Eggplant And The Best Caponata Ever

I love eggplant. Always have. Mom used to slice it into circles, sprinkle with salt, set the slices in a colander and let the " bitterness" run out. I don't mess with all that. I don't know, maybe eggplant growing has changed since I was a kid. Maybe the vegetable isn't bitter at all and mom just thought it was. Once the slices were ready for cooking, she'd give them a good rinse under cold water, dry them well, dip them in beaten egg then into crushed cracker crumbs and fry them in a whole lot of butter. My sisters and I always fought over who got the most and if but one slice was left on the serving plate, we had to draw straws to see who got it.

In all those years since the 1940s, we've learned a thing or two about cooking healthy. And while I would dearly love to eat eggplant fixed mom's way, I don't allow myself to do it. What I have discovered though is that eggplant is just plain good the way God made it. I do tend to peel it because to me, the peel is difficult to chew. Other than that, the vegetable is good baked or stewed or grilled or roasted.

I've tried caponata before and truthfully, never thought it was anything to rave about, let alone take the time to make. That is until I saw Chef Anne Burrell cook it up on the Food Channel. Doggone, the recipe was vegan and the only thing I tweaked was to add some tofu to make the dish a complete meal. I could barely wait to get into the kitchen and if you've known me long, you know that I absolutely hate cooking. But something about this recipe called to me. And guess what? It is undoubtedly the best caponata I've ever eaten--bar none. Thanks, Anne.

1 large eggplant, peeled and diced into 1" cubes
3 Tbs. olive oil

Fennel has a licorice taste and while some
like it raw, I prefer it cooked.

Salt and pepper

1 large red onion, cut into medium dice
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
1 fennel bulb, cut into half-inch dice
3 celery ribs, diced
6 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, cut into medium dice
2 zucchini, cut into medium dice
8 oz. firm tofu, drained and pressed, cut into half-inch cubes
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup tomato paste
2 Tbs. sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup golden raisins (I used regular since I was out of the golden ones)
1/4 cup capers, drained
1/4 cup pine nuts (I used almonds as that's what I had)
1/2 bunch of fresh mint, cut into slivers

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cubed eggplant with the olive oil, salt and pepper and lay it in a single layer on a sheet pan. Roast it for 15-20 minutes.

Coat a deep pot with olive oil. Toss in the onion and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium high heat until the onions are soft. About 8-10 minutes.

Spend the $ for fresh mint. It makes
all the difference in the world.

Add the fennel, celery, garlic and tofu and cook another 5-6 minutes. Stir in the peppers and cook another 6 minutes. Add the zucchini and season with salt and pepper once more. Cook over medium heat until all the vegetables are soft. Toss in the eggplant, the water and the tomato paste. Cook until the water is evaporated. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar in a small bowl and add it to the mixture. Stir in the raisins, capers, nuts, and mint. Cook another 5-6 minutes.

Serves 6-8 and while I served it hot with garlic bread, it's good cold too.

You know how some recipes just get better and better the longer they sit?
Well this is one of them. It was great on day one. Better on day 2. But
by day 3, what little was left, had an incredible depth of flavor.

Greek Appetizer

My inspiration came from the Celebrate! cookbook by Sheila Lukins. In her Greek Easter section, there are several appetizers that are vegan. Pictured above are skordalia, baba ghanoush, bean and beet salad, and pita triangles. Their rich, snappy flavors wowed my husband and brother. However, the preparation of these dishes was labor intensive. So set aside 2 hours and put on some Mediterranean polka music (Lukens suggests Nikos Gounaris, or Nana Mouskouri).

Skordalia

1yukon gold, red, or white potato (4 0z)

4-5 slices stale white bread

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 cloves garlic

1. Cut potato into quarters and boil until tender; I used a microwave oven. Once potato is cool peel off skin and put into your food processor or strong blender.

2. Dip your stale white vegan bread ( I needed to use up some sourdough and it seemed to work, if you like that added taste) into water to saturate, then squeeze gently until bread is no longer dripping profusely. Your bread is not stale? I put mine out on the stove while the eggplant was baking. Or put some slices out of it's package a day ahead, or toast it slightly. Set aside.

3. Mix the lemon juice, vinegar, oil, salt and sugar together and set aside.

4. mash the garlic through a garlic press and add this and the almonds to the

potato. Pulse your machine on and off just until smooth. Don't over mix.

5. With the machine running, add a little of the lemon juice mixture and bread, alternating between until all is processed and smooth. Transfer to serving bowl.

Baba Ghanoush

2 eggplants (about 2 pounds)

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon tahini (sesame paste)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

salt and pepper to taste

1. 
   
   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. 
   
   Poke the eggplants with toothpick or tines of a fork a few times. Wrap them in aluminum foil. Place on baking sheet and roast for an hour until very soft.
3. 
   
   Finely chop the garlic with the salt and set aside.
4. 
   
   Remove the eggplant from oven. Carefully unwrap the foil as soon as possible to expedite cooling. When safe to handle, cut them in half and scoop out the seeds. Yes they are tiny and pervasive! You will end up throwing away much of this fruit, but the seeds will make the dip bitter. Scoop out the remaining flesh or peel off the skin, which ever is easier and place in a food processor or blender.
5. 
   
   Add all remaining ingredients, except salt and pepper. Blend just until mixed. Transfer into serving bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bean and Beet Salad

Vinaigrette

1/4 red wine vinegar

2 small cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoons coarse (kosher)salt

Fresh ground pepper

Salad

1 can cannelini beans, 14 oz.

1 can sliced beets, 8 oz.

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 /2 cup chopped walnuts

2 scallions, chopped

1. 
   
   Mince the garlic into the salt. Put into a closeable container. Add vinegar and oil and shake vigorously before pouring half into the salad.
2. 
   
   Drain and rinse and pat dry the beans. Mix with the parsley and toss with the vinaigrette dressing.
3. 
   
   Drain beets and cut into fourths. Gently fold in beets. Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle walnuts and scallions.

These dips should be served with warm pita bread. I covered and refridgerated all of them. They kept for a few days. Today I ate them for breakfast just before a road trip. My companion did not partake, therefore she will be subjected to my garlic breath. Sometimes I am so cruel. Bru Ha Ha.

Mint

My herb book says that mint is from the cosmopolitan family Lamiaceae. Cosmopolitan. Does it mean that mint doesn't call anywhere home; mint is comfortable all over the world? It grows like a weed in my little herb garden. I pull it up by the handfuls and it never seems to diminish the crop. 

Mint is .....  ding ding ding, new vocabulary word coming up .....  carminative. I like learning this word, because it sounds so much better than 'inducing expulsion of gas from the stomach and intestines'. So when you're sipping your mint julep at a party, hold up your pinkie finger and say, "You know it's carminative." I doubt anyone will admit they don't know the word. And if they ask, you have an opportunity to whisper the meaning, conspiratorially, into her ear. Others at the party will observe you huddled together and be intrigued.  

Today's recipe is an adaption of a recipe I learned from MaryJanesFarm. Where she added parsley, I added Mint. It is delightful.  I recommend you make it a day ahead and let the flavors marinate overnight. The citrus dressing is refreshing and will become a regular at my house for all kinds of salads.

Harvest Brown Rice Salad

with Citrus Vinaigrette

about 6 healthy servings

1

4 cups water

2 cups dry wild/brown rice mix or 1 1/2 cup dry brown rice, 1/2 cup dry wild rice

2

3 cups butternut squash 1/2" cubes (med butternut squash peeled, seeded)

3

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup fresh mint (If you can't find fresh mint, substitute with 4 tsp dried mint.

4

Citrus Vinaigrette:

1 shallot minced

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tsp orange zest

1/4 lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

5 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

 1.  Bring 4 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add rice, return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 50 minutes. Let stand off heat for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Mary Jane doesn't add salt. I recommend about a teaspoon of salt.

Note: I always make rice in the oven. I simply pour the boiling water over the rice in a casserole dish, add salt and cover. I preheat the oven to 350 degrees, set the timer for 50 minutes and forget about it. Perfect every time.

2. Steam butternut squash until tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes.  Cool. 

3. Add chopped pecans, dried cranberries and minced mint to cooled rice mixture. You don't have to worry that the mint will over power the flavors. I added more mint to my salad and ate the garnish too.

4.  Combine all the ingredients for the citrus vinaigrette and shake until combined.  Make an extra batch while your at it for tomorrow's meal. You are going to love it so much you will want some on hand.

5. Add 3/4 of the dressing to the rice/nut mixture and toss. Gently fold in the butternut squash. Taste. Adjust the amount of dressing/ salt, pepper and mint.

As a child we often had a one pot meal for dinner. As I have matured, I have replaced hot dishes with salads. It's the same idea really. All the wonderful flavors and nutrition you need in one bowl. Enjoy.