I had a chunk of eggplant in the fridge earlier this week. Since it doesn't have a long shelf life, I started looking for a recipe. I didn't plan on eating it right after I cooked it, but decided the eggplant needed to be cooked now.
I consulted Molly Stevens, "All About Roasting" cookbook. I found a very simple recipe that the author raved about. And I had on hand the other ingredients.
Roasted Eggplant with Cumin and Pimenton
1 1/2 pounds eggplant
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1/8 tsp pimentos (smoked Spanish paprika)
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oven to 450 degrees (425 if convection oven). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
To toast the cumin seeds, I put them in a small salute pan on medium-low heat. Shake the pan a time or two and watch carefully as the seeds can burn quickly. This should take less than 10 minutes. I put the cooled seeds into a "repurposed" pepper grinder to grind them up.
Cut the eggplant including the skin into one-inch cubes. Put the eggplant in a large bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the cumin and pimenton, add a generous amount of salt and pepper to taste. Toss well to coat all the pieces. Don't worry if some pieces are not thoroughly coated. Spread the eggplant out in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. The cubes will shrink as they cook.
Roast for 10 minutes then, using a turner, turn the eggplant over. Thereafter, do this every five minutes until the eggplant cubes are brown on the edges and soft in the middle. Mine were in the oven about 20 minutes. It will depend on the size of the cubes.
When done to your liking, remove from the oven and slide the eggplant into a serving bowl. I found these tasty hot, room temperature and cold. It was better than eating popcorn! The outsides were crispy and well browned and the inside was nice and soft. The author suggested making this into a salad by adding a small amount of balsamic vinegar (1 to 2 tsp) and 1/4 c. fresh basil leaves cut into ribbons. I ate half the batch when it came out of the oven. Then next day I put the remainder into a pasta with sausage and roasted red pepper and parmesan cheese. Delish!
Friday, February 10, 2017
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Soup and Stew Weather!
Maybe I'm "on again" in posting to WoodmontCooks! Who knows--the desire and ideas are there. It's just the making the time.
It is cold and dark outside! That means it is soup, stew and one-pot meal weather! Soups are easy but they do take time to prepare the ingredients. But there are also some "convenience" foods that are not processed foods that can shorten preparation time like pre-cubed squash.
The recipe that follows is for a vegetarian lentil soup. If soup is going to be the main or only event, I like it thick. This is thick and very satisfying for a vegan recipe. Serve with a great bread and a glass of wine--yum!
Vegetable Lentil Soup
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, cut in 1/2 inch cubes. (This is the orange flesh sweet potato that I call a yam.)
1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cut in 1/2 Inch cubes
1 cup brown-green lentils
1 quart vegetable broth (or chicken broth if you don't care about being vegan)
1 16 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups fresh chopped spinach
Using a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, sweet potato and squash. Cook covered stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about seven minutes.
Stir in the lentils, broth and tomatoes. Add the bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and salt and pepper. Cook covered on medium-low (just maintain a slow simmer) for 30 to 45 minutes. When the lentils are soft, stir in the spinach. Once the spinach has wilted, remove the bay leaves. Serve!
If you like a soup with thinner broth, add more vegetable or chicken broth.
This soup was thick from the beginning and what I'd call stew-like. I've found that many soups with lentils, beans or barley really thicken up the second day. This soup is great the second or third day and will freeze well.
The soup tasted great even if I didn't use any of the Kitchen Aid products mentioned!
It is cold and dark outside! That means it is soup, stew and one-pot meal weather! Soups are easy but they do take time to prepare the ingredients. But there are also some "convenience" foods that are not processed foods that can shorten preparation time like pre-cubed squash.
The recipe that follows is for a vegetarian lentil soup. If soup is going to be the main or only event, I like it thick. This is thick and very satisfying for a vegan recipe. Serve with a great bread and a glass of wine--yum!
Vegetable Lentil Soup
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, cut in 1/2 inch cubes. (This is the orange flesh sweet potato that I call a yam.)
1 cup butternut squash, peeled and cut in 1/2 Inch cubes
1 cup brown-green lentils
1 quart vegetable broth (or chicken broth if you don't care about being vegan)
1 16 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups fresh chopped spinach
Using a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, sweet potato and squash. Cook covered stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about seven minutes.
Stir in the lentils, broth and tomatoes. Add the bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and salt and pepper. Cook covered on medium-low (just maintain a slow simmer) for 30 to 45 minutes. When the lentils are soft, stir in the spinach. Once the spinach has wilted, remove the bay leaves. Serve!
If you like a soup with thinner broth, add more vegetable or chicken broth.
This soup was thick from the beginning and what I'd call stew-like. I've found that many soups with lentils, beans or barley really thicken up the second day. This soup is great the second or third day and will freeze well.
The soup tasted great even if I didn't use any of the Kitchen Aid products mentioned!
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