eggplant parmesan

We are embarrassingly far into January to try and bring up holiday dishes, but I did promise Christmas food and then never followed up on it after two latke postings. That hardly seems fair. The holidays have a certain magic for making time/plans disappear, don't they? Now I know that technically this is not a "Christmas Dish", but it always makes me think of any holiday with my Mom's side of the family since it's one thing my grandmother knows for a fact I love to eat. I don't know what it is (maybe because you can't have meat on Friday but seafood is allowed?), but I don't think there's been a year when someone hasn't said in a disappointed voice, "oh you don't even eat fish?! that's sad..." while passing the clams casino to the next person. Yes its a tragedy, but I soldier on.

Traditionally of course, you are supposed to fry the eggplant first in a batter of eggs and breadcrumbs or flour, but in the past few years my Mom has started simply baking the eggplant instead of frying it to make the dish a little more healthy. This time I tried roasting in the oven first and it gave the eggplant such a nice flavor that you don't miss the batter at all.

Following my New Years resolution on sauces, I decided to make the tomato sauce from scratch this time. Well, I guess it's not exactly from scratch since I used canned tomatoes, but it's a start. Next baby step: fresh tomatoes.

Between prep for the eggplant and making sauce I wouldn't recommend cooking this on a work night unless you're willing to eat late. The good news is despite being time consuming, it's very simple. Just make sure you're not hungry and trying to pull it together at 6pm, not that I did that...

ingredients:

1 large can (28 oz) tomatoes in sauce
3 garlic cloves chopped
one small onion finely chopped
3 tb olive oil
rosemary, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste

2 medium eggplant
grated mozzarella cheese
fresh basil

Peel and slice eggplant into coins about 1/2 inch thick. Lightly salt on both sides and layer in between paper towel on a plate.

Weight down eggplant slices with heavy cans, pots, etc. Allow eggplant to drain like this for one hour. If you're thinking "why the hell am I doing this?" the answer is: water from the eggplant is not only bitter, but will make your dish soggy. Also you can feel justified in hanging on to that jar of cranberry sauce from two years ago by putting it to good use.

In a medium sized pot fry onions and garlic in olive oil until clear

Stir in can of tomatoes and season with spices. Don't be afraid of the sugar-- its great for sauce.

Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for at least 40 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep from burning and smash up any large chunks of tomato with your spoon as they soften.

preheat oven to 450

Lightly brush eggplant slices on both sides with olive oil. Bake in oven for 10 minutes on each side.

Sprinkle a little olive oil in the bottom of a large baking pan. Spread thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom, add a layer of eggplant, and then shredded mozzarella. Continue layering like this until you've used up the last of your eggplant.

Bake for another 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve with fresh basil.

Also to keep with the vintage photo theme-- here is a lovely one of my Mom.

lunch box: pasta frittata

contents:

pasta frittata with peas
cannellini and spinach salad
olives

I can never make the right amount of salad or pasta. I know there are tricks (like a handful of spaghetti for each person), but every time I start portioning things out I either under or over estimate how many people are eating and how hungry we are. So I was really excited when I saw this pasta frittata recipe in my new Bittman cookbook, because it gave me somewhere to use the extra spaghetti that would otherwise just be staring at me pathetically from the strainer. He recommends using long pasta, but I think you could probably use any kind and it wouldn't kill the dish. Obviously this is an excuse to dump in whatever veggies you happen to have in the fridge. Tomatoes are definitely needed in future versions.

ingredients:

2 tb butter
5 eggs
1 cup green peas
leftover long pasta (I think I had somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 of a box)
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

If you have the right sized frying pan this couldn't get simpler. Cook eggs (whisked first) and pasta in butter over medium heat. Stir in peas, cheese, and spices making sure pasta is evenly distributed in the pan.

Continue cooking until bottom sets, then place whole pan in the oven until top has cooked through.

Now the problem is...I own two frying pans, one too big and one too small for this to work. I ended up letting the eggs cook for awhile in the larger frying pan and then transferring the mixture to a casserole dish. So if you also suffer from lack of a 'mama bear' sized frying pan, any baking dish should work out fine. You'll just need to cook it a little longer in the oven.

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For the bean salad I sauteed a few handfuls of fresh spinach in 3 cloves of garlic and olive oil. Let spinach cool, then toss with 1 can of cannellini beans, 1/2 of a small red onion (chopped finely), and a little pepper.

a few updates

I'm back, after what seemed like a never ending string of holidays. I guess if you start a food blog you're pretty much guaranteed to be gifted some cookbooks, and sure enough I was given two great ones for Christmas-- Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and Tea and Crumpets which is full of such beautiful looking treats that I keep leafing through it like a picture book. So, you can expect some projects to turn up from those books soon I'm sure.

Also I have a few New Years cooking resolutions that hopefully (maybe?) I will follow through on...

1. Learn to make more sauces from scratch, both simple ones that I would normally buy in a jar and some more complex

2. Expand my spices outside the usual cast of characters

3. Continue ongoing baking quest. Try to make more savory baked goods, not just cookies (as awesome as they are)

4. Make an effort to cook more vegan food. This means you cheese. I'm not saying let's end it, but we need some space. It's not you, its me (well... and you too a bit)

How about you, any cooking plans for the new decade? Actual food and recipes are on the way soon I promise.

latkes reprise

Hanukkah's almost over, but before we move to Christmas food here are a couple variations on the potato latke for those of you who would like to shake it up. The sweet potato version I "invented" a few years ago and make year round. The parsnip was recommended to me by my Aunt Susan. This was my first time making them so I'm sure they will go though some different incarnations in the future. Already I am thinking they could use a little fresh dill next time. If you have any ideas (or Sue if you are reading this and would like to clarify your recipe) please leave a comment.

Follow the same proportions as the regular latke recipe except

- for Sweet Potato Latkes replace regular potatoes with sweet and add one large handful of fresh chopped cilantro and a pinch of cumin.

-for Parsnip Latkes replace potatoes with 2 large parsnips

Also I heard a lot about baked latkes this year. I'm not trying to discourage attempts at healthy eating, but isn't oil the whole point of the Hanukkah dish? It's not like we only had enough potatoes for one night of latkes and they magically lasted for 8...know what I'm saying?

potato latkes

A search for 'latke recipe' online results in an infinite number of different options, all of which claim to be the only way to make real pancakes. Do you shred the potatoes or mash them? Do you use flour, matzo meal, or bread crumbs to stick them together? What is the onion to potato ratio? I decided to consult the expert, my Grandmother.


The problem with getting the recipe for a traditional dish from someone who can make it on auto-pilot, is that its impossible for them to tell you any kind of measurements. Our chat was a little like what you would expect if you asked a bird how to fly. Grate "some" potatoes. Add onion, but not too much onion. Add flour but not too much flour. Eventually she turned to the Settlement Cookbook for measurement reference, which helped clarify things a lot. As for technique, here are some rules to latke by...

1. Grating the potatoes is the only way to go if you want them crispy (and who doesn't?)
2. Drain as much water as possible from the potatoes and onions
3. Remember you can always add more onion, but you can't take any out
4. Do not fuss/potchki with the latkes while cooking. Flip them once, that's it.

ingredients:

2 baking potatoes peeled and grated
1/2 medium onion grated
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
pinch baking powder
salt and pepper to taste

Grate potatoes and onion either by hand or with a food processor, depending on your kitchen tools/laziness

Using a colander, follow rule 2 above. I've always skipped this step before and it's a big reason why my latkes fell apart in the frying process. I promise, it's important.

In large mixing bowl combine drained potatoes and onion with other ingredients. Use your hands to shape into pancakes. These portions made 8 medium sized latkes (about the circumference of a clementine).

Fry in vegetable oil until golden. Follow rule number 4. I know how tempting it is to keep checking the pancakes every two seconds, but keep your spatula away from the pan! You're only going to crumble your pancakes.

Drain on a paper towel covered plate before serving to absorb some of the oil.

Eat with sour cream, applesauce, or both.

Oh and let me know if you tried the recipe and liked it. All fan mail will be forwarded to Grandma Frieda. Happy Hanukkah!

lunch box: thai red curry

contents:
thai red curry
brown rice
ginger roasted carrots
pineapple

I'm disappointed with how this picture turned out. The curry looked so beautiful the night I made it, but after sitting overnight it turned into a reddish grey mush. It tastes just as good, but aesthetically I could wish for a better lunch box. Oh well. At least I've discovered that it's quite easy to make food that I've up to now been considering a splurge take-out treat. I've been a little afraid of Thai recipes after a debacle a year or so ago trying to make green papaya salad that turned out smelling (according to James) "like tuna fish can water". Yeah, that was gross. Oh but speaking of fish, make sure to read the label on your curry paste, since some can contain fish.

ingredients:

1 14oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2 tbs thai red curry paste
two handfuls of unsalted peanuts (1 cup?)
10-15 fresh basil leaves
1 large potato cubed (precooked in the microwave)
1 red pepper chopped
3 small blocks of firm tofu cubed
large handful of string beans
1 small onion

In large frying pan cook onion in a few tbs of olive oil on medium heat until clear.

Drain as much water as possible from the tofu before cubing and adding to pan. I buy the kind my produce place sells in little cartons, which is much thinner and smaller in size then the store bought tubs. If you're using one of those, I'd say maybe a 1/2 a tub would do. Keep stirring tofu while it cooks to keep from sticking.

Add red pepper and string beans. Cook for a few minutes until pepper begins to soften and string beans turn a brighter green.

Push veggies to one side of your pan. If you have a sloped kitchen like me, make sure to move it uphill. Pour coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water on the other half of your pan. Stir curry paste into coconut milk letting it dissolve fully before mixing sauce into the veggies. Bring to low boil.

Add peanuts, (precooked) potatoes, and fresh basil. Serve over rice.

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ingredients:

6 carrots
2 large tbs of finely chopped fresh ginger
olive oil (in retrospect, sesame oil would have been great)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Toss chopped carrots, ginger, and dash of olive oil in large mixing bowl

Cover a baking tray with tin foil and spread out carrots in single layer

Bake for about 20 minutes. Turn carrots at least a couple times to keep from burning.

lunch box: thanksgiving leftovers

Despite the lack of comments (hint! hint!), it turns out I do in fact have some readers, since I've been getting regular complaints the past few weeks about my lack of postings. Sorry everyone. I'll let you know exactly what is to blame...



O Thanksgiving Leftovers! Triumph after awkward family politics! What you lack in beauty and freshness you make up for with taste.

I didn't actually cook a thing in this lunch box, so if you want recipes I'll have to refer you to my parents. One of the many things I like about Thanksgiving food, is that everyone has their own system for eating it. My sister, even though she eats turkey, thinks of mashed potatoes as the main course. Each year she piles an even larger mountain on her plate, like a one person Iron Man contest for potato intake. James lives for the "Thanksgiving Sandwich" which is turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy on a roll. I have never attempted a vegetarian version of this. Maybe next year. I'm not sure if I have a Thanksgiving system, but I can tell you that it's entirely possible to overeat on Thanksgiving if you don't eat turkey.

contents:

mashed potatoes
cornbread stuffing with mushrooms and fennel
steamed zucchini and broccoli
sweet potatoes