Fresh Ginger

We were driving to a friends cottage a while back and spotted this along the way:

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It’s eggplant this week!  Here is some very important eggplant information directly from wiki:

The eggplant, aubergine, or brinjal (Solanum melongena) is a plant of the family Solanaceae (also known as the nightshades) and genus Solanum. It bears a fruit of the same name, commonly used as a vegetable in cooking. As a night-shade, it is closely related to the tomato and potato and is native to India and Sri Lanka (no wonder I like it so much, I love tomatoes and potatoes).

The name eggplant developed in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada because the fruits of some 18th century European cultivars were yellow or white and resembled goose or hen’s eggs. The name aubergine in British English developed based on the French aubergine (as derived from Catalan albergínia, from Arabic al-badinjan, from Persian badin-gan, from Sanskrit vatin-ganah). In Indian and South African English, the fruit is known as a “brinjal.” Aubergine and brinjal, with their distinctive br-jn or brn-jl aspects, derive from Arabic and Sanskrit. In the caribbean Trinidad, it also goes by the Latin derivative “melongen”.

The raw fruit can have a somewhat bitter taste, but becomes tender when cooked and develops a rich, complex flavor. Salting and then rinsing the sliced eggplant (known as “degorging”) can soften and remove much of the bitterness. Some modern varieties do not need this treatment, as they are less bitter. The eggplant is capable of absorbing large amounts of cooking fats and sauces, allowing for very rich dishes, but the salting process will reduce the amount of oil absorbed. The fruit flesh is smooth; as in the related tomato, the numerous seeds are soft and edible along with the rest of the fruit. The thin skin is also edible, so that the eggplant need not be peeled.

The eggplant is used in cuisines from Japan to Spain. It is often stewed, as in the French ratatouille, the Italian melanzane alla parmigiana, the Greek moussaka, and Middle-Eastern and South Asian dishes. It may also be roasted in its skin until charred, so that the pulp can be removed and blended with other ingredients such as lemon, tahini, and garlic, as in the Middle Eastern dish baba ghanoush and the similar Greek dish melitzanosalata or the Indian dishes of Baigan Bhartha or Gojju. It can be sliced, battered, and deep-fried, then served with various sauces which may be based on yoghurt, tahini, or tamarind. Grilled and mashed eggplant mixed with onions, tomatoes, and spices makes the Indian dish baingan ka bhartha. The eggplant can also be stuffed with meat, rice, or other fillings and then baked. In the Caucasus, for example, it is fried and stuffed with walnut paste to make nigvziani badrijani.

As a native plant, it is widely used in Indian cuisine, for example in sambhar, chutney, curries, and achaar. Owing to its versatile nature and wide use in both everyday and festive Indian food, it is often described (under the name brinjal) as the ‘King of Vegetables’. In one dish, Brinjal is stuffed with ground coconut, peanuts, and masala and then cooked in oil.

It can block the formation of free radicals, help control cholesterol levels and is also a source of folic acid and potassium.

So as we can see, eggplant is very old, widely used in many cultures and has some health benefits, as most vegetables tend to have.  Plus, it tastes great!  This week on Jamie at Home, Jamie is making eggplant pickles, how perfect!

I grew a couple of different varieties of eggplant in my garden this summer and if I am lucky they will be ready to eat by October!  They are slow growing this year.  As you can see:

Menu of the week: Eggplant

The only problem I have with eggplant is that my boyfriend refuses to eat it and finds it every time I try to hide it.  So, I will compromise on some of the dishes, leaving half of it eggplant free or cook a side dish for him.

Saturday: Mexican

Tacos al Pastor (marinated pork based on a recipe by Rick Bayless), garden salsa, guacamole, refried beans and Mexican rice

Sunday: All American grill out

Friends over for grass fed bacon, green chile, cheese burgers on the grill, new potatoes (from the farm) sauteed with garlic, dill and parsley, homemade bourbon baked beans and cucumber dill salad.

Monday: Indian (working late and Indian cooking is quick!)  Must also prepare lunch potluck item for Tuesday.

Eggplant Masala (gutti Vankaya), coconut fish curry, brinjal pickle, and lemon rice.

Tuesday: Greek

Moussaka with grass fed beef, eggplant (only on half), garden tomatoes and a bechamel sauce to top it off.

Wednesday: Italian Tex Mex

Eggplant rollatini based on recipes from Mario Batali and Giada De Laurentiis.  Some grilled chicken sausages on the side for my sweetie and a nice green salad. I need to use the leftover Tex Mex cheese dip I made for the potluck, so I will be using it as stuffing for blue corn enchiladas with a red or green chile sauce - depending on how many green chiles are ready to be picked in the garden.  I will have to post this dip as it is great and a little different.  Plus, I didn’t really think about eggplant in my menu for 5 nights in a row, need a break (but I still love eggplant).

Thursday: Mid Eastern

Baba ghanoush, shish kabobs with grass fed beef and veggies, minted rice pilaf, and lemon tahini sauce

Friday: Thai

Pork Pad Ped with little green eggplants, zucchini, pork, basil, and red chiles (based on my local Thai restaurants version)

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Here are some great menus for this week’s gluten free menu swap:

Karen of Gluten Free Sox Fan has one of my favorites planned: Blue cheese burgers with caramelized onions.  She is also going to attempt to make moussaka and hide the eggplant from her eggplant fearing hubby.  My advice (although it didn’t work when I tried it) is to mince the eggplant so the flavor is there but not the large visible rounds.   Band practice will not be allowed to interfere with good cooking I am happy to see, but we will have to wait to see what she comes up with for Thursday.

Kim of Gluten Free is Life Is going to both PF Changs and Cheeseburger in Paradise this week!  I am jealous as our local Cheeseburger in Paradise closed.  She has filet mignon and ribs on the menu in between, sounds like grilling weather in her neck of the woods.

Manda of Asparagus Thin claims her menu is a bit lack luster, I do not agree!  I don’t know what Indian shutko is, but since I love Indian food, I am looking forward to finding out. Manda is on the move this week leaving the big city of Philly for Phil’s arms in Concord.  Eggplant will be featured in her Italian night.

Kate of Gluten Free Gobsmacked It’s Kate’s first week back at school and she needs a stress free week and pozole is a great Mexican comfort food to incorporate.  I hope you post your version for the rest of us to drool over!  The salmon chowder sounds great too, cool season cooking is just around the corner.

Sea of Book of Yum Sea is starting the week by busting out her baba ganoush recipe.  Reading her Mexican menu and Indian menu makes me wish I lived closer!  Have fun and delish dining in the Pacific NW for Labor Day weekend!  I bet she will be heading to the Hawthorne Fish House for some GF fish and chips.

Rachel of All She Is has yet another guy that we all cook for who does not like eggplant, but she doesn’t care for it either.  Her menu features breakfast, lunch and dinner - I am not so organized as that!  Rachel is dining on lots of enchiladas (who doesn’t love those?) and is also making salmon chowder! 

Cheryl of Gluten Free Goodness I could barely get past the picture of the cashew chocolate tart to read on to the menu!  Cheryl like me, tries to use her garden veggies as much as possible and tomatoes are ripe in her corner of the world too.  They will be featured in her tomato soup with caramelized onions.  She also has an Indian night with chaat masala and pappadams - two of my favorite things!  Peppers are ripe in her garden too and are the key ingredient for next week’s menu, which Cheryl is hosting.  She is attempting roasted eggplant after a long hiatus so give her some aubergine encouragement!

M-Elle of Cooking and Uncooking has never had eggplant before and is bravely trying it this week.  I am sure she will love it and be able to add to her dip repertoire. The ginger almond nori rolls have me intrigued, but of course I like anything with ginger.  Stay tuned for her TBA eggplant dish on Friday.

Kimberly of Living Free is going with menu unplanning this week as she is feeling a bit overwhelmed, so stop by and cheer her up!

Carrie of Ginger Lemon Girl is secretly posting her GF menus on her frugal site Heart of a Servant.  I love using waffles for sandwiches too!

Sally of Aprovechar has been adding whole grains and greens to her breakfasts.  One of my fav’s, beans and greens, is on her dinner menu as well as a tasty sounding tomato basil pasta dish.  Sally is a locavore, as I try to be.  I hope those tropical depressions don’t hurt the local harvests!  Gluten Free buckwheat noodles will be in her Asian Noodle Slaw - if anyone knows where I can get those and what brand, do tell!

Angela of Angela’s Kitchen joins us and has her whole week planned, not just her menu.  The French dip sounds terrific, as does the apricot glazed porkloin and avocado BLTs. Happy 13th to her son!

Kay of Gluten Free Kay offers a recipe for stuffed eggplant that she cooked earlier this month.  Skip the butter and this recipe is easily vegan as well as GF, corn and soy free.

Esther of The Lilac Kitchen might make yet another moussaka dish, if she can find some aubergines.  She is having gammon, eggs and potatoes one day and I sure hope she tells us what sort of British treat gammon is.  She sees some baking in her future with a gift of apples, mummm, fall and apples.  I can almost smell an apple pie.

This is great!  I don’t think we have had 15 menus to swap with in a while.  I am happy to see such love for the eggplant!

It’s never too late to submit your menu, so send them this way!  Either leave a comment or email me at celticjig1 at yahoo (dot) com.

Happy eating!

Ancho Chile rub aka Mexican Magic

3 ancho chiles, seeded and hand-torn into pieces
2 pasilla chiles or guajillo chiles
3 chile de arbol (the little long ones)
2 cinnamon sticks or more (about 3 inches long)
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon NM red chile powder or pods (2)
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon garlic powder or more
salt to taste

Toast all chiles, let them cool and then place them in a food processor. Toast all seed and spices, place in food processor. Pulverize items in processor. Add everything else but salt and mix. Add the salt to taste (rubs should be about ¼ salt, no more). Adjust to your taste.

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This weeks menu is hosted by Mary Frances of Gluten Free (Cooking School).  Please visit her blog and check out all the menus and recipes!

Next week I am hosting the menu of the week and the key ingredient will be Eggplant, so start planning! The garden is out of control, so to tame it, I must harvest a few things like the 5 foot high fennel.  I canned 2 dozen pints of tomatoes last week and will have to do the same this week.

Sunday: Lunch (up at the cottage with friends)  Tomato bisque with loads of garden tomatoes and basil.

Dinner: Grass fed beef tacos with frijoles de olla and fresh salsa from the garden produce.

Monday: Bistro

Dilled fingerling potato salad (both the dill and potatoes are from the garden), grilled pork loin with a peppercorn crust and a salad with fresh local goat cheese, tarragon and blueberries topped with a tarragon vinaigrette.  My lettuce is mostly bolted now, so the salad might be a challenge.  Green beans with shallot tarragon vinaigrette as the lettuce is super bitter.  Time to plant more lettuce (3 weeks ago).

Tuesday: French Bouillabaisse with fresh tomatoes, herbs and fennel from the garden, frozen fish, scallops and shrimp from the freezer and white wine from MI.

Wednesday:  Thai

Rad nah (or lard nah) with tofu (still have some left from last week).  I might try this method.  I will be using collard greens as they are taking over one of the raised beds in the garden and shading my eggplant which I need next week!

Thursday: Italian

Homemade pesto from the garden basil over pasta with grilled something, probably chicken.

Friday: Vietnamese

Ga Xao Xa Ot  using a combo of this, this and this recipe skipping the red bell pepper (not a fan unless it is roasted).

Happy eating!

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Hi all!  I am back from beautiful Flagstaff AZ and Santa Fe NM.

I didn’t get glutened once in 11 days of travel eating non of my own cooking.  Needless to say, I am raring to cook up some deliciousness now and want big bold flavorful dishes to make up for a few bland ones over the last two weeks or so.  Green chile harvest has just started in NM and in my backyard.  I could eat green chiles most days.  As soon as I have enough ripe ones, I roast them, peel them and put them in the freezer for use all winter.

I am so backed up on posts about everything that is it hard to focus, at least with the menu planning, it is nice and easy.

I love tofu and to my happiness, so does my darling BF.  With all of his other textural food pickiness, I would have thought that tofu would be off the list, but he embraces the tofu and eats it right up.  So do I.  I have many different recipes for tofu, but since I have been posting about those off and on over the last few years, I am going to try a few new ones.

This week’s menu swap is hosted by Wheatstate Celiac so make sure you check out Jyesika’s blog for all the tofu menus.

Sunday: Southwest

Green chile stew with roasted green chiles from the garden and garden tomatoes

Monday:

Lunch:  Green chile mac and cheese

Dinner: Deep South:  Book of Yum’s Southern fried tofu, Granny’s green beans (overcooked pole beans with onion and bacon) and Southern style risotto - not sure what this will entail yet as I have to make it up.  What?? I have 6 hours still! jalapeno onion hush puppies based on this recipe altered to be GF, why not? Or based on this chef’s reviews and alterations of this recipe, since it is already GF. Or this one.

Tuesday:   Asian/Vietnamese

Tofu water chestnut lettuce wraps (like PF Changs) and bun cha (Vietnamese grilled pork over rice noodles and herbs.  I will be combining several recipe styles to create the dish.

Wednesday and Thursday: on the road for work - it never ends.  I am almost caught up with board meetings.

Friday: Southwest again! (Or we might take off for the weekend to a cottage on a lake up North with friends) Blue corn green chile chicken enchiladas. I am obviously on a green chile kick.

Baked sweet of the week:  Key Lime Meltaways (adapted to be GF)

Happy eating!

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I consider onions to be a staple, along with tomatoes.  I use almost a bag of onions a week.  Onions are very healthy for you and full of fiber and of course delicious.

This week’s menu swap is hosted by Manda at Asparagus Thin so make sure you check out her menu and blog as well as all the other menu posts.  This week’s ingredient is onions.

Saturday:  Grilled wild caught Sockeye Salmon with dill and garlic and a dill horseradish yogurt sauce and creamed spinach (with onions).

Sunday:  Over at a friends for grilled leg of lamb

Monday:  On the road for work, of course.  All these night meetings mess with my cooking routine.  Maybe I will pack a waffle turkey sandwich.  I really like using waffles for sandwich bread.

Tuesday:  Italian American

Stuffed Shells!  Finally!  I will be stuffing mine with a ricotta and Italian sausage mixture  and topping it off with marinara sauce and some fresh mozzarella.  Onions will certainly be a factor in this dinner.

Wednesday: Indian

Cardamon Chicken with garlic and onions, lemon basmati rice.  Maybe onion pakora if it isn’t too hot out.

Thursday: New Mexican

Green chile harvest!  I will roast them and make a green chile cheese tamale casserole with some red chile sauce on the side.  A side of pinto beans simmered with chipotle, jalapeno and onions sounds good too.

Friday: South American

Bolones de verde (plantains grated and made into a dough and stuffed with cheese) - a snack I had in Ecuador that is actually Colombian and hard to find a recipe so I will be tasting and creating from a memory over 15 years old!  Along with this, grilled grass fed beef ribeye steaks with chimichurri sauce (with onions,  parsley, oregano, cilantro in the sauce).  Some grilled veggies for a side dish.

Happy eating!  Next week I will be in Flagstaff AZ for work for 7 days and will be eating from a college cafeteria and therefore I will not be posting a menu.  I hope simply to survive!

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This one is great as it requires no heat and no stove, just a food processor of some sort.  I always have most of the ingredients for this one on hand which makes it easy to throw together for an impromptu appetizer.  We have been asked over to dinner this eve with some friends that are grilling a leg of lamb and I thought this appetizer would go well with it.  It is sort of like Italian hummus, but high scale.

As usual, I rarely measure anything when I make it, so I will try to be as accurate as possible.  I also use what I have on hand, so if you don’t have an ingredient or two, sub something else that is equally as tasty.  The two key ingredients are the white beans and the truffle oil.  If you don’t have any truffle oil, just take truffle out of the name of your dip.

1 can of Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained.  (or any white bean of your choice)
1/4 cup of grated or finely shredded parmeasan
1 sun dried tomato or two, depending on size - the ones packed in olive oil would be fine.  I dry my own every fall when I am tired of canning.  Then I forget to use them until I think of this app.
1 clove garlic
1-2 TBS fresh chopped chives
1-2  TBS fresh oregano, use the flower buds if you have them
dash of salt (the parm keeps it salty)
two big dashes of smoked paprika - if you don’t have smoked, use regular, but if you have both, used smoked.
lots of cracked pepper
1 TBS + of truffle oil - from one of those tiny bottles - if you have a big bottle (5 oz or  more), it is probably not as strong, so use more of it and cut back on the olive oil.  Use enough so that you can smell the truffles in the dip.  Use more if your budget allows it and cut back on olive oil.
1/4 cup Olive oil - give or take

In a small food processor, mix everything but the beans and olive oil.  Mix until everything is finely chopped.  Add the beans and some olive oil and mix until you get a nice smooth consistency.  Add more olive oil as necessary to keep the mix moving and about the thickness of hummus.

Refrigerate for a little while to let the flavors blend.  Bring the dip to room temperature before serving so that the earthy, smokey, herbiness of the ingredients comes out.  Serve with strong crackers (Glutino’s aren’t much for dipping, but are my favorites) or GF crostini.  Garnish with some fresh parsley for accent. Drizzle with more olive or truffle oil for pizazz.

Dip and enjoy!

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As discovered last night on the internets:  large shell pasta! Yippeee!  Now I can make stuffed shells - all we need is ravioli now….

Perhaps you all knew about the large shells already.  I didn’t.  We ordered a case (lifetime supply) from Amazon.  Look forward to them on the menu next week as I still have canned tomatoes from last year’s garden.

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Unfortunately, being further North than the rest of the GF bloggers leaves MI peachless right now.  We need about one more month before they start showing up at the farmer’s markets.  I don’t have any frozen right now and I don’t care for canned peaches, so perhaps I will sub with a mango - which of course is never in season in MI.  Fruits and Veggies that are grown in MI I am trying to wait until they are ready in MI.  Stuff that will never be grown here - avocados, mangoes, limes - I just have to clear a guilty pathway to my conscience as I can go local as much as possible, but enjoy a global cuisine.  I at least reduce my “shipped from CA” footprint a little bit.  Now I feel very guilty about my mangoes that were on sale.

For some great use of peaches, check out the Gluten Free menu swap, hosted this week by the creator of the swap, Natalie at Gluten Free Mommy.  I will just take note of everyone’s recipes and hold on to those ideas for August.  I used all my frozen peaches in margaritas over the winter.

Here’s what’s cooking in Lansing MI this week, it’s a very porky menu and a very local menu this go around:

Saturday:

lunch: green chile cheese tamales (from our dear friend Trader Joe) with NM red chile sauce

dinner: grilled mustard marinated pork loin with a pear green peppercorn demi glaze (featuring homemade demi glaze!), wild mushroom risotto and grilled asparagus

Sunday:

lunch: local free range organic breakfast sausages, scrabbled egg yolks with veggies (I can’t eat egg whites)

dinner: smoked ribs from our pig pancetta (only a few pieces of pork left in the freezer ), red cabbage slaw with a ginger, garlic, lemon dressing and chives, Michigan made potato chips and  fresh dill dip

Monday:

Dinner: Italian fusion: Maple Leaf Farm duck breasts porchetta style, stuffed with fennel seed, rosemary and garlic.  Baby new potatoes grilled with mustard and herbs.

Tuesday:  On the road and home brew club if I get back early - I brewed a GF porter on Sunday thanks to the motivation of Sally and Dan of Aprovechar - pics here and tasting soon as it is fermenting fast!

Wednesday:  Potato leek soup with local milk, farm market leeks, potatoes and some locally made German knockwurst (we just have so many great local food sources here in MI!) - lots of fresh herbs will be in the soup.

Thursday: local potato chip, Parmesan (not at all local) crusted fish, sides TBD from farmer’s market availability.

Friday Thai:  pad thai with spicy, crispy tofu and garden cilantro, spring rolls and maybe some shrimp hot and sour soup.

The menu looks just peachy to me!

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I guess there is not much reason to post a menu this week as we just returned (Monday eve) from a long 4th of July weekend in NW MI.  We decided we needed something with some flavor, a bit of spice, and are making Jamie Oliver’s South Indian Crab curry.  As for the rest of the week, well, unfortunately, I have meetings Tues, Wed and Thurs evening and of course the days are full too (meaning no prep time)!

Just the same, go check out Gluten Free Goodness who is hosting this week’s menu and see what she and everyone else is cooking!  If I come up with a menu for Friday, I will add it to this post.

Would that I had just once thought about menu planning on our 3.5 hour trip home today.  Then I might have crock pot something for the one night I return home by 8.  At least there is Friday and we still have our friend’s smoker, so I just might have to smoke those ribs from our pig Pancetta.  We did visit our new pigs Speck and Parma just yesterday and they are growing nicely.  We brought them some overwintered apples from the cellar that needed to be eaten.  They loved them and the attention.  Pics coming soon!  Our pigs free range fencing is in the middle of a U-pick raspberry field.  So, I walked by lots of little greenish white unripe raspberries.  Hopefully people will wander over and hand feed our piggies some raspberries when the season is right.

We also visited my brother’s organic free range chickens, ducks and turkeys.  Pheasants on the way.  We hope to put about 20 chickens away for the winter months.  We got to help schlep haying equipment around.  I almost got to drive the tractor the 5 miles to the hay field, until I reminded my dad that I hadn’t driven one in 20 years.  We were then downgraded to the pickup and haywagon.  I parked next to a wild asparagus stalk, which we fed to Speck and Parma.

Alright, the crab curry is ready and you have heard enough of the tales of Speck and Parma for now.  Stay tuned for more tales of the North (polka, parades and strawberries on the farm), and maybe a anti pasta pasta salad recipe!

Update:  Wednesday’s and Thursday’s evening meetings were rescheduled, so here is what we ate/are eating:

Wednesday:  Tex Mex

Unstuffed poblano peppers with grass fed ground beef and cheese

Thursday:  Pork contest

I was at an organic apple farm where they let baby pigs run through the orchard for pest management.  The pigs are Berkshires and our pig is half Berkshire half Yorkshire, so we are grilling some of both to compare.  Also on the menu, baby new potatoes sauteed in butter with garlic scapes and parsley, grilled asparagus and a fabulous appetizer: cornmeal pan fried oysters with corn tomato salsa and horseradish cream sauce.  It is loosely based on this recipe.

Friday:  Indian

I found fresh fenugreek/methi at the Asian store, so something with that, probably methi potatoes and pakora and  tikka chicken on the grill.  Need to use the purple cabbage too…..

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