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Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Purple glut


Ideas?

These aubergines (eggplant, brinjals, melanzane) were at the farmers market. I associate them with summer. What to do? They are so beautiful that they must be bought.

Moussaka is a good choice - sliced and layered for long, slow wintery cooking. Then there is roasting in the oven, skin and all, to turn out the creamy pulp, and mix it with tahini and lemon juice for babaganoush.  But what else? Slit, hollowed, stuffed with browned ground lamb, sumac, honey and cinnamon, and baked for an hour, served with buttery basmati.  Sweated in salt, dry-fried and topped with a sticky sauce of soy, garlic, ginger and chile. Baked whole, split open at the last moment, and topped with a thick, garlicky yogurt and a sprinkle of salt.

Surely it is too late for ratatouille?

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9 comments:

  1. donnaNovember 15, 2011 at 10:54 AM

    oooh, i like the Sweated in salt, dry-fried and topped with a sticky sauce of soy, garlic, ginger and chile."

    you can make another "salad" by cooking with the same method, but then go for the italian twist with EVOO, sherry or red wine vinegar, crushed garlic, capers, and chopped parsley. even my non-commital-eggplant-eating friends eat this.

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  2. flwrjaneNovember 15, 2011 at 12:50 PM

    You already had me with the apple porn, now you continue with eggplant?

    Shame on you.

    xoJ.

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  3. JaneNovember 15, 2011 at 1:07 PM

    Slice quite thickly, mix crushed garlic into olive oil and paint onto slices, put under hot grill until browned both sides. When done, sprinkle with good balsamic. Great as as a side dish or in a baguette with other interesting things. Also good chopped into a salad or to add a smoky zing to a tomato sauce for pasta.

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  4. jelliNovember 15, 2011 at 2:38 PM

    Never too late... :)

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  5. AnonymousNovember 15, 2011 at 3:42 PM

    caponata

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  6. PrithaNovember 15, 2011 at 4:29 PM

    Baigan Bharta!

    roast eggplant
    chop some onion fine
    diced tomatoes (I use diced ones from cans this time of year)
    mustard oil, to taste
    chaat masala, to taste
    chopped cilantro ( I like lots. to your taste)
    lemon

    scoop roasted eggplant flesh out from burnt skins, toss in bowl. no worries if some burned skin bits find their way into the bowl. add chopped onions, tomatoes. add chaat masala. mix, gently. add mustard oil, lemon, cilantro. mix again. taste. make stronger if you like.

    excellent with toasted naan points; chopped boiled potatoes & himalayan salt; as a driver for an autumn salads plate; a spoon and a bitter beer.

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  7. webbNovember 15, 2011 at 5:12 PM

    Only starting ratatouille season around here. It's definitely a winter staple, but then we eat a bit less locally than you.

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  8. Bonbon OiseauNovember 15, 2011 at 11:12 PM

    Ha! I just bought so e tonight to make a beautiful simple recipe from ottolenghi in London...Aubergines with Buttermilk and Pomegranate: preheat the oven to 400, slice these babies lengthwise thru the stalk, cut some deep slits diamond style in the flesh, brush with olive oil, s and p and roast, flesh side up for about 35-40 min. or until flesh is soft, flavorful and well-browned. Meanwhile, my dear, bang the seeds out of a pomegranate, and whip up a sauce of about a cup of buttermilk, a half cup of plain Greek yogurt, 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil, one small crushed garlic clove and some sea salt and black pepper. To serve, lay the halves on a plate, spoon over lots of sauce, sprinkle on lots of pomegranate seeds and some za'atar and some sprigs of thyme. Soooooooo beautiful and good. And easy. Oxoxoxox

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  9. MarieNovember 16, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    Wonderful ideas! Thank you so much. Should do an eggplant extravaganza post.

    Bonbon - that has to be the most loved eggplant dish of 2011!

    http://66squarefeet.blogspot.com/2011/01/dinner-at-lilys.html

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