Eggplant Preserved in Oil

Eggplant ready to be preserved in olive oil and spices.

I have made this recipe several times and L-O-V-E it. It's a *bit* of trouble, but mostly passive waiting time, and is a great way to use up quite a bit of eggplant in one fell swoop (read: eggplants for $1 each at the farmer's market and I couldn't resist)...and you also get a bonus out of this recipe: flavored dipping oil (due to the large quantity of olive oil required). The finished product makes an excellent pizza topping, pasta or salad add-in, or can simply be placed on top of toasted bruschetta (with a little goat cheese, too). You can also mash or puree the eggplant and some of the oil and additional salt and pepper together to make a quick dip. I suggest dried herbs and garlic as fresh ones can often lead to premature spoilage; feel free to adjust the herbs/spices to suit your taste. It is also very important to make sure as much excess water is expressed from the eggplant (NOTE: if you decide to roast or broil the eggplant, don't let the "dry" appearance fool you...let cool and squeeze with a clean towel.) I have had jars of this last over a year, but I suggest 3-6 months in a cool, dark place for optimum quality.

• 4 lbs eggplant
• 6 Tbs cider, wine or balsamic vinegar*
• 2-4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• Salt
• Olive Oil (approx 4 cups)
  

Trim eggplant of stem and blossom end and rinse well; you can peel the skin off at this point, but the end product will be much softer and probably even disintegrate quite a bit--the skin actually becomes rather soft so I always leave it on. Slice or cube (I prefer slices as they can be left whole or chopped up later on). Layer in a large bowl or pan, and sprinkle layers liberally with salt. Let sit at least 2 hours or overnight. Blanch eggplant for 2-3 minutes in boiling water (alternatively, roast or broil at 450 deg. F for 6-8 minutes on each side, careful not to burn). Drain in colander and press or squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible. One good way to do this is set a plate on top of the eggplant and weight it down with something heavy, a stack of bowls, a jug of juice, but also press down on it; alternatively, squeeze COOLED eggplant pieces in a clean tea towel (not your nicest one, though, as it will stain).

*This is merely a flavor preference, although the balsamic will definitely darken the final product more than the other options.

In a large bowl, combine vinegar and spices. Toss drained eggplant pieces in vinegar mixture to coat. Spoon into sterilized jars (do not pack!), leaving 1/2-inch headspace (note: these do NOT have to be sealing canning jars). Pour olive oil over eggplant to cover by 1/4-inch. Carefully slide a butter knife along the edges of the jars, pressing inward gently, to release any air bubbles.
After eggplant has cooled, place lids on jars and leave jars in the sun for 10-12 days, shaking gently each day to distribute the flavorings.

Finished prodcut used as a pizza topping with artichoke hearts and onions.

Summer Tomato-Cucumber Salad with a Twist

This salad (or some incarnation of it) is pretty standard fare in the summer, what with our easy access to farm fresh heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers, not to mention local feta cheese. Sometimes it is as simple as this, other times fresh herbs (parsley, thyme), garlic or onions or shallots, olives, marinated peppers or artichoke hearts, slivered almonds or pistachios, orzo or quinoa or wheat berries accompany the vegetables. Add some salt and cracked black pepper, a splash of olive oil and balsamic or red wine vinegar and it's delicious. Sometimes I substitute lemon juice for the vinegar, but I've never tried it with lime juice until now. Let me tell you, it elevates this salad to a whole other level. The lime juice really brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes, not to mention the fact that lime juice is a pretty standard mate to cucumbers.

Since this recipe (like any salad recipe) is so open to interpretation, there is no recipe, only inspiration. Serve with crusty bread or pitas for a light summer meal.

Sweet Potato Latkes with Black Bean Caviar

Quite a fancy name for a truly simple dish. I modified a basic latke recipe substituting sweet potatoes for regular and made a simple "caviar" salad to top them off. Everything came together in less than 30 minutes, and if served with a good-sized salad, could be a main dish, but they work great as appetizers as well!

For the latkes:

• 1 large sweet potato, shredded
• 2-3 scallions, minced
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika or chipotle powder

Using a standard cheese grater or food processor with a shredder attachment, grate the potatoes (not too finely!). Stir together with remaining ingredients (note: there is no need to squeeze the excess water out of the sweet potatoes as some latke recipes suggest as there really isn't much excess water--in fact, I had to add a Tbs. of water.) Spoon batter onto heated griddle with several Tablespoons oil and fry on both sides until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

For the caviar:

• 1 cup black beans, cooked
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 3 Tbs. scallion greens
• 1/4 cup diced tomato
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 minced jalapeno, seeds removed
• 2 Tbs. minced cilantro
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 Tbs. lime or orange juice
• 1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Adjust seasonings to your taste. Spoon mixture on top of latkes and serve with plain yogurt, sour cream or queso seco.

A Small Thanksgiving

Here's an epic post for an epic meal...

Well, it wasn't really an epic meal at all, but a rather small one (as far as Thanksgiving goes), since it was just us, and a couple of our bachelor friends. Everything went perfectly this year as far as timing, preparation, and choice of recipes. Despite a minimal amount of advanced preparation, some last-minute recipe decisions, and a few minor setbacks, everything flowed smoothly along and made for a (mostly) delightful meal.

Per our agreement to a "cooperative" meal, the girls made the pies, doing 90% of the work themselves. I was standing by to guide them and help out with the trickier parts (like transferring the very-full-pumpkin-pie to the oven, etc.)--I'm pretty sure the pies were THE high-point of the meal!

The bird itself was a bit disappointing; though it was a humble 8.5 lbs, and I refrained from filling it with stuffing, it still took almost 4 hours to cook(!). It may have not been fully defrosted (there were still some ice crystals lingering in the neck cavity, even though it had been in the fridge for three full days prior), but I'm starting to wonder if it has to do with the altitude--since I don't adjust most recipes for our high altitude, I never considered whether or not roasting a bird would be impacted. Although the USDA's reference site claims this is not a factor, every bird I've ever cooked takes longer than it should. Maybe it's time to switch to Mark Bittman's 45-minute approach, which would be more economical and use less energy and probably easier to get a more consistent doneness. The flavor was good and it was nicely moist, though.

I neglected to pull the rolls out of the fridge early enough, so they didn't have enough time to rise sufficiently to be soft, and were instead, dense and doughy...but nobody complained! And I used a new pie crust recipe/technique this time, and although it was also very flaky (as touted), it was tough and crispy instead of light and tender. Plus, it was so buttery that the excess butter dripped out of the pie crusts onto the bottom of the oven while baking and fumigated the house! In fact, when my daughter noticed it was foggy outside at the same time, I was accused of causing the whole forest to smoke up!

But, here's what DID work superbly and will surely be recreated again (and again...).

Pumpkin Pie with Chai Spices

After combing cookbooks and computer for pumpkin pie recipes, I settled on a combination version based on what I had on hand. It was wonderful. The texture was perfect, though I thought it could use even more spices.

• 1 1/2 cups fresh pumpkin puree, strained and drained
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup powdered milk (non-instant)*
• 1/4 cup chestnuts, finely ground (optional or sub almonds or toasted hazelnuts)
• 1/2 cup chai-flavored syrup**
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp each cardamom, cinnamon, ginger
• 1/4 tsp each nutmeg and black pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix until well blended. If your batter is lumpy, blend in a blender briefly to combine. Pour into prepared pie crust or baking dish and bake 1 hour at 350 degrees F, checking at 45 minutes. The pie is done when the edges are set and the middle is still wiggly.

*This approach lends a creamier taste without the added fat, but you can probably leave it out without any problems, or substitute cream for some or all of the milk.

**If I hadn't had the last of the bottle to use up, I would have substituted 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup molasses

Honey-Pecan Tart

I had two things firmly in mind for this year's pecan pie. It is my favorite holiday pie of all time, and while I can eat even the sweetest and eggiest of them all, I decided that putting the mixture into a tart pan would make for a better nut-to-filling ratio, and I was right. I was also determined to avoid using corn syrup in the recipe. I basically adapted the lower-sugar version here by substituting honey for the corn syrup straight across, and also I omitted the molasses since half of the honey I used was very dark and had a molassesy flavor itself. Everything else was the same (except for the pan size of course). I think the only thing I'll change next time is to use a tart crust or short crust instead of traditional pie dough.

Fruit and Grain Stuffed Acorn Squash

OK, so everyone (including myself) was disappointed that there was no bread stuffing on the table, but this dish was a winner, even with the bachelor crowd! I loved the addition of the kasha, figs and chestnuts. The amounts given are, of course, estimates, and should be changed up to suit your tastes and/or pantry contents. There was more than enough stuffing for 2 large (halved) and 2 small acorn squash; I would recommend it for 4 large, halved squash instead, but plan on half of a half as one serving size as a side dish.

A note on leftovers: I couldn't get over my craving for bread stuffing, I got myself a couple of day-old loaves at the House of Bread (garden herb and whole wheat), cubed up a few slices of each and tossed it together with the leftover stuffing. I scooped out what was leftover of the squash flesh, chopped it up a bit, and threw it in too. Tossed everything together with some broth, the leftover gravy and some additional spices. Yummy again!

• 1 cup cooked red quinoa
• 1/2 cup cooked kasha
• 1 cup chopped dried figs
• 1 cup chopped apples
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries, raisins or currants
• 1/2 cup chopped chestnuts
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (walnuts or hazelnuts would good, too)
• 1 Tbs poppy seeds
• 1/3 cup white wine, orange or apple juice
• 2 Tbs olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup water or broth
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp each coriander, allspice and cinnamon

Saute onions and celery in 1 Tbs oil until onions are translucent. Toss together with remaining ingredients. Spoon into hollowed out squash halves and bake for 45 minutes to one hour at 350 degrees. Note: I suggest baking them covered, at least for the first 30 minutes, otherwise the top layer of grains will dry out and get very crunchy.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Mustard Seeds

“I never knew I liked Brussels sprouts” were one of our dinner guests exact words upon tasting this dish. While I don’t cook them very often, I usually enjoy Brussels sprouts any way they are prepared (even mushy and over-cooked), so it’s good to get affirmation of this dish from the non-indoctrinated. This was sort of a last-minute “what can I do with the Brussels sprouts” concoction that ended up a winner; including bacon in the mix was a no-brainer.

• 1 lb Brussels sprouts
• 5 slices smoked maple bacon
• 1 onion, sliced into thin wedges (about ¼-inch thick)
• 1 Tbs prepared mustard
• 1 Tbs maple syrup
• 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp whole mustard seeds

Halve or quarter the sprouts, depending on their size. Steam 7-9 minutes or until tender. Rinse in cool water briefly to stop their cooking. Meanwhile, chop bacon and fry over medium heat until done (you don’t want it to be crispy unless you want a few crispy crumbs for the top). Remove bacon and let drain on a paper towel. Using the reserved cooking fat, fry onions and sprouts over medium-high heat until onions are soft and sprouts have browned somewhat, about 6-8 minutes. Sprouts should not be too soft, but not too firm, either. While the vegetables are cooking, whisk together maple syrup, mustard and spices. Deglaze the pan with the wine and stir in the mustard mixture to coat all the vegetables. If desired, top with garlic-seasoned bread crumbs (melt 1 Tbs butter or olive oil in a pan, stir in ¼ cup bread crumbs, pinch of salt, garlic powder and pepper, and cook until browned).

Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes

Use your preferred method of preparing potatoes for the mashing. We prefer the skins on, so we just give them a good scrub, cut out any bad spots or eyes, boil them whole for 2o-30 minutes or so (depending on the variety), drain, reserving 1 cup of liquid and mash with additional warm milk to desired consistency. Splash in a good dose of good quality olive oil, and some salt and pepper.

Five-Spice Soup

There is something about the combination of sweet soy sauce and Chinese five-spice blend in this soup that is deeply warming and comforting--perfect for a blustery autumn evening. While the name I picked for it is generic, the soup is really a combination of favorites: Vietnamese Pho and Thai Jabchai Yaowalak (a soup of hard boiled eggs, five-spice and sweet soy sauce). You can really use any combination of vegetables that you favor and/or have on hand (green cabbage, baby corn, mushrooms, and mung bean sprouts would be good). Substitute chicken, beef or pork for the tofu if desired, and feel free to use rice noodles or jasmine rice in place of the soba.

We got these beautiful purple Watermelon Radishes in our CSA bag this week--

• 3 quarts broth or water
• 4 hard boiled eggs (or one per person)
• 1/2 pound firm tofu
• 2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder*
• 1 large shallot head, sliced thinly
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 Tbs sweet soy sauce (substitute black bean sauce, oyster sauce, or 1 Tbs soy sauce + 1 Tbs brown sugar)
• 1 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 bunch tatsoi, chopped (substitute spinach, cabbage or other vegetables)
• 1 large yam/sweet potato, sliced
• 2-3 small turnips, cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)
• 2-3 scallions, cut on the bias
• 1 lime, quartered
• Cilantro
• 1 package buckwheat soba noodles, cooked according to package directions

*substitute 1/4 tsp each ground cinnamon, anise, cloves, ginger and coriander or one 2-inch stick of cinnamon, 1 star anise, 4-5 whole cloves, one 1-inch piece of gingerroot.

Toss sweet potato slices with oil and roast them for 10-15 minutes at 450 degrees, until tender. Set aside. Heat several tablespoons of oil in large soup pot. Saute shallots and garlic just until they start to brown. Add spice powder, eggs and tofu, stir-frying to coat (add additional oil if needed). Add soy sauces and stir until eggs are browned by the sauce. Add broth and turnips. Cover and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add tatsoi and cook 5 more minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add sweet potatoes and remove from heat.

To serve, scoop some noodles into a large bowl, spoon soup over noodles, including one egg per dish. Garnish with cilantro, scallions and lime wedges.

Ugali & Sukuma (Kenyan Style Grits and Greens)

I owe this post to my sister who brought back this recipe from her stay in Kenya, where it is a staple for many. Pure simplicity melds together to make a steaming bowl of comfort--especially welcomed after days of gorging oneself on candy, sweets or other rich foods! Any kind of greens can be used here; I prefer a mix of braising greens, particularly chard or collards, but spinach, kale, mustard greens and others will work as well. Traditionally, the grits are cooked to a very stiff consistency and sliced into wedges to serve. This is the best way to serve the dish if you have quite a bit of pot liquor from cooking the greens. If you prefer the grits cooked softer, as my children do, it's better to cook or strain off some of the liquid. I also really enjoy this dish served with a poached or fried egg and a basic "salsa cruda" on top.

Traditionally for the Ugali (Grits) , regular-grind WHITE cornmeal is used, but you can also use coarser hominy grits. The dish is definitely not the same with yellow cornmeal or polenta, but you can use it if that's all you have. It's hard to explain just how much cornmeal to water to use, as it depends on your preference; I suggest 2 cups water to 1 cup cornmeal for a stiffer mixture, and 3 cups water to 1 cup cornmeal for a softer mixture, but you will have to be the judge. For the stiff version, it is important to stir the cornmeal into the boiling, salted water completely so no lumps form. As it stiffens, form it into a dome in the pan, cover and cook on very low heat for 20-30 minutes. When it is done, cut the dome into wedges for serving.

Meanwhile, wash and coarsely chop your greens. You will need about 6 cups uncooked greens for the portion of Ugali listed above. Chop 1 large tomato and about 1/4 cup diced onion. Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a heavy skillet or wide-bottomed pan. Add onion, tomato and greens and saute 5-10 minutes over high heat, until vegetables have turned bright green and onions are cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

For the "salsa cruda" (which is traditional, it's just not called "salsa"), dice another tomato and another 1/4 cup onion, toss with salt, pepper, and crushed red chile flakes to taste.

Mushroom-Butternut Squash Posole

I had such high hopes for this idea... Traditional posole is one of our family's favorite dishes, and I often make it with other additions such as squash, carrots, etc. While the leftovers actually were better than the stew was on day one, I would change the following recipe in a number of ways before making it again the same way.

• 2 cups fresh posole (aka nixtamal or hominy corn)
• 6 oz mushrooms, halved
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 6 cups broth
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin seed
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 dried red Anaheim or Guajillo chiles, rinsed with stems and seeds removed
• Fresh cilantro

In blender, combine spices, garlic, and chiles with 1 cup warm broth. Puree until chiles and garlic are sufficiently chopped. Meanwhile, saute onions briefly to par-cook them. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir. Cook on low heat 6-8 hours or high heat 3-4 hours, until squash and posole are tender (posole will appear split and puffed). Garnish with cilantro. Serve with warm cornbread or tortillas.

If I were to attempt this dish again, I would probably make any number of the following changes:

-Chop mushrooms up smaller

-Use black or red beans (possibly in place of the posole, too)

-Use roasted red bell pepper in chile puree

-Add a dollop of barbecue sauce (I did this to the leftovers I had, which helped)

Note: If you can't find fresh posole, you can substitute the canned variety, but add it to the slow cooker 1 hour before it is finished or it will turn to mush. Also, in some areas, you can find uncooked posole/nixtamal corn (this is NOT the same as dried field corn); it may take slightly longer to cook than the fresh packaged posole, so I would suggest boiling it in the broth for 10-15 minutes separately before adding it to the slow cooker.

Layered Savory Pie

“Kind of like a quiche, but without the eggs” is how I described it to my girls. The best thing about this (besides how good it turned out!) is that the combination of ingredients is possibly endless. While the idea, I admit, was not completely original (I recently saw something similar at our market) I wasn’t quite sure how I would go about it and what the results would be. Surprisingly, it was just about perfect. I can’t decide whether I liked it better hot or cold…of course you lose the flakiness of the pastry cold. I think next time I might spread some tangy mustard in place of one of the cheese layers.

• 1 sheet puff pastry
• 4 oz quality sliced deli meat
• 4 oz cheese sliced or grated (sharp white cheddar)
• 2-3 artichoke hearts, sliced thinly
• 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced and pan-roasted
• ½ cup chopped, cooked spinach, squeezed
• 2-3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 small or 1 medium sweet potato
• Salt and pepper
• Pinch thyme
  

Roll pastry dough out to fit 6 x 9 or 8 x 8 pan, leaving enough to cover the top of the pie. Layer cheese, onion, ham, cream cheese, spinach, artichoke hearts, cheese again if desired, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms evenly in the pan. Press down with the palm of your hand to compress layers slightly. Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Top with remaining pastry, with slits or holes in the top to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400 deg. F for 25-30 minutes, or until pie is heated through and top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes (the extra juices from the mushrooms will soak into the lower layers).

Serve warm, at room temperature or even cold! Makes 4-6 entrée-sized portions.


Variations:
Substitute any of the following, or, as always, come up with your own combinations. A veggie-only version of this would be great, too!

Favorite pie crust or pizza dough recipe for the crust
Fresh goat cheese, feta, fontina, or other favorite cheese (something not too greasy) for the cheddar
Cooked broccoli or cauliflower or any green leafy vegetable for the spinach and/or for the meat.