For the Love of Eggplant

Daniel and I subscribe to an organic vegetable delivery service called Door 2 Door Organics – which basically means every other Monday is like Christmas morning.  I run to the cooler on the front porch in eager anticipation and each time find a bag bursting with a wild assortment of veggies.  Our deliveries typically consist of the usual suspects: lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, and tomatoes; the bewildering deviants like those found on professional cooking shows such as “Chopped” (one of our favorites by the way): escarole, purple bell peppers, sunchokes, and parsnips; and those “tweeners” that aren't totally bizarre and yet wouldn't necessarily be sought out at the grocery store…..prime example: Eggplant!

The Eggplant
photo from: www.foodstubs.com

Thanks to this Giant Purple People Eater being dropped on our doorstep several times (and thus being forced to cook it), Daniel and I have finally tamed this often bland and mushy beast.  So Mr. Eggplant, this blog entry is totally and entirely dedicated to you...

Eggplant Parmesan


Ingredients:

• 1 Large Eggplant
• 2 Eggs
• Approximately 1 cup Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs
• Marinara Sauce
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Remove the green cap and slice the eggplant longwise, approximately 1/2 inch thick. You can eat the skin but we usually take it off before cutting….

Bake the eggplant on a greased cookie sheet (we highly recommend Silpat mats for your cookie sheets) for 15 minutes or until soft.  While the eggplant is baking, whip the eggs in one bowl and place the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Once the eggplant is soft (and cool enough to handle), dip each piece in the egg mixture followed by the breadcrumbs and return to the cookie sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.  Top with marinara sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

We enjoy our Eggplant Parmesan with a side of pasta or gnocchi.

Eggplant Pizzas


Ingredients:

• 1 Large Eggplant
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Pizza sauce
• Veggies or meat for toppings (I like tomatoes, mushrooms, and sausage)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the eggplant longwise approximately 1/2 inch thick and place on a greased cookie sheet.  Spread a thin layer of sauce on each of the eggplant slices and follow by topping each with toppings and cheese.  Bake for 20-30 minutes and serve.

Biscotti: Our Christmas Treat

Don’t you just love those special Christmas treats people make every year to give to family, friends, and neighbors?  We certainly do! Two of our favorites are my mom's toffee and Daniel's parents' homemade Baileys….YUM!  This year we decided that we needed to put our mark on the holiday tradition.  You just can’t receive these tasty morsels year after year without returning the favor!  So, with our deep love of coffee in mind and the overwhelming amount of sweets overtaking counter space everywhere, we knew that biscotti was in order.

I went searching for just the right blend of deliciousness, and found this phenomenal recipe from The Joy of Baking.  We hope you enjoy it as much as our family and friends did!

Almond Biscotti

• 1 1/4 cup almonds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all purpose flower
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and toast the almonds for 10 minutes.  After allowing them to cool, chop coarsely.  Reserve approximately 1/4 cup of the almonds to sprinkle on the biscotti once they are dipped in chocolate.


Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.


Beat the eggs and extracts.  In a separate bowl (I use our electric mixer), mix the flower, sugar, baking powder and salt.  While mixing, slowly add the egg/extract mixture.  When you've added about 1/2 of the egg/extract mixture, also begin adding the almonds.  The mixture will appear very dry and may need to be kneaded briefly once removed from the mixer.


Roll the dough into a log that is the length of a cookie sheet and about 5-6 inches wide (about 1 inch tall - it will rise to about 1.5 inches).  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until firm to the touch.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes.


Cut the log on a slight diagonal in 1 inch wide pieces.  Return the slices to the cookie sheet and lay them on their side.  Bake for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for another 10 minutes.  Allow the biscotti to fully cool before dipping in chocolate.


Melt the chocolate.  We melt the chocolate without burning it by boiling about 1 inch of water in a saucepan and then placing a pyrex bowl with the chocolate on top of the water (we keep the saucepan on low throughout the process).  The heat from the simmering water will keep the chocolate melted without burning it.


Dip the biscotti in chocolate and before the chocolate cools, sprinkle with almonds.  

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas!  Happy New Year!

Costa Rican Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday - I love cooking and have been known to spend weeks prior to the feast looking up creative spins on old favorite dishes.  And while I have a phenomenal recipe for scalloped herbed potatoes, that recipe must wait for another day…..this year we did Thanksgiving Costa Rican style! After spending the holiday week in the tropics of southern Central America, it is only fitting that I share two of my favorite Costa Rican dishes. 

When we were in Costa Rica we rented a house, which unbeknownst to us came with daily maid service.  Our housekeeper’s name was Shirly, and she was the sweetest lady you will ever meet.  Over the course of the week, Shirley and I became very close, and getting to know her was one of the highlights of my vacation.  Daily, she helped me with my Spanish and shared with us about the Costa Rican cultures and traditions.  On Thanksgiving morning, Shirly taught me how to make traditional Gallo Pinto with fresh chorredas, and we cooked a Thanksgiving breakfast feast for the whole family.  

Let me begin by saying that beans and rice will never just be beans and rice again!  After you go Gallo Pinto, you never go back! Gallo Pinto, literally translated “spotted rooster”, is one of Costa Rica's traditional dishes, and is essentially the best beans and rice you'll ever have.  Costa Ricans typically eat this dish for breakfast (when in Rome!), often with eggs and chorredas (corn pancakes).

I took notes as rapidly as I could while Shirly cooked these dishes, however, she didn't measure anything, so the amounts below are only estimates.

Gallo Pinto

• 2 cups dried black beans
• 2 cups white rice
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 green chilies 
• 1/4 cup Salsa Lizano - this is a Costa Rican salsa.  It is so delicious that I considered buying it in bulk and shipping it home.  I'm not entirely sure how the dish will be without it.  I've read you can substitute Worcestershire (and I bet mixing Worcestershire with smoked Tabasco would be good).

Place the black beans in a large sauce pot and cover with water - soak for 20-24 hours.  Ensure that the beans remain covered with water but do not overfill as you will use the concentrated water-sludge in the dish.

Prepare the white rice (as directed on the package).  In the meantime, chop and saute the onion, garlic, and green chilies.  Combine the rice and the onion mixture to the sauce pot with the soaked beans.  Mix in the Salsa Lizano.  Top with sour cream and cilantro and serve!

Chorredas recipe to come!