Roasted Eggplant Muffuletta

After a trip to New Orleans I tasted a muffuletta sandwich for the first time and it completely changed the order of my favorite sandwiches. It traditionally has a lot of meat so I searched for a way to get the same tasty and filling flavors without the meat. I came across a recipe that has been modified below and on a recent summer evening I made these sandwiches for an impromptu picnic on the water. 

Roasted Eggplant & Spinach Muffuletta

(Adapted from the recipe in the book Veganomicon)

Ingredients:

• Olive Relish:
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 1 cup pitted green olives
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes
• 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (optional - I just had this in my cupboard and used it!)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Muffuletta
• 1 medium size eggplant
• Olive oil
• 1 handful of fresh basil
• Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
• 2 large fresh tomatoes, sliced
• 1 round peasant style loaf or sandwich buns (recommend sourdough or dense whole wheat)

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet. (I use coconut oil for this)

2. Cut the eggplant width wise into thick slices. Rub the slices with kosher salt and allow to drain in a colander for half an hour or so.

3. While the eggplants are draining make the olive relish. Place the olives, parsley, garlic and sun dried tomatoes in a food processor, pulse it as you slowly add in the olive oil. I prefer my relish clumpy so I just pulse it to get it evenly chopped. 

4. Rinse the salted slices with cold water, drizzle them with olive oil and lay on the greased baking sheet. Roast for 20ish minutes, flipping once, until the slices are brown and tender. 

5. Cut the loaf in half and dig out some of the bread insides to make room for all the delicious ingredients! (You can use the bread insides to make bread crumbs or just as a munching snack)

6. Spread the olive relish very thickly on either side of the bread. This is crucial and you want to make sure to get a lot of the relish juices on the bread. If the relish looks dry, drizzle on a little more olive oil.

7.  Layer the bottom with roasted eggplant on the bottom layer, followed by the mozzarella, tomato slices and basil.  Place the top loaf on and press down firmly. The thicker the bread, the more you should press down. Wrap in foil or a zip lock bag and for maximum flavor sensations, refrigerate for a few hours (or over night!) with a few heavy items placed on top of the sandwiches. Enjoy :)

'Spaghetti' Squash & Bison Meatballs (Paleo)

Bison is by far my favorite meat. I debuted by love for bison on GLHC with my bison stuffed squash. I've never been a huge meatball fan - mostly because I never felt that great after eating meatballs however with bison, it's completely different. As with all meatballs, you can experiment and make them slightly different every time. For a recent paleo feast, I made these meatballs as the main course with a homemade tomato sauce. Instead of spaghetti, I used 'Spaghetti' Squash. It's the end of the season so I literally bought the only ones available! I'd never cooked this type of squash but was delighted on it's much healthier and equally tasty substitution for spaghetti. I was certain I would cut off my hand as I was trying to cut open this squash. I had to put all my weight on the knife to open the squash so be careful when doing this at home. Disclosure: I'm also accident prone - this may not be an issue for most folks :)
This meal can be made in advance and heated up. The meatballs are addicting and taste DELICIOUS the next day on sandwich bread or even cold. The longer and slower you cook the tomato sauce, the more enhanced the flavor will be and the thicker the texture. So, in true Italian style - cook this meal slowly with love, music and glass of wine.

                                  

'Spaghetti' Squash & Bison Meatballs 
Makes enough for 10-12
A meal planning tip: Start with baking the squash. While squash is in the oven start the sauce then the meatballs.

Ingredients:
2-3 large 'Spaghetti' Squash

For Meatballs:
4 lbs ground bison
2 small onions, finely chopped
4 eggs
1 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons fresh herbs
1 head of garlic
Olive oil
4 tablespoons ghee

For Sauce:
1/3 cup olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, crushed
2 28 ounce cans plum tomatoes
1 16 ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 small cans of tomato paste
2 bunches of Italian parsley, chopped
2 chili peppers, chopped

Directions:
For Spaghetti:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the squash in half. Place cut size down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until it is easily pierced with a knife.
2. Scrape the spaghetti out of the squash shell and set aside into a bowl.

For Meatballs:
1. Saute the onion, garlic with 3-4 tablespoons of ghee until the onions are translucent. Allow the onions to cool.
2. In a bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs. Whisk in the almond meal and herbs. Add in the bison and mix until everything is incorporated. The best tools for this are your hands.
3. Roll the bison meat into small balls. Saute on a pan (LOW & SLOW) with a bit of olive oil. The bison meatballs don't take much time and you want them to maintain their moisture so be sure the heat is set to low. They should be golden brown.  They will produce their own natural oils which make for a fantastic base for sauteing vegetables. Set aside on a platter while you finish the meatballs.


For the sauce:
1. Heat live oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the onions and garlic until soft.
2. Add in the pureed tomatoes with juices, crushed tomatoes, parsley, and peppers. Bring the mixture to a boil. Season with salt and pepper
3. Reduce the heat and cook until it is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes. Add in the tomato paste and cook for 20 minutes.

                             

Enjoy with a nice big salad and a glass of wine :)

 

Bruschetta 2 Ways: 100% Local

For my 24th rotation around the sun I cooked up a meal for my closest friends. I also went to the Saturday farmer's market at the Embarcadero which is the best farmer's market I've been to in the Continental United States. Seriously. It has an unbelievable selection of local, fresh, vibrant produce, cheese, breads, herbs, pantry items. One of the exciting new items I picked up was a couple stalks of green garlic. I didn't know that about the existence of green garlic but here are some of my observations: it looks a lot like green onions, however the leaves are flat, as opposed to the rounded leaves of green onions. Also, the bulbs of green garlic have a slightly purple tint. Finally the taste and smell is a sure reminder that this spring time vegetable is a kin to the garlic family. Because the taste of green garlic is beautiful alone, I recommend pairing it with mild cheeses and not using too many other herbs. I call this creation NorCal Herb Cheese Bruschetta. I will also provide the recipe for tomato bruschetta.

NorCal Herb Cheese Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 baguette

Fresh Chevre Sebastopol, CA

Green garlic

Fresh Rosemary

Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Slice baguette into 1" thick even slices.

2. Drizzle with olive oil and toast for 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

3. Finely slice the green garlic and rip the rosemary into small pieces.

4. Mix the herbs in with the cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread onto the toasted bread.

Tomato Bruschetta

Of all the things I learned cooking at Cefalicchio in Italy, one of the most important items - was patience, pace and taste. Take your time, slow down, and taste as you go. Bruschetta is the perfect time to do this. The most important part of bruschetta is that you use fresh, ripe, ruby red tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 baguette

Extra virgin olive oil

Tomatoes

Salt

Pepper

Basil

Green Garlic

Directions:

1. Slice the baguette into 1" thick even slices. Drizzle with olive oil and set aside.

2. Dice the tomatoes into small, even pieces.

3. Dice the green garlic and tear apart the fresh basil, add to the bowl.

4. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

5. Toast the bread for 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

6. Top with the tomato mixture and serve with a crisp, light wine.

Breakfast Pizza

Definitely one of the most fun things to do is make variations of pizza. Just a couple days ago, my friend and I wanted to make some pizzas and I didn't have any dough and Trader Joe's just felt too far away so we went to our local pizza shop to ask if we could buy some of their fresh dough. The first place we went, Muzzarella, said no but I was determined so I made us walk a little further until we came to the pizza shop, Apizza, a newbie to the hood. The guy was happy to give us a huge beautiful round of their fresh dough and a twenty minute conversation about his pizza place in Stanton Island and his Sicilian pies and a coupon for 4 free slices! After making pizzas with this dough from Apizza, I definitely notice the difference in good dough. I love using Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough but this dough, pictured below, tasted ten times better. I'm sure it was probably more salt or butter but the dough was chewy ad just straight but tasty. Here is a picture of the dough as it was give to us:

I should mention that it was a Sunday morning and while I do like pizza at any time of the day, I wanted something a little more breakfast-like. Basically my thought process was breakfast = eggs, pizza + eggs = breakfast pizza. My algebra has become really quite simple since high school. This pizza definitely will be repeated and is one of my favorites! It tasted fresh and simple and the egg added a delicious additional flavor and texture. I used two eggs for the top only because it was just my friend and I otherwise use as many eggs as you have people. Also, usually I will grate the cheese for the pizza, but this time I peeled it into long strips, or shavings and I prefer much better for this type of pizza. I will definitely be making this pizza again and changing nothing! Hmmm......okay, maybe I would add a little more za'tar. With a glass of orange juice, this is the best Sunday breakfast pizza!

                          

Breakfast Pizza

(Makes one pie the size of a baking sheet)

Ingredients:

Dough
1/2 cup tomato garlic marinara
1 cup whole canned tomatoes
Parmesan shavings
Mozzarella shavings
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons za'tar
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Roll out dough to the size of the sheet.
2. Sprinkle flour on the sheet and carefully place the rolled out dough on the sheet. Drizzle it with olive oil and using a fork, poke holes all over the dough. Bake for approximately 5 minutes.
3. Spread the marinara sauce all over the dough, using more if necessary. Next place the whole tomatoes evenly over the dough. Follow with the parmesan and mozzarella shavings until most the pizza is covered. Finally, sprinkle the za'tar evenly across the cheese, using more if you want.
4. Bake the pizza for 8-9 minutes.
5. Just before pizza is ready, so at about 6 minutes, fry the eggs. Remove pizza from the oven when the cheese is melted and place the fried eggs on each half of the pizza. Sprinkle the parsley evenly over the pizza. Serve and enjoy!

Tangy Potato Salad

A new take on your standard potato salad makes for a slightly tangy, and a little crunchier version. Simple, quick easy and satisfying the leftovers even taste great! Combined with a meal of deviled eggs, flaky cheddar biscuits and tomato soup, this was the perfect fresh dish. I used equal parts mayonnaise and  grainy Dijon mustard which added to the tangy punch. I don't think I have ever used tarragon in a recipe but after doing some potato salad research, I learned that it's a pretty standard herb to use.

Tangy Potato Salad

Ingredients:

3/4 lb mini Russet potatoes

3/4 lb mini Yukon potatoes

1 cup heirloom tomatoes, chopped

3 large celery stalks, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 handful fresh parsley

 2 teaspoons dried tarragon

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Ground pepper

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add potatoes, cover and reduce the heat to bring the water to a simmer for about 20-25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Drain and run with cold water to prevent potatoes from cooking more.

2. While potatoes are simmering, chop and mix the tomatoes, celery, green onions and parsley. In a separate smaller bowl make the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, tarragon and pepper.

3. When potatoes have cooled, chop and mix in with the tomato mixture. Add dressing and lightly toss just until it is evenly incorporated.

Veracruz Red Snapper

I took a half day at work recently to spend time with my Dad. After taking him to Macy's to get a pair of long over due blue jeans we made our way up to Columbus Circle and spent some time wandering the Williams Sonoma store in the Time Warner center. In the back of the store they were holding a cooking demo and dinner for a small private group of guests. Naturally we stopped and watched the greater part of the dinner being made and when they started serving the meal my Dad said a couple awkward comments to the guests about them giving him a sample and then we left. Anyways, I learned some important things about making tomato based sauces! An important tip is simply timing. When making these tomato based sauces it's important to let the sauce simmer for a very long time, that is how it thickens and gets that superb taste. I wanted to make a main course to go with the stuffed poblano peppers so I decided to make a Veracruz style red snapper. I found this recipe on epicurious.com and adapted it to make a thicker and more flavorful sauce. The sauce that I made for the fish would taste great with chicken or on a pizza with cheese! Shabbat Shalom everyone! Cheers to a Mexican Shabbat! Here is a picture of the sauce:

                           

Veracruz Red Snapper

Ingredients:

4 red snapper fillets

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, well drained, juices reserved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
5 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 small bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons oregano
1/3 cup chopped pitted green olives
1/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons drained capers

Directions:
1. Place drained tomatoes in medium bowl. Using the bottom of a jar, crush  the tomatoes to a coarse puree. Drain again, reserve all the juices.
2. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and stir 30 seconds. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add tomato puree and cook 1 minute. Add bay leaves, parsley, oregano, and 1/4 cup reserved tomato juices. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Add olives, raisins, capers, and all remaining reserved tomato juices. Simmer until sauce thickens again, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
3. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread 3 tablespoons sauce in bottom of 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange fish atop sauce. Sprinkle fish lightly with pepper. Spoon remaining sauce over. Bake uncovered until fish is just opaque in center, about 18 minutes. Using long spatula, transfer fish with sauce to plates.

Kale and Butternut Squash Minestrone Soup

I recently learned that for my 20 years of speaking, I have been mispronouncing "Minestrone." While sharing with colleagues what I was planning to cook for dinner I was informed that it is not pronounced "Min-estron-ee," but actually "Minestron." Either not a single friend or family member has ever corrected by Italian mispronunciations, or the entire West coast is with me in acknowledging the silent "e." Regardless, I was a bit embarrassed but still wanting to make the soup regardless of the silent or not "e." I have a lovely recipe from Alice Water's The Art of Simple Food cookbook which I adapted slightly and made for my Dad the first night of his visit. I have read a lot about Alice Water's and I have even been to Chez Panisse, but I have never tried cooking one of her recipes. This soup was delicious, seasonal, and healthy and I served it with my blue corn muffins. I had enough leftovers for two extra lunches and a dinner.

Kale and Butternut Squash Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

2 cans Cannellini beans

1/4 cup olive oil

2 1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped

2 1/2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

3 dried bay leaves

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

3 cups water

2 cups stewed tomatoes

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

1 large bunch kales, stems removed and roughly chopped

1/2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 large handful fresh dill, chopped

Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. In a big pot heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Add the bay leaves, rosemary, sage and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes more.

3. Add the chopped kale and tomato (add all the liquid too) and cook for another five minutes.

4. Add the 3 cups of water and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Add the sundried tomatoes and squash and beans and cook until the squash is tender, about 20-25 minutes, add in the fresh dill just before cooked. Serve with freshly grated cheese and enjoy!

Tomato Braised Lentils over Jasmine Rice

My boyfriend and I went over to our friends', Katie and John's, home for dinner a couple of nights ago. They are also fellow food enthusiasts and frequently cook at home. Katie made this recipe she found on the blog Not Eating Out in New York. Rather than serving this lentil stew over broccoli rabe as done in the recipe, Katie served over fragrant Jasmine rice. This meal landed right on the night of one of the worst snow storms our city has ever seen and it was the perfect warm comforting meal and followed by an equally delightful dessert. This lentil dish had a similar consistency to risotto because it follows a similar process of stirring slowly while adding more stock. Here is a picture of Katie and John taken a little while ago at the Brooklyn Brewery.

Tomato Braised Lentils over Jasmine Rice
 Not Eating Out in New York (Serves 3-4)

Ingredients:
1 large tomato, chopped
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1-2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot and saute onions until they are translucent, about 8 minutes over medium low heat
2. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute. Add the lentils, tomato paste and a splash of the stock. Increase heat to medium and stir occasionally until stock has been absorbed. Continue adding stock and stirring occasionally until the lentils are just tender, about 30 minutes.
3. Add the chopped tomato to the lentils and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the cream and butter, and taste for seasoning when warm. Serve over cooked Jasmine rice and enjoy!

Thank you Katie!

Baja California Pizza

A few days ago I went to my good friend Sarah at the City Bakery to celebrate hot chocolate month and over dose on sugar. We were talking about our weekends and she told me about this incredible pizza she had late one night in Brooklyn. It's not very often that someone tells me about something he or she ate and I immediately want to make it, but something about this combination set off a motivation in me and I went and got all the necessary ingredients. I wasn't sure what to title this pizza, it definitely has a Mexican influence with the ingredients, but it uses feta cheese which is more Greek, so I decided (actually my boyfriend) decided to call it Baja California Pizza. This pizza was delicious and I definitely want to make it again soon with a few adjustments! I used one can of beans, but I think it could have had more black bean sauce so perhaps 11/2 - 2 cans with more garlic, green onions etc and maybe some hot sauce! Also, I think grilled chicken or toasted corn kernels would also taste great on this! My boyfriend came up with the idea of crumbling blue corn tortilla chips on it! My cooking genius is obviously rubbing off on him ;)  We ate this pizza with tomato soup which was a great combination, even dipping the pizza in the soup tasted lovely. Next time, I think I will prepare pea soup to accompany it.

Baja California Pizza

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pizza dough

1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 heaping tablespoons of salsa

2 green onions, chopped

3 large garlic cloves

1 1/2 large tomatoes

1 large avocado

Feta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and roll out the dough to the shape of your pan. Drizzle with olive oil, poke all over with a fork and bake the crust for 7 minutes.

2. Meanwhile prepare the black bean sauce. In a food processor, pulse the black beans, salsa, green onions, and garlic all together. Pulse until evenly incorporated but not to a smooth sauce, the chunkiness makes it good! Spread the sauce generously over the pre-baked pizza crust.

                           

3. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the black bean sauce, then lay out the tomato slices. Bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes. Then put on the avocado slices over the tomatoes and make for another 3-4 minutes. We want the avocados to warm up but not brown. Cut and enjoy!!!

Stewed Tomatoes

While visiting my boyfriend's home I had the pleasure of trying one of his favorite dishes - stewed tomatoes. It's easy to understand why he likes this dish so much, it was delicious and definitely inspired me to bring this back to my tiny kitchen to replicate it for a comfort food dinner. Stewed tomatoes are essentially baked tomatoes and toasted bread, the amount and type of bread is completely up to personal preference so don't take this recipe as a strict one to follow. Feel free to use up whatever bread you have in the cupboard and as much or as little as you want! Since I don't have a toaster I made a mistake of thinking I could broil the bread for as long as I would toast it and it wasn't until my boyfriend exclaimed "Is something burning!?" that  I had a Cher in Clueless moment and took out a pan of charred black bread from the oven. So if you are planning to broil your bread then broil it on low for about 45 seconds per a side. I definitely attribute the deliciousness of this to his mother's home canned tomatoes from her garden. Below is a picture of one of the two jars we got to take back to NY.

                              

Here is a picture of her stewed tomatoes! The first I ever tried. Made with love and no strict recipe, stewed tomatoes are a dish you can definitely be flexible with.

                            

Stewed Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 quart of canned tomatoes
8 thick slices of whole wheat Italian rustic bread
2 teaspoons sugar
butter

Directions:
1. Toast the bread until golden brown on both sides. Spread both sides of the toast with butter.
2. Pour the canned tomatoes into a glass baking dish. Break apart the toasted bread and mix it into the bowl of tomatoes using a fork to evenly incorporate the bread. Sprinkle the sugar on top.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees; bake the dish until it is heated through and slightly bubbly on top, about 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

Spicy Tomato Soup

Tomato soup with grilled cheese is one of my favorite comfort food combinations. It reminds me of the being a kid in the summer. I had a bunch of left over tomatoes from the last batch at the farmers market and it was cold night so I wanted something warm. This soup tasted fantastic I just wish I had had some good bread to go with it and dip in it! It's healthy and I didn't add any salt so it's sodium free! Beware readers; this soup packs a lot of heat on the spiciness factor. I used one Habanero pepper but for the uninitiated, a tiny piece can cause prolonged suffering. The parmesan offsets it a bit, but simply omit the pepper if you want to have a non-spicy soup.

Spicy Tomato Soup

(Makes 2 bowls)

Ingredients:

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 white onion, chopped

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 Habanero pepper, minced
1/3 cup soy milk
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:
1. In a pot, over medium heat, saute the garlic and onion in the olive oil until the onion is translucent and the garlic is golden. Add in the tomatoes, pepper, milk and remaining olive oil and bring to a simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it is thickened and warm to eat.

Spicy Sauteed Tilapia with Kalamata Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

I remember the first time I had tilapia. I was on the coast of Jaffa, Israel with my Dad in 2005. We had just had an active day of walking around in Tel Aviv and were meeting his friends at an open air seafood restaurant overlooking the sea. I remember thinking that "Gasp! The menu didn't have salmon!" Salmon was the one fish I was really comfortable with until a few years ago. So I ordered tilapia which was served grilled in the whole fish form with a garlicky sauce and parsley. Since then, I have tried many more kinds of fish and I've found preferred ways to cook and eat each of the different kinds. I was thrilled to find this recipe by Candida Sportiello, chef at IL Giardino restaurant on epicurious.com. I changed it up a bit because I'm a fan of turning of the spiciness and increasing the garlic as it is probably my favorite ingredient of all time. I was looking for a main course for an Italian dinner and I thought the freshness of this dish would be perfect with the richness of the Eggplant Rolls. The two dishes complimented each other quite nicely.

Spicy Sauteed Tilapia with Kalamata Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 lbs tilapia

2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon dried crush red pepper

4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup Kalamata olives, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Sprinkle tilapia with crushed red pepper and saute just until it is opaque in the center, about 4 minutes. You may need to do this in two batches if you have more fish than pan space. Place the fish on a platter.

2. Add parsley and crushed red pepper to the same pan and saute for one minute. Then add the tomatoes, olives and garlic and saute until the tomatoes are juicy, about 2 minutes. Season with pepper and add over the fish.

This would go wonderfully with some rustic Italian bread!

Eggplant Rolls with Spicy Tomato Sauce

I bought a large, gorgeous, purple eggplant at the farmers market and I wasn't sure what to do with it. I'll be the first to finish baba ganoush or eggplant parmesan but I haven't cooked with this fruit that we call a vegetable. In search of the perfect recipe, I landed upon this recipe on epicurious.com. I changed the recipe to make a more flavorful filling and of course a spicier tomato sauce. I thoroughly enjoyed making this appetizer as it looks elegant and tastes great! This was also a great excuse to rock my Emeril Lagasse double stove top ridged grill pan! Rolling the eggplant was fun because it looked quite cute and put together at the end. I realize that there is a lot of possibility for variation. I was having two friends over for dinner and I was trying to stick to an Italian theme. One eggplant made about 8 rolls! Be cautious to not cut the eggplant too thin as the strips will tear when you try to roll them. Some ideas of items to add to future eggplant rolls include Italian sausage, mozzarella, or thin slices of shawarma!! YUM YUM YUM :)

Eggplant Rolls with Spicy Tomato Sauce

(Makes 8 rolls)

Ingredients:

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon olive oil (for sauce), plus about 6 more tablespoons of olive oil

1 1/2 lbs plum tomatoes (about 5), chopped

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 large eggplant

1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta cheese

1/2 cup parmesan, finely grated

1/3 cup basil finely chopped

Black pepper

Directions:

Sauce:

1. Cook 3 minced garlic cloves, dried pepper flakes in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat, stirring until the garlic is fragrant and turning gold, about 30 seconds.

2. Add the tomatoes and sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20-25 minutes.

Eggplant Rolls:

1. Heat grill pan over high heat until hot.

2. Peel the skin from the eggplant and cut 1/3 inch thick slices of the eggplant, lengthwise. Place the eggplant strips on a pan or plate and brush both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper.

3. Grill the slices in batches, turning over once, until golden brown and tender with grill marks, about 5 minutes. Transfer these to a tray or pan.

4. Mix together the parmesan, ricotta, basil, pepper and remaining garlic. Spread the cheese mixture on the slices, leaving a 1/3 inch tip at each end of the eggplant.

5. Roll up the slices of eggplant and serve with spicy tomato sauce. YUM!!

Tomato Pie

My good friend has been talking about his mother's tomato pie for ages. I finally got to try some of this deliciousness on a recent visit and it was indeed delicious! I got her original recipe and have wanted to make it. This was the last weekend of large, plump, luscious tomatoes at our local farmer's market so I seized the opportunity to make my own adapted version of this famed Southern dish. Tomato pie originated on the coast of South Carolina and everyone has their own version but the basic ingredients of pie crust, tomatoes and cheese have stayed constant. I would love to try this again and use sweet onions or green onions. It's perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Tomato Pie

(Makes one 9 inch pie tin)

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts

4 large ripe tomatoes

1 cup grated mozzarella

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar

1 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups chopped basil

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Thaw the pie crusts and roll them together to form one large ball. Adding some flour, roll it out on a floured surface into one large sheet. Place over a deep dish 9 inch pie pan crimping the edges to make a nice pie crust. You will most likely not need all the pie dough. Heat the pie crust in the oven for about 7 minutes or just until the bottom starts to bubble.

3. Slice the tomatoes and place on a paper towel to let drain for 10 minutes.

4. Put 1/2 cup grated mozzarella on the bottom of the pie crust. Layer the tomato slices over lapping just until slightly below the top of the pie tin. Layer on the grated cheddar and the other 1/2 cup grated mozzarella.

5. In a bowl combine the mayonnaise, garlic, parmesan and basil. Layer this mixture on top of the cheese covering the entire pie top.

6. Bake in the over for about 35 minutes, just until the top is slightly golden and bubbly.