricks up your sleeve with respect to dishes you like to create when the production of two crops intersect.  Now, Tammy is typically the person in our household who is known for her culinary skills.  But, I recently showed that I could manage well enough when pressed into service for creating meals.

Tammy said she really enjoyed this meal, so I thought I would share it here.  Please remember, Tammy might still have been a little bit out of it due to the Achilles tendon surgery - so maybe she just meant something along the lines of "I ate this, because it was warm and I needed something edible - and this passed that test."  However, I have some hope for it because she asked for it a second time! 

The overlap this time around is the last of the asparagus with the first of the snow peas.  The asparagus had been cut about a week prior, so it wasn't exactly "fresh" from the garden, but it was still quite tasty.

I took out a deep sided pan that had a fitted lid to do a bit of a stir fry, keeping it just over medium heat on the stove top.

1. Start with some real butter in the pan.  I just put what felt like would "grease" the pan for me.  
2. Once the butter melts, roll the pan around so the surfaces are covered.
3. Add the asparagus, cut into 1 to 2 inch lengths (shorter for thicker stalks, longer for thinner).  I pushed that around the pan for a very short bit (a minute or so).
4. Add sliced mushrooms, as many or as little as you like.  If you are a hobbit, add more mushrooms than asparagus.  If you are like me, the asparagus outnumbered the mushrooms by about 2 to 1 in volume.... though I DO like sauteed mushrooms.
5. Once the asparagus started getting soft, I added the snow peas.  The volume of snow peas was similar to the volume of the mushrooms.  But, you can do whatever you want.  Heck, I'm not an expert, I just throw stuff together I think will taste good and hope I'm right!
6. I added about two caps of olive oil... maybe a tablespoon?  And turned the heat down to medium.
7. I added a pinch of sea salt and stirred all of that up a bit.
8. Then I covered the pan for the remainder of the cook time, waiting for the snow peas to turn a deep green color (or until I could smell the snow peas as I walked by the stove).
9. I gave it all one more stir and served it up.  After a short while, both plates were clean - which is usually a good sign that the offering was accepted around here.
   

Yep, that was it.  Pretty fancy, eh?  

Ok, pretty typical for me because I didn't want to create too many dishes to clean up afterward, but I still wanted to eat some asparagus, snow peas and mushrooms.  We've done the asparagus and mushrooms before, and seemed like the snow peas would fit in well.

The first time around I added a little pre-cooked hamburger (equivalent to about a third of a hamburger patty) into the mix at about the same time I added the mushrooms.  It tasted fine either way (with or without the hamburger).  It would be interesting to see how the taste changes if I cooked the hamburger in the pan first and then added the veggies, but we didn't try it a third time and the asparagus is gone now.

I know, I know.  This is not how professionals present recipes, so it might not help anyone out.  I just cut up asparagus until I felt like there was enough for two of us and then cut up more so there would be leftovers for lunch.  The rest just followed from there.  Oh!  I see a few people nodding in the back!  You cook like this too?

Well, I've been able to watch one of the best at this approach to cooking, and she's been able to get back into the kitchen and cook meals with some help this past week.  See Tammy?  I can be taught!

Eggplant Recipes

Eggplant is not universally loved, so perhaps that's why there are so many options to prepare it - those that love them are hopeful to find ways to get the rest of the world to agree.  But, we're not here to pick on eggplant, we're here to share those options for preparation because, as it turns out, preparation can make a big difference depending on your taste preferences.

There are a number of simple ways to use eggplant.  You can grill it either directly on the grill or in foil pouches - brush with olive oil and your choice of spices. You might decide to bread it - slice, dip in milk (some use eggs instead), dip in bread or cracker crumbs and cook in skillet with non-stick spray or olive oil - cook a few minutes on each side (depending on thickness) until fork goes in easily. You can also stew eggplant and mix them into various soups, stews, etc 

Stuffed Eggplant

• l lb hamburger, cooked and drained
• 1 c cooked rice
• 1/4 c shredded cheese
• 1 med tomato, diced
• 6-8 eggplant (medium to larger)
• salt, pepper and other seasonings to taste

Mix stuffing ingredients and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut off tops of eggplant and remove seed cavity - making a cavity sufficient for stuffing. Stuff hamburger mixture into eggplant. Place eggplant in a greased 9x13" cake pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35-45 minutes depending on wall thickness of eggplant..

Substitution: 2.5 c black beans for hamburger.

Note: Stuff some bell peppers or Beaver Dams and have both eggplant and peppers on the menu!

Faux Baba Spread (no nuts or seeds)

• 1-2 eggplant
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp cumin

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Place eggplant on baking sheet, and make holes in the skin with a fork. Roast it for 30 to 40 minutes, turning occasionally, or until soft. Remove from oven, and place into a large bowl of cold water. Remove from water, and peel skin off.  (note, I sometimes skip this step and grill the eggplant)
3. Place eggplant, lemon juice, oil, cumin, cheese, and garlic in an electric blender, and puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a little more oil if texture is too stiff. Refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.   Serve with chips or pieces of pita bread, or spread on pieces of toasted French bread.

Rosa Bianca eggplant have a texture similar to Portabello mushrooms

Grilled Eggplant

12 minutes start to finish!

Use any type of eggplant, but Rosa Bianca is especiallygood grilled this way and taste like a portabella mushroom.

Slice eggplant into ½ inch thick rings.
Place in baking pan immediately and toss with olive oil and sea salt to lightly coat.  Add thyme or oregano. Place on a medium hot grill, turn after 5 minutes, then turn again and poke with a fork to see if they are tender.  Some people will sprinkle with parmesan cheese after turning once.

Eggplant Parmesan

• 3 T. olive oil
• 2-4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 5 cups chopped tomatoes
• chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• salt & pepper
• 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
• 1-2 eggs beaten along with 2 tablespoons water or milk
• 2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
• 1 cup shredded mozzerella
  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush baking sheet with oil; set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl whisk together eggs with either water or milk. In another bowl combine breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, basil and season with salt and pepper. Dip eggplant slices in egg mixture and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; place on baking sheet. Bake until golden brown on bottom for about 20 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side; about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, leave oven temp at 375 degrees.
  
  While eggplant is in the oven, heat oil and saute' garlic, green pepper, and onions. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Cook/simmer 30 minutes.
  
  Place eggplant on the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish that has been brushed with olive oil. Cover the eggplant with the tomato mixture (may need to drain off some of the excess liquid from tomatoes). Sprinkle top with remaining parmesan cheese and mozzerella cheese. Bake about 20-30 minutes until sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Baba Ghannuj

1 lrg eggplant
1-2 cloves garlic
salt to taste
4 T tahini
1/4 c water
1/4-1/2 c lemon juice (or tomato juice)
parsely or pomengranate seed for garnish
1T olive oil

Eggplant may be baked or grilled over a flame until well done. Preferrably grilled. Peel off skin and place all ingredients in blender and blend well (blend slow) until desired texture (chucky or pasty). Serve as a dip or spread with flat bread.

Baba Ghanouj II

• 1 large eggplant
• 3 tablespoons sesame tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons nonfat yogurt
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• juice from 2 lemons
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon organic extra virgin olive oil
Cut eggplant in half lengthwise, and place cut side down on a nonstick baking sheet. Prick with a fork; bake at 350°F until soft and wilted, about 20 minutes.
Scoop out pulp into a bowl; add the rest of the ingredients and mash together for a chunky texture or purée in a blender (before adding parsley) for a smooth texture.
Garnish with more parsley, and drizzle with 1 tsp of olive oil. Serve with warm pita bread or crackers.
Stuffed Eggplant
• 6 small/medium eggplant
• 1 pound ground beef, cooked
• 1 cup rice, cooked
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tsp each salt, garlic powder, marjoram (or other spice)
Cut Eggplant’s top off. Scoop our seeds. Mix ingredients together and add to the hollowed out spot inside each eggplant. Place onto cookie sheet with sides and ½ inch water in the pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, covered.

Pintung Long eggplant are often more tender and less bitter

Eggplant Rollatini with Corn Bread Stuffing

Makes 10 to 12 rolls serving 4 to 6

Ingredients
2 large globe eggplants, about 3 lbs in all
Salt
Corn bread stuffing (recipe follows)
Spaghetti sauce
About ¼ cup olive oil
Chopped marjoram, basil or parsley

Preparation

Slice the eggplant lengthwise no thicker than 1/3 inch or they’ll be difficult to roll later. Sprinkle both sides with salt and let stand an hour (this helps to remove bitterness). Rinse and blot dry. Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing and the sauce if you haven’t already.

Brush the eggplant with oil and grill, bake, fry or broil on both sides until tender. They should be flexible, but if they’re dry looking, don’t worry. Just stack them on top of each other as they finish cooking—the heat will soften them.

Mound about 2 T stuffing at the widest end of each piece, roll into a cylinder, and secure with a toothpick. Place seam side down in a lightly oiled baking dish large enough to hold the eggplant rolls in a single layer. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

When ready to eat, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the eggplant rolls are heated through, about 25 minutes. Spoon a little sauce on each plate and set the rolls on top. Remove the toothpicks and garnish with the chopped herb.

Corn Bread Stuffing
Ingredients
2 T vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 T chopped fresh sage or 1 t dried
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 cups crumbled corn bread
1 egg
Salt and freshly milled pepper

Preparation
Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and herbs and cook over medium heat until soft and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Mix with the corn bread and egg and season with salt and pepper to taste. Work the mixture together with your hands so that it’s evenly moistened. If it seems dry, add a little water.

Makes about 6 servings

Aubergine with Roasted Garlic

• 1 large eggplant, about 3 pounds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons roasted garlic, to taste
• 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed basil leaves chopped

Directions

1. Cut the eggplant into 1-inch slices, brush one side lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  
2. Roast in a preheated 400 degree oven until brown, approximately 20 minutes.
3. When cool, scoop the flesh from the skin and process with remaining ingredients until smooth.
4. Correct seasoning.

Can be stored refrigerated for up to one week.

Hints:

Drizzle a little olive oil on the top of a whole head of garlic and cook it with the eggplant to have plenty of roasted garlic available.  

Instructions aside, the last time I made it I chose to chop the basil finely and then simply stir it in the spread after blending the balance of ingredients.

Listada di Gandia is a good show-stopper at the farmers' market

Spicy Eggplant and Green Bean Curry

Makes 4-6 side servings

Could be a vegetarian entrée for two. Just add rice. As is, it makes 4 to 6 servings for a side dish. Look for curry paste and coconut milk in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped (or more if you like garlic!)
• 1 tablespoon peeled, chopped ginger (TIP: Ginger is easily peeled with a regular spoon)
• 1 14 to 16 ounce eggplant, peeled, cut into 2 X 1/2 X 1/2-inch sticks
• 8 ounces green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon grated lime peel
• 1 teaspoon Thai green curry paste
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (use dried in a pinch)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves (when available)

Heat 4 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger; stir 30 seconds. Add eggplant and green beans. Cook until almost tender, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Cover and cook until completely tender, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer vegetables to bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon oil, lime peel, and curry paste to same skillet; stir 15 seconds. Add coconut milk; bring to boil, whisking until smooth. Return vegetables to skillet; toss until sauce thickens enough to coat vegetables, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Mix in onions, cilantro, and mint.

Ratatouille

1 lb of yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb zucchini, chopped
1 lb yellow squash, chopped
Bell peppers, seeds removed, chopped into 1/2 inch square pieces:
--1 lb green bell peppers
--1/2 lb red bell peppers
--1/2 lb yellow bell peppers
1 lb eggplant, 1/2 inch cubes
1 lb fresh ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
1 sprig rosemary
3/4 cup vegetable stock (or thin tomato juice)
fresh ground pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.  Using a large oven-proof pan over medium high heat, saute onions in olive oil until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and reduce heat to low.
3.  While the onions and garlic are cooking over low heat, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a another frying pan over high heat. As soon as oil starts to smoke, quickly add enough zucchini cubes all at once to cover the bottom of the pan. Keep on cooking over high heat, stirring, until zucchini is lightly browned on all sides. Remove zucchini cubes, and add them to pan with the onions.
4. Repeat process until all of the zucchini cubes have been cooked. Do the same with the yellow squash. Make sure to add a little olive oil between each new batch. Continue with the bell peppers, then the eggplant cubes, adding the browned vegetables to the onion pan as soon as they are cooked.
5. When all the vegetables (except the tomatoes) are browned and in the pan with the onions, increase theheat to high and stir, making sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add salt to taste, thyme, bay leaf, and rosemary, the vegetable stock, and stir well. Place in oven for one hour.
6. Boil water in a saucepan on stove. Remove stems from tomatoes, and crisscross the bottoms with a knife. Plunge into boiling water for a minute or two, until skin starts to fall away. Rinse in cold water and remove skin. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise, remove seeds, chop coarsely, set aside.
   
7. After the vegetables have been in the oven for an hour, remove from oven, drain vegetables in a colander set over a bowl. Clean browned bits (if any) off bottom of pan with a paper towel. Return any liquid to the pan and reduce to a thick glaze over medium high heat. Keep on adding juices to the pan as they run out of the vegetables into the bowl.
8. When all the juices have been reduced, return vegetables to the heavy pan. At this point the ratatouille should be moist and shiny, with very little liquid. Turn heat off. Add the chopped tomatoes and cover. If serving as a warm side dish, let the ratatouille stand for 10 minutes, just enough to "cook" the tomatoes. The ratatouille can be served at room temperature or refrigerated and reheated the next day.
9. When ready to serve, remove the bay leaf, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Garlic Recipes

 

White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip

Makes 2 servings

1/2 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 or 4)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
Water

In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, slat, pepper, until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to rough puree. With motor running (the processor, not yours) slowly drizzle olive oil through the feed tube (again, the processor, not yours); process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tbs. water, or more, until mixture is constency of the dip. Add more salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice, if desired. Spread out dip on plate, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with more salt. Yield 1 1/2 cups.

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Chai-Spiced Chicken Wings with Green Garlic Aioli

Makes 2 to 4 servings

FOR THE CHICKEN
1/2 fat bulb of green garlic, root and green parts trimmed, outer layer removed, OR
Four regular garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cardamon pods (about 16)
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 star anise
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch ground cloves
2 1/2 pounds chicken wings

FOR THE AIOLI
1/2 fat bulb green garlic, green parts trimmed, outer layer removed
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 egg yolk
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Coarsely chop 1/2 bulb green garlic; place in blender with olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, ginger, cardamom, orange zest, star anise, cinnamon, pepper, cloves. Blend mixture to rough puree. In bowl, toss marinade with chicken wings; cover. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or, preferably, overnight. Preheat broiler to high. Use paper towel to brush off most solids from marinade clinging to chicken. Arrange wings on baking sheet. Broil until wings are golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

To prepare aioli, finely chop remaining garlic. Using mortar and pestle, pound with salt until paste forms. Add egg yolk, continue to pound paste until incorporated, then add oil drop by drop until thick, shiny aioli is achieved. Stir in a few drops of lemon juice. Serve wings with aioli for dipping.

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Garlic Croutons

The great thing about making your own croutons is that you can make them at your leisure, when the inevitable stale half-loaf of bread appears in your kitchen. While store-bought croutons are adequate in a pinch, you’ll find that the little extra time and effort it takes to make your own make this delicious homemade version an attractive option.

stale bread, any amount, sliced (white bread is best, but any kind works)
olive oil
salt
garlic cloves, peeled, top quarter sliced off
1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.
2. Brush both sides of the bread with a thin layer of olive oil. Place the bread on a baking sheet and sprinkle tops lightly with salt. Bake until lightly golden, 5 to 7 minutes, checking frequently to make sure bread doesn’t burn.
3. Remove the bread from the oven and rub all over with the cut side of the garlic cloves.
4. Cut the bread into smaller pieces if desired. The bread is ready to be used or stored.