Eggplant Cushions

Ingredients:
2 eggplants (about 1 3/4 lbs total), each about 3-4 inches in diameter
1 1/2 tbsp canola oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 oz leftover bread, preferably from a baguette, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 c. mixture chopped fresh chives and fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 tsp virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Trim the eggplants, peel them, and cut them into thick slices, each about 1 1/4 inches thick. You should have about 8 slices.

3. Pour the canola oil on a large baking sheet, spreading it evenly. Press the eggplant slices in the oil and sprinkle them with half the salt. Turn the slices over, arrange them in one layer, and sprinkle with remaining salt.

4. Bake the eggplant slices in the 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the eggplant flesh is very soft.

5. Meanwhile, place the bread cubes, herbs, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor, and process for 15-20 seconds. Transfer the crumbled mixture to a bowl and toss it lightly with the olive oil. Once the eggplant slices are removed from the oven, spoon the crumbs on top of them.

6. About 10 minutes before serving time, preheat the broiler.

7. Place the eggplant slices so that the stuffing on top is at least 6-8 inches from the heat. Broil for 5-6 minutes until the topping is nicely browned. Serve immediately.

Cheats & Changes:
I did not have a baguette handy, so once again, I used leftover soda bread from the other night. I also totally forgot to peel the eggplant first, which was very dumb as I cannot stand eating the skin. I probably used twice as much oil on the pan as called for in the recipe since eggplant soaks that stuff up like a sponge.

The Verdict:
Much tastier than I thought it'd be. I loved the bread crumb topping. I had thought about subbing panko for the bread, and now I'm glad I didn't. I think the fresh bread made for a nicer texture. It was chewy and savory and garlicky good.

T is not normally a fan of eggplant at all, so I was really shocked that he ate both pieces on his plate. I suspected that he did it out of politeness, but he says he really liked it. Usually the texture of eggplant is what bothers him, not the flavor, and in this case the bread crumb topping made up for the softness of the eggplant.

Again, this recipe was very easy to make and slightly less boring than just broiling or grilling eggplant, which is usually what I do with it. Also a nice way to use up stale bread. I'll definitely make this again.

Curried Cole Slaw

Ingredients:
1 small head cabbage or half a large head (1 1/4 lbs)
1 carrot (4 oz) peeled
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp poppy seeds
1/4 tsp Tabasco hot pepper sauce
1 tsp curry powder

1. Trim the cabbage, removing and discarding any damaged parts, and shred it on a slicer or by cutting it into thin slices with a sharp knife. (You should have 5-6 lightly packed cups.) Shred the carrot (1 lightly packed cup).

2. In a bowl large enough to hold the finished slaw, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, salt poppy seeds, Tabasco and curry powder. Add the cabbage and carrots, and mix well. Serve immediately or cover, refrigerate, and serve later. The cole slaw will keep, refrigerated, for up to one day.

So even though the recipe says to serve immediately, I'd recommend letting it sit, refrigerated, for a few hours first. I made this about 2 hours in advance and tasted it both right after mixing and just before serving, and I thought it the flavors had melded more and the cabbage had softened up a bit after having time to marinate.

Cheats & Changes:
We had guests joining us for dinner tonight, and I was a bit short on time today. So despite what I've said about wanting to work on my knife skills, I used a pre-packaged cole slaw mix for the cabbage and carrots. I almost always have a bag in the fridge to add to stir-frys, wraps, etc. It's very handy.

I also used "light" mayonnaise because I forgot that was all we had in the house (T & I have been trying to diet). Otherwise, I would have splurged and bought the full-fat variety, which of course always tastes better. I also ended up leaving out the poppy seeds (despite making a special trip to the store for them) because they were out of them in the bulk section and I just couldn't bring myself to spend the money on a big bottle when I only needed about 10 cents worth. Yeah, I'm weirdly cheap that way.

The Verdict:
Pretty tasty, although a bit salty, which is saying something coming from me, the original salt fiend. It wasn't overtly mayonnaise-y, and the curry powder added some nice heat, but it wasn't overpowering. In fact, most of my tasters tonight could not quite identify what seasoning was in the slaw until I told them.

T and our guests enjoyed this too and none of them are usually fans of cole slaw. I think the acidity of the vinegar cancelled out the mayonnaise, but in a good way. This dish is very easy to throw together (especially if you don't have to do any chopping) for a quick side/salad, but I'd reduce the salt by half. I might also reduce the vinegar and/or up the sugar by a wee bit next time as I thought it had a little too much tang as well.

Broccoli and Rice "Etuvée"

Ingredients:
1 tsp peanut or cottonseed oil
3 tbsp chopped onion
1/3 c. short brown rice (1 1/2 oz)
1 c. chicken or beef stock, preferably homemade unsalted and defatted
Salt to taste
Dash red pepper flakes
1 stalk broccoli (3-4 oz)
2 tbsp grated Swiss cheese

1. Heat the oil in a small sturdy saucepan. When it is hot, add the onion and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally until lightly browned

2. Add the rice, stir well, then add the stock, salt and red pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to very low and cook for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, peel the broccoli stem to remove the fibrous skin. Cut the peeled stem in 1/2-inch pieces and the flowerets into 1-inch pieces

4. When the rice has cooked for 30 minutes (it will still be soupy), place the broccoli on top of the rice (don't stir it in). Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the grated cheese, stir and serve immediately.

It's not explained very well in the book, but basically the phrase "etuvée" refers to a method where you cook over low heat, using a small amount of liquid, and with a tightly covered pot. It's also referred to as à l'étouffée, which comes from étouffer or "to smother." All that to say, it's more or less a brown rice pilaf.

Cheats & Changes:
Other than doubling, none. I followed the recipe exactly. However, once doubled, I thought this made closer to 3 portions of rice. We ended up with about 3/4 c. left over.

The Verdict:
Meh. Even after simmering an extra 10 minutes, the rice was very very soupy. And as a result of having to let it cook longer, the broccoli ended up a bit gray and overcooked. It wasn't total mush, but it didn't have as much bite to it as I normally like.

I suspect that the rice-to-liquid ratio is off. For brown rice, I usually use 1 1/2 times as much liquid as rice, but this recipe called for 3x as much liquid. Just for kicks, I did just now weigh out 1/3 c. of my short-grain brown rice and it came out to over 2 1/2 oz., so really I'm just bamboozled by the whole thing. I'd probably make this again, but reduce the amount of broth by at least a third.

Flavor-wise, the dish was just fine. I think the addition of the grated cheese at the end was key - it added a lot of flavor and a little creaminess too. Otherwise, I'm not sure I'd bother to make this again since I usually just cook brown rice in my rice cooker.

T didn't seem to notice or mind the extra liquid and he declared that he enjoyed every item on his plate and would happily eat it again.

Roasted Potatoes and Onions

Ingredients:
4 baking or all-purpose potatoes (about 8 oz each), left unpeeled, but washed and any dark or damaged spots removed
4 medium onions (about 5 oz each), left unpeeled (Vidalia or Maui onions are a good choice)
1 1/2 tbsp peanut or safflower oil
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Split potatoes in half lengthwise, and cut the onions in half crosswise.

3. Pour the oil on an aluminum jelly roll pan. Sprinkle the salt over the potatoes and onions, and place them cut side down in one layer on the oiled pan.

4. Place the pan on the bottom rack of the 400-degree oven (or, if you want the underside of your vegetables very crusty, on the oven floor). Bake for 40 min until the potaotes and onions are tender when pierced with a fork, lightly browned on top, and dark brown on the underside.

5. Set the potatoes and onions aside to rest for 10 min., lift with a spatula and serve.


This is a pretty straightforward recipe, just cut everything in half, season and place cut side down on an oiled pan. One caveat though - make sure you put down some foil or parchment first. I've positively RUINED some of my nice nonstick baking sheets doing this in the past.

Cheats & Changes:
I used several smaller potatoes that I already had in the house instead of the large baking potatoes. I also ran out of room on my pan and only cooked one onion (a Texas 1015), since I knew that neither Troy nor I would really want to eat one whole onion each. I also realized after the fact that I'd cut in half lengthwise instead of crosswise, meaning that instead of having rings, I had "petals." No big deal, really, it just wasn't as pretty. I baked this on the bottom rack underneath my soda bread, so it took a little longer than the 40 minutes stated in the recipe. Not all the potatoes got as brown as I would have liked, but they were all cooked through and tasted fine. I made extra to use for hash browns or whatever later.

The Verdict:
T and I both loved this dish. I think we both tend to favor food that's simply cooked. The potatoes were a no-brainer since we both love potatoes in any form, but the onions were a bit of a surprise. They were nicely cooked through, sweet (definitely use a sweet onion if you can) and the carmelized bottom gave it a little more depth of flavor. Both of us thought that the dish did need more salt, but then again, we like our food salty. I'll definitely make this again as an easy side, especially if I already have the oven on for something else.