Eggplant is Delicious...Really!

Here's a post from Peg who, by the way, grows practically everything she eats!

Eggplant is one of those veggies that people seem to either love or hate. Though I’m still not a huge fan, I do like it better now that I can get it either fresh from the garden or from the farmers market. Before growing it, most of the eggplant I’d eaten was bitter or too intense with ‘eggplant flavor’. If you don’t like it, you’ll know what I mean. In spite of all the salting, draining, squeezing, a too old eggplant will never taste good in my opinion. If you can get them fresh, not too large, while the skin is still glossy and the flesh is firm, you won’t need to do anything extraordinary to prepare it for your recipe. The taste should be mild and, since it absorbs oil and flavors, an enhancement to whatever condiments are used.

I’ve included a couple recipes with Italian preparations. Eggplant is often associated with Italian cooking, but it really is very versatile and found in a multitude of cuisines. These preparations are quite easy and tasty. I like them precisely because the eggplant does not overpower any of the other ingredients.

Easy Eggplant Parmesan

This is not a detailed recipe as you can be very personal with it and make as much or little as you wish. Since I’m not an avid lover of eggplant, I like this dish because it is not layered and therefore the sauce and cheeses play an equally important role.

I normally use two good sized very fresh eggplants which I slice lengthwise about ½ inch thick. I then brush both sides of the slices with olive oil and grill them on my gas grill until dark grill marks show on both sides and the slices collapse somewhat. Alternately, you can put them under the broiler until some dark spots form. Then lay them in a single layer in a baking pan and season with salt and pepper. Lay a slice of mozzarella over the top--I cover about ½ to ¾ of each eggplant slab with cheese. If you use fresh mozzarella you will get some liquid in the bottom of the baking pan when cooked, but it is quite good. Then put a spoonful or two of good thick tomato sauce over the cheese, and sprinkle parmesan all over the tops. Pop into a 350 degree oven until the cheese melts and oozes, and the dish is bubbly.

Antipasto di Melanzana (Eggplant Appetizer)

Mom and I made this recently for guests and it was a big hit. We used small, very fresh eggplants so the flavor was mild.

2 lbs fresh firm eggplants

1 lb fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped fine

1 ½ tbsp minced parsley

1 ½ tbsp minced basil

1 large clove garlic, minced (or more to taste)

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp capers, chopped

Juice of ½ lemon (or more to taste)

¼ tsp red chili pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast eggplant on a baking sheet until very soft (30 to 45 minutes depending on size). Cool, peel and halve the eggplants—if seedy remove seeds. Mash eggplant and mix in remaining ingredients. Serve with crisp crackers or bread. Also good as a topping for crostini.

Basil & Vegetable Tian

Here's a wonderfully simple end-of-summer dish from Peg that's great as a main vegetarian course or as a side dish. Heck, it would be great for breakfast with a poached egg or two. And don't forget some good bread to soak up all the healthy juices...


(A tian is a layered, baked vegetable dish that originated in Provence.)

Basil & Vegetable Tian

4 bunches of leafy fresh basil, stemmed and coarsely chopped

4 or more ripe tomatoes sliced ¼ inch or so

3 to 4 medium zucchini or equivalent summer squash sliced thin

2 to 3 medium potatoes sliced thin (optional)

1 ½ to 2 cups grated cheese or mix of cheeses, depending on the flavor you want

Salt and pepper

Good fruity olive oil (¼ cup or so)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Oil a shallow nonreactive baking pan. If using the potatoes, place them evenly on the bottom and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then place the zucchini slices evenly over the potatoes (or bottom of pan if potatoes not used) and sprinkle with slat and pepper. Place all of the basil over the zucchini, then arrange the tomato slices evenly over the basil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the cheese evenly over the top and drizzle the entire tian with olive oil. Bake until cheese on top is a shiny golden brown and casserole is sizzling, about 45 to 50 minutes. If necessary you can brown the top under the broiler for a few minutes.

Pane Italiana (Italian Bread)

I made this special bread on Sunday to go with homemade lasagna al forno. Both recipes are in the Mangia e Taci cookbook, available through www.lulu.com. The bread is very simple, although making the shapes takes a little know-how. Here you see roses, pumpkins, and crescent rolls, before and after.

Savory Roasted Herbed Chicken

Something new from Peg's kitchen. Simple, elegant and delicious!

This is a dish that was first served to me by my dear friend Lori. She is an amazing cook, and I believe she adapted it from another recipe, but not sure whose.  It is similar in ingredients to the roasted chicken recipe in Mangia e Taci, but the prep and results are different and yummy. I made it for my mom when she was visiting last summer and she has since asked me for the recipe. It is simple and quick to prepare so no excuse not to try it. Just be sure to have plenty of good bread on hand to soak up all the juice because it is incredibly tasty.

One large chicken cut into serving sized pieces (I often just buy the separate parts that I like—breasts, legs, thighs, or what ever—leave the skin on!)

Olive oil

Garlic (as much as you like, leave the cloves whole and unpeeled; I use at least a dozen cloves)

1-2 lemons

White wine (about ¾ cup)

Fresh herbs (the original recipe calls for a large handful of fresh basil leaves, but I have also used lesser amounts of fresh rosemary and thyme when basil is not in season)

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400-425 degrees (depending on your oven).

Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper and place in a single layer in a non-reactive roasting pan. Drizzle enough olive oil over the chicken pieces to moisten them and make a shallow pool in the bottom of the pan. Lightly squash the garlic in its skin and tuck the cloves all around the chicken. Squeeze the juice from the lemons over the chicken and drop the lemon shells in the pan too. Place in oven and roast for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven tear up the basil leaves, scatter over the top, mixing a bit, and pour the wine over. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until the chicken skin is nicely browned and crisp. Serve in large bowls with the pan juices spooned over the top. The roasted garlic can be easily squeezed from their peels to enjoy along with the chicken.

Seasoned Kale Encrusted Baked Salmon

I made this for dinner tonight. It was incredibly moist and tasty. I bought the kale sprinkles at the Kaiser Farmer's Market. They are made by a local producer named Kaia Foods. It was a delicious and healthy complement to the fish. So easy!

2 large salmon fillets
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
⅓ cup seasoned kale crumbs (Kaia Foods Habanero Ranch Sprinkles)
pinch sea salt

Mix the garlic with the mayo and let sit about 5-10 minutes to blend flavors. Spread over the salmon filets. Press kale sprinkles over the mayo spread. Bake at 350º for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, depending on the amount of salt in the sprinkles.

The Best Potato and Green Bean Salad - Italian-style

Here's another post from Peg...

Insalata di Patate e Fagiolini

Potato and Green Bean Salad

This is the potato salad we ate as children, and it’s still my favorite. Of course as with any vegetable dish it will be as good as the ingredients used, so use the freshest green beans. It makes a nice change of pace from American style potato salad that is loaded with mayonnaise (and calories!) and is a perfect accompaniment to meat or fish served from the grill in summer when the beans are in season.

4 medium waxy potatoes (about 2 lbs), boiled until tender, cooled, peeled, and cut into 1 inch cubes

½ lb young green beans, steamed until just tender, cooled, and cut into 2 inch lengths if too long (if you can find the small French beans, haricot vert, they are delicious and don’t need to be cut)

1 large clove garlic, minced, or more to taste

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or more to taste

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Mix all ingredients and adjust seasoning as needed. Serves 4 to 6.

(Note from Mary: I particularly like this salad at room temp or slightly warm from the potatoes not having cooled completely. The warmth allows the flavors to blend and the texture to be slightly creamy.)

Variation on the Green Bean theme:

Insalata Di Fagiolini Freschi

Fresh Green bean Salad

This is a quick simple and low calorie salad to make when you find an abundance of fresh good quality beans in season.

1 lb fresh green beans, steamed until tender and cooled

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Beat the mustard, oil, and vinegar together, season to taste with salt and pepper; pour over the cooked, cooled beans and adjust seasonings as needed. Serves 6.

Really Good Gluten Free Blueberry Banana Cake

Woke up this morning with a couple overripe bananas and a desire for something sweet to go with my tea. So I made this delectable and easy cake. You can make it into a loaf or muffins if you prefer.

Streusel Topping
6-7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons walnuts or pecans, finely chopped

Place the butter in a heavy bottomed 2-qt saucepan and heat until almost melted; remove and cool to tepid. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and nuts. Add to the butter and stir with a fork until blended and mixture begins to form crumbs. Gently squeeze the mixture with your hand to form larger lumps, then break them apart with your fingertips. Before using, let the streusel stand 10-15 minutes.

Note: This makes quite a bit of topping. I used some of it. The rest will keep in the fridge indefinitely.

Cake

1 cup almond meal
¾ cup gluten-free all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
⅔ cup butter, room temp (or 7 T canola oil)
2 teaspoons lemon zest (opt)
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup buttermilk, (or milk with 1 T lemon juice)
2 ripe bananas
¾ cup fresh blueberries (opt)
¾ cup walnut pieces (opt)

Prepare a recipe of Streusel Topping and set aside.
Heat oven to 350º. Grease cake pan, loaf pan or line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk the dry ingredients together. Set aside.

In another large bowl, cream together butter & optional lemon zest. Add sugar, blend, followed by the egg and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed and add flour mixture, alternately with buttermilk, starting & ending with the flour (3 flour, 2 buttermilk additions). Mix just until blended after each addition. Blend in mashed banana. Fold in blueberries.

(Note: I used oil instead of butter and didn't really need to use a mixer. A whisk and a spoon worked fine.)

Pour the batter into a 9x9 cake pan. Top with streusel mixture, completely covering the tops. Press gently to adhere.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool.

To make a loaf instead, put in a loaf pan and bake at 325º for about 45 min to 1 hour. Or for muffins pour batter into muffin tin and bakeat  375º for about 25 minutes. Test middle for doneness before removing.