when nick's away... it's eggplant time!

My darling husband is away, at an education conference in Athens (poor him), leaving me home alone for five days with our little bundle of joy. This means I need to eat well to keep up my strength! I've been doing this by making some of my old favorites that aren't necessarily Nick's favorites, like my bow-tie pasta salad with bresaola and my pregnancy go-to sweet potato stir fry. Tonight, still dreaming of an eggplant dish we had last weekend at ASD's annual progressive dinner, I set out to make something delicious out of a vegetable that Nick eats only under duress. And it was so, so, SOOOOO delicious that I am thinking about making it again for him when he comes home!

Warning: Multiple steps ahead. But it was so worth it!


Baked Eggplant with Goat Cheese, Spinach, and Red Wine Tomato Sauce

First, prepare the eggplant:
Slice the eggplants (note: I used three small-sized eggplants) into rounds just under 1 inch thick. Place them on a baking pan and sprinkle generously with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes and blot dry. Flip, salt again, and let stand for another 20 minutes before blotting again. Turn on the broiler with a rack around 4-6 inches below the heat. Brush both sides of the eggplant rounds with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit more salt and some pepper. Pop them in the oven and brown one side (about 10 minutes), then flip the rounds and brown the other side (for about the same amount of time).

In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce:
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
2 small onions, finely minced (I cut one large white onion, for about 1.5 cups)
2 small bay leaves
1/2 t dried thyme
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried savory (instead I put in 1 t dried sage and 1/2 t dried basil)
a generous pinch of red pepper flakes
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 c dry red wine
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes in puree
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a wide skillet. Add the onions, herbs, and pepper flakes and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes. Add the garlic during the last few minutes. Raise the heat, add the wine and 1/2 cup water, and simmer until reduced by half, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 35 minutes. Taste for salt (I didn't add any extra) and season with pepper (yes please!).

Deborah writes: "Use this as seasoning as well as a sauce. Stir a spoonful into hearty grain dishes, serve with herb-crusted tofu and lentil and caramelized onion croquettes, or toss with pasta and chickpeas for a substantial cold weather pasta."

Once the eggplant and sauce are done, you're ready to assemble the dish and bake!

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray an 11x13 glass pan with olive oil. Pour some of the tomato sauce into the pan, enough to coat the bottom. Place the eggplant rounds in one layer in the pan. Spoon additional sauce (you probably won't use it all) onto each of the rounds. Then place steamed spinach (I was generous with this) on the top of the sauce. Last, cut chunks of goat cheese (I used about 5 oz) to place on the top of each round, followed by generous amounts of shredded mozzarella (I used about 1 1/2 cups). Bake, covered, on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove cover, raise the rack to the highest mark, and broil the cheese until it begins to brown (around 3 minutes). Finally, eat and enjoy!


Recipes modified from Deborah Madison (2007), Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, "Red Wine Tomato Sauce" and "Eggplant Rounds with Cheese and Red Wine Tomato Sauce."

a delectable "spicy, nutty" chutney with grilled shrimp

Ahem. Well, nothing like a pregnancy and the birth of one's first child to make one drop off the face of the blogosphere for a year!

Over the summer, our little angel Graham got into a pretty good bedtime routine, wherein he is normally asleep by 7:30 pm and wakes up for the day some time around 8 am (with one early-morning feeding, and merciful returning-to-sleep, before that). Once he started doing this, we started being able to have a normal dining life again, one in which we can actually cook AND eat what we've cooked, all at once! Even throw in a glass of wine in there if we want! All this means that, for the two weeks we've been back in Doha, we've used our takeout menus only twice -- not bad. :)

Of course, we have done some good cooking over the past year, and luckily I did keep notes on some excellent recipes that I will post (backdated, of course, I'm OCD like that). And I have been doing a lot of BABY FOOD MAKING, which I'll have to highlight at some point too. But just to kick things off, here's the recipe for a fantastic chutney we made tonight, paired with shrimp (marinated in olive oil, lime juice, garlic, and salt, then pan-fried in olive oil) and homemade garlic bread. Nevermind that it took me TWO trips to the grocery store to get all the necessary ingredients (luckily it's only a 10-min round trip!). Nick and I agree that it was worth it.


Spiced Pistachio Chutney

Ruth writes, "Keep this nutty, spicy condiment in mind--it is also delicious with almost any grilled seafood or chicken."

Ingredients:
1 (8-oz) container plain whole yogurt
1/2 c unsalted shelled pistachios, toasted
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t olive oil
4 jalapeno chiles, coarsely chopped (note: I took the seeds out -- and it was fairly mild, so perhaps try a few seeds next time...?)
1 c loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs
1 T lime juice
kosher salt

Drain the yogurt: Put yogurt into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl (I used the yogurt container) and drain.

Marinate the shrimp (or whatever else you are using).

Make the chutney: Finely grind pistachios in blender. (I kept grinding a bit too long and turned my fine grind into pistachio nut butter -- oops! Luckily it still blended in well, thanks to my awesome new food processor.) Cook coriander and cumin in oil in a small heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes; cool. Combine chiles, drained yogurt, coriander mixture, and cilantro in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add lime juice, pistachios, and salt to taste -- puree to finish.

Notes: The chutney can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated, covered.

Recipe (slightly modified) from Ruth Reichl, ed., Gourmet Today: More Than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen (2009), "Grilled Shrimp Sate with Spiced Pistachio Chutney."

zucchini, anyone?

Just pretend that we lived in a place where we could choose to eat locally grown food at seasonally appropriate times. There would be a time of the season when we would be inundated with zucchini -- more zucchini than we would know what to do with. I'm already aware of the delectable ability of zucchini to pair with chocolate in zucchini chocolate chip cookies, breads, and cupcakes. Yet there's only so much dessert one can handle before you start beating yourself over the head with one of those massive and overabundant zucchinis. And sauteed zucchini (in pastas, for example) or grilled zucchini (as a burger side) aren't really my thing. So what to do?

Well, tonight's dinner may have permanently solved the zucchini problem -- still pretending that we have such a thing over here in Doha. Nick and I took one bite and had to forcibly restrain ourselves from more until a picture was taken -- "for the list!!", as Nick gasped. The salsa verde is ridiculously good. You would never know it was zucchini. Granted, the recipe made waaaaaaay too much, but we're planning an impromtu enchilada night just because this salsa is too good to waste. And the zucchini fritters were amazing -- topped with a baby spinach salad, with no need for the "green goddess" dressing (mostly mayo) that Bon Appetit suggests as accompaniment. Incredible how good healthy food can taste!


Zucchini Fritters with Baby Spinach Salad

For the fritters:
1 1/2 lbs medium zucchini (5 to 6), trimmed
1 1/2 t coarse kosher salt, divided
6 1/2 T all purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c beer
1 4-ounce package soft fresh goat cheese, coarsely crumbled, chilled (note: we used a sun-dried tomato and basil goat cheese -- YUM)
1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad topping:
3 1/2 cups (lightly packed) baby spinach
chopped fresh scallions
chopped fresh parsley
dried dill
Ranch dressing (fat-free was fine)

Using large holes on box grater, coarsely grate zucchini into large colander. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon coarse salt over and toss to coat evenly. Place colander over large bowl. Let zucchini stand 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Press on zucchini to release as much liquid as possible. Empty zucchini into kitchen towel. Roll up to enclose and squeeze dry.

Whisk flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt in medium bowl to blend. Mix in beer. Scrape zucchini from towel into bowl; stir to coat evenly (batter will be thick). Mix in cheese. If there is time, you can refrigerate at this step (I chilled it for ~2.5 hours).

Heat 1/3 cup oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Working in batches, flatten 1/4 cupful of batter to 3-inch rounds and drop into skillet. Sauté until brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil as needed. Note: Can rewarm in 375°F oven 5 to 6 minutes.

Place spinach in large bowl. Add chopped and dried herbs (as much as you want). Toss with a small amount of Ranch dressing (just enough to coat). Place fritters on plates. Top with mound of baby spinach salad.


Recipe modified from Ian Knauer, "Tender Zucchini Fritters with Green Goddess Dressing," August 2010 issue of Bon Appetit.


White Fish with Zucchini Salsa Verde

Ingredients:
10 oz zucchini (about 2 medium), trimmed, chopped
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 c chopped white onion
5-6 T fresh lime juice (about 3 limes)
1 1/4 t finely grated lime peel (about 2 limes)
2 1/2 T chopped seeded jalapeño chiles
2 1/4 t coarse kosher salt, divided
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
ground coriander
skinless whitefish fillets (halibut, cod, sherry)

Combine zucchini, chopped cilantro, onion, lime juice and zest, and jalapeño in blender. (Note: I had to do this in two batches.) Add 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt. Puree until salsa is smooth, adding a small amount of water if needed. (Also try shaking the blender back and forth, gently.) Transfer to small bowl. Cover; chill.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick pan. Rinse fish and pat dry. Combine pepper, coriander, and coarse salt in small bowl. Sprinkle fish on all sides with seasoning mixture. Pan fry until fish is just opaque in the center (time depends on thickness), flipping once.

Transfer fish to plates. Spoon some salsa over.


Recipe modified from Ian Knauer, "Halibut with Zucchini Salsa Verde," August 2010 issue of Bon Appetit.

disastrous lasagna, part 2

After the previous disaster, I thought I vetted this lasagna recipe pretty well -- yes, it did use the weird "no-cook" lasagna noodles again, but the ingredients were so yummy -- leeks, shiitake mushrooms, and asparagus, who could not love that?

::sigh::

As Nick says, "Lasagna is the landfill of pastas." Granted, he admitted that this version was edible/decent -- in fact he liked it better than ricotta/spinach/tomato versions -- but I thought it was bland and unimpressive. Plus it looks like sh!t on a plate, does it not? And it didn't even heat up well as leftovers for the next day's lunch -- the final straw! Abort! Abort!

Just for posterity's sake...


Lasagna with Asparagus, Leeks, and Mushrooms

Ingredients:
2 T butter, divided
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced (about 2 c)
1 lb thick asparagus spears, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces
5 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, coarsely chopped [can also use fresh morels]
2 t chopped fresh thyme
3 1/2 c low-salt chicken broth [I used vegetable broth]
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1 bay leaf
2 T all purpose flour
3/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 9-oz package no-cook lasagna noodles (12 noodles)
1 1/4 c (about) finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks; cook until wilted, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Add asparagus, mushrooms, and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; sauté until asparagus is crisp-tender, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add to bowl with leeks and toss to distribute evenly. Add broth, cream, and bay leaf to same skillet and boil over high heat until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle flour over and whisk to blend. Boil until sauce thickens, about 1 minute, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in nutmeg; discard bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Vegetables and sauce can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat four 2-cup shallow oval or round baking dishes with nonstick spray. [Note: I didn't have these dishes so I just made the lasagna in two 8x8 pans.] Break off corners of noodles to fit flatly into dishes. Spoon 1/4 cup sauce into each dish. Place 1 noodle atop sauce. Scatter 1/4 cup vegetable mixture over, spreading in even layer. Drizzle 2 tablespoons sauce over. Sprinkle rounded tablespoonful cheese over each. Repeat layering 2 more times with noodles, vegetables, sauce, and cheese. Drizzle remaining sauce over lasagnas.

Cover each dish tightly with foil. Place on rimmed baking sheet and bake until noodles are tender, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese begins to brown, about 6 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Ivy Manning (for Bon Appetit, April 2010), "Lasagna with Asparagus, Leeks, and Morels."

roasted tomato curry coconut soup with shrimp and peas... the winner!

Apparently our federal government is getting into the nutritional kick, with the first "Feds Get Fit" cook-off that showcased government workers creating dishes a la Top Chef for a panel of judges -- which included my favorite, Carla Hall!

Since Carla loved the winning soup, I think it's a recipe worth hanging onto. Hopefully we'll make it soon...!


Roasted Tomato Curry Coconut Soup with Shrimp and Peas

Ingredients:
2 lb tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges
2 T olive oil
1 ½ t plus 1 T curry powder
1 large onion, diced (about 2 c)
½ t crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 t freshly ground nutmeg
¼ t ground cinnamon
14.5 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, with juices
1 quart (4 c) low-sodium chicken stock (vegetable stock can be substituted)
¾ c light coconut milk
1 lb shrimp, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 c frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped peanuts to garnish (optional)
Serve with brown basmati rice (optional)

*NOTE: This recipe can be adapted for vegetarians by omitting the shrimp and using vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock. Tofu, steamed cauliflower, or red beans can be added instead of the shrimp.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place wedges of tomatoes on a baking sheet. Toss tomato wedges with salt, pepper, 1 T olive oil and 1 ½ t of curry powder. Roast tomatoes in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

About 10 minutes before taking the tomatoes out of the oven, heat the remaining 1 T of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, crushed red pepper flakes, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the heated olive oil and cook until the onions are translucent (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Take the roasted tomatoes out of the oven and add them to the pot with the cooked onions and spices. For maximum flavor, pour some of the chicken stock (about 1 c) onto the roasting pan, scrape off the brown bits that have formed on the pan, and add this liquid to the soup pot. Add the canned tomatoes, with juices, to the pot. Stir to incorporate.

Add the chicken stock to the pot. (If you used some chicken stock to scrape the pan earlier, add the remaining 3 cups. If you did not use any chicken stock earlier, add all 4 cups now). Stir to incorporate. Add the coconut milk to the pot. Stir to incorporate. Add the remaining 1 T curry powder to the pot. Stir to incorporate.

Bring the soup up to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blender, or food mill, process the soup until almost smooth and return blended soup to pot (if using an immersion blender, the soup would simply remain in the pot). Some pieces of tomato and onion should remain for texture. If using a standard blender, process the hot liquid in small batches to prevent soup from splattering out of the blender and burning you.

Turn heat back on and return blended soup to a simmer. Add chopped shrimp to the soup.

Cook shrimp in simmering soup for about 3-4 minutes, until the shrimp are opaque. Do not overcook! Add frozen peas and cook for 1 minute longer.

Turn off the heat.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with chopped peanuts (if desired). Serve with brown basmati rice on the side (if desired).

Recipe from Melissa A. Knoll, "Roasted Tomato Curry Coconut Soup with Shrimp and Peas."

Photo credit:
Melissa and judge Robyn Webb, Aline Mays

Melissa, Robyn, and Carla Hall, Aline Mays

expand your mind, embrace cilantro!

Cilantro is one of our absolute favorite herbs. It's a staple in our lives -- I buy it fresh almost every week from the store (and yes, one of these days I'll actually grow it in our very own herb garden), and it's essential to many of our favorite dishes. Just last night, we returned from a late-night party quite ravenous and enjoyed a breakfast waffle, topped with fresh cilantro -- and this morning we enjoyed more in our breakfast burritos! Even just the smell of fresh cilantro being minced on a cutting board is enough to make me salivate. How can anyone hate this delicious herb with such a distinctive smell and taste?

A small but vocal minority, apparently, can hate it -- including such culinary luminaries as Julia Child and Fabio from Top Chef. The New York Times just did an article on why some people hate cilantro, mainly focusing on the fact that its aroma stems from aldehyde fat molecules that have strong similarities to aldehydes from soap, lotions, and insects. So does me loving cilantro mean that I secretly want to turn over a log in the woods and have a feast on what's beneath? (Or swear loudly enough to have someone wash my mouth out with soap?) Not so, says the Times -- it all has to do with creating patterns in your brain that associate the flavor with enjoyable and familiar food experiences. Although I didn't grow up with cilantro-sprinkled dishes, I've had enough enjoyable experiences at Mexican restaurants with my south-of-the-border-obsessed husband that my mind has created quite a distinction between cilantro and noshing on soaps and bugs.

With that analysis in mind, I would implore all people who find themselves on the cilantro-hating side (or even balanced precariously on the fence) to try to expand your brain patterns and embrace what is an absolutely fantastic ingredient. Here are some options to try, from our favorite cilantro-infused dishes:

Cilantro Pesto (please note that the Times recommends cilantro pesto as "lotion-free and surprisingly mild" -- a good place to start reshaping your brain patterns!)

Mahi-Mahi Lettuce Wraps

Shrimp Tacos

Black Bean and Shiitake Mushroom Burgers

Guacamole

Cilantro Slaw and Fish Marinade

Breakfast Tacos

Mexican Lasagna

Pinto Bean Falafel

Marinated Tuna with Fresh Salsa

Raw Corn and Cashew Soup

Bean Dips

Nachos

Bean and Cheese Taquitos


Photo credit:
I Love Cilantro, Cafe Press

girls' night with gaby!

Another great girls' night, in the books!

The impetus for our latest get-together was Gaby's return to Doha, for a brief vacation visit with her family. We were originally thinking about trying out Saffron Lounge, a new Indian restaurant by a Michelin-starred chef in Cultural Village, but considering the village project is delayed and they only had a set (delicious, yet a bit pricey) menu to offer us, we decided to save it for another day and instead chose Isaan, the Thai restaurant in the Grand Hyatt.

Now, you might be fooled by the online reservation form -- but no, despite appearances, Doha is still not able to handle requests made online, no matter what the website says. Once we got past the initial "I'm sorry ma'am, but we have no reservation for you, and our restaurant is very full tonight"/"I have seven people coming and you WILL make a table for me"/"Okay ma'am", we had a very nice experience! The lighting and decor are lovely, and the menu is perfectly sized for our petite appetites. Nevermind the "helpful" server who suggests that each person order 3-4 tapas -- that would have merely doubled our bill and provided an awful lot of leftovers for Gaby to take home for the party tomorrow... hmmmm, maybe that would have been a good thing... But anyway, we had fantastic food -- some favorites included my shrimp cakes with plum sauce, Mia's braised chicken, Whalin's coconut green curry beef, Sabrina's duck curry sauce, and Nikhi's papaya salad -- and all for a very reasonable ~80 riyals a person! Now that's my type of girls' night -- and a perfect welcome back "home" to Gaby :)