Ratatouille
This recipe is more of a guide to help with strengthening intuitive cooking, thus no measurements.
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Onion
-Garlic
-Bell pepper
-Summer squash
-Eggplant
-Tomatoes
-Herbs
-Salt & pepper
-White wine (optional)
-Other spices (optional)
Smoky Eggplant Dip With Pita Chips
6 to 8 servings
-¾ c. plus 1 T. extra-virgin olive oil, more for serving
-¼ c. packed fresh oregano leaves
-3 T. packed fresh thyme leaves
-1 t.coarse kosher salt, more to taste
-3 pita breads, whole wheat or regular
-1 ½ lb. small, thin eggplant like Japanese or Italian
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-⅓ c. plain Greek yogurt
-Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
-½ t. black pepper
-Fresh mint leaves, for garnish (optional)
-Pitted, sliced dates, for garnish (optional)
-Pomegranate seeds, for garnish (optional)
Split pita breads in half along their seams to make 6 flat rounds. Brush both sides of each pita round with herb purée.
Heat the grill. Meanwhile, in a blender combine 3/4 cup olive oil, the oregano, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until you have a rough purée, 2 to 5 minutes depending on how strong your blender is. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed. Purée should be well seasoned.
When grill is hot, cook the eggplant, whole, until skins are shriveled and flesh has collapsed, about 8 to 12 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
Grill pitas until crisp, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Let rest for a minute or two until cool enough to handle but still very warm, then slice each round into 6 wedges.
Peel eggplant and put flesh in a food processor with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Purée, then taste and add more lemon or salt (or both) if needed. Serve the dip spread on a plate, drizzled with more olive oil and garnished with mint, dates and pomegranate seeds if desired. Enjoy!
From a 2014 Summer CSA shareholder who found it on cooking.nytimes.com, recipe by Melissa Clark.… Read the rest
Japanese Eggplant & Soba Noodles with Taiwanese Bok Choy
Serves 2
-3 cloves garlic
-2 bird’s eye chilies (aka Thai chilies)
-2 Japanese eggplants
-2 scallions
-1 1-inch piece ginger
-1 bu. mint
-10 oz. Taiwanese bok choy
-8 oz. soba noodles
-2 T. mirin
-2 T. soy sauce
-1 T. sesame oil
Heat a large pot of water to boiling on high. Wash and dry the fresh
produce. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Trim off the stems of
the eggplants and slice them on an angle, turning the eggplant after
each cut to create oblique-cut pieces. Thinly slice the scallions on an
angle, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Roughly chop
the cilantro. Pick the mint leaves off the stems. Roughly chop the
Taiwanese bok choy.
Once the water is boiling, add the soba noodles and cook 4 to 5
minutes or until tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
While the noodles cook, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one),
heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the
eggplant and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes,
or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a plate then
wipe out the pan.
Divide the noodles and vegetables between 2 bowls, removing the
bird’s eye chilies. Garnish with the green parts of the scallions and
remaining mint and cilantro. Enjoy!
From blueapron.com… Read the rest
Ginger-Miso-Glazed Eggplant
Serves 6-8
-6 Japanese eggplants (1 1/2 lb. total), cut on a diagonal
into 1-inch-thick slices
-1T.grapeseed or vegetable oil
-1/3c.white miso (fermented soybean paste)
-4t.finely grated peeled ginger
-2t.toasted sesame oil
-1t.reduced-sodium soy sauce
-1t.distilled white vinegar
-1/4t.freshly ground black pepper
-3t.sesame seeds, divided
-3T.thinly sliced scallions, divided
Preheat oven to 425°. Brush both sides of eggplant slices
with oil and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
Roast eggplant, flipping once, until very tender, about 20
minutes. Remove from oven. Arrange a rack in upper third
of oven and heat to broil.
Meanwhile, whisk white miso and next 5 ingredients with
1 T. of water in a small bowl. Stir in 1 1/2 t. sesame seeds
and 2 T. scallions.
Smear top of eggplant slices with miso sauce. Broil until
golden and charred in places, 4–5 minutes. Remove from
oven and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 t. sesame seeds
and 1 T. scallions. Enjoy!
Adapted from bonappetit.com
Curried Eggplant with Chickpeas and Spinach
Serves 4
-2 large garlic cloves, minced
-Sea salt, to taste
-2 t. Madras curry powder
-1/2 c. vegetable oil
-1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled & cut
into 3/4-inch pieces
-1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
-One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
-1/4 c. finely julienned fresh ginger
-Freshly ground pepper, to taste
-1-2 bu. spinach
-Warm naan, for serving
-Plain yogurt, for serving
Preheat the oven to 425°. On your work surface, mash
the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt.
In a large roasting pan, mix the garlic paste with the curry
powder and vegetable oil. Add the eggplant, onion, chickpeas
and ginger, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
Spread the vegetables in an even layer and roast for about
30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the eggplant and
onion are tender.
Stir in the spinach and roast just until wilted, about 2
minutes. Serve with warm naan and yogurt. Enjoy!
Adapted from Grace Parisi, Food & Wine, 2/10
Ajvar (Roasted Red Pepper & Eggplant Relish)
Serves 12
-5 red bell peppers (about 2 1/2-3 lbs.)
-1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb.)
-6 kalamata olives, pitted & chopped (optional)
-3-5 cloves garlic
-1-2 T. white wine vinegar
-1 t. hot smoked paprika (optional or to taste)
-1/4 – 1/2 t. red (cayenne) pepper (or to taste)
-salt to taste
Tortellini With Eggplant and Peppers
Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 20 min.
Total Time: 35 min.
-2 T. olive oil
-4 or 5 Japanese eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
-2 bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
– salt & black pepper
-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
-3 cups vegetable broth
-1 lb. cheese tortellini
-1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
-1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the eggplant, bell peppers, ½ teaspoon salt and
¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the
vegetables begin to soften, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook,
stirring, for 1 minute. Add the broth and tortellini.
Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini
are cooked through and most of the broth is absorbed,
12 to 15 minutes.
Stir in the parsley and ¼ cup of the Parmesan. Spoon
into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of
Parmesan. Enjoy!
Adapted from Sara Quessenberry, 9/08 via realsimple.com… Read the rest
Toaster Oven Baked Eggplant with Miso
Serves 2
Prep: 5 min
Cook: 9 min
Total: 14 min
-2 medium Japanese eggplant, washed & cut into 1/2-inch discs
-2 T. white miso paste
-2 T. water
-1 T. honey
-2 t. vegetable oil
-1 T. soy sauce
-1 T. plus 1 1/2 t. lemon juice
-fine sea salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
Season the slices with salt and pepper and brush them with the miso glaze.
Broil for 8-10 minutes until the slices are nicely caramelized and tender.
Sprinkle the eggplant with the rest of the lemon juice. Serve & enjoy!
Adapted from Men’s Health