The Cutest Little Eggplant You Ever Did See
Dear Kitchen,
I am home. I am sorry that I have strayed for the glamour of dining out. While trying new restaurants and cuisines has been wonderful, I have missed thee. Have no fear, I am back. Well...that is until I move in 3 weeks.
Last Friday was graduation from culinary school! I have completed all of the written exams and the cooking tests; I have sliced, diced, tourned, concassed, poached, braised and practiced most every culinary term on the planet in the name of "natural food." As I have said before, I am well on my way to becoming the vegetarian queen of the culinary world (in my own head of course). The ceremony was sentimental and bitter-sweet. While I am excited to have my life back and to begin a new chapter, I have no idea of what to do with my newly-rediscovered free time and I will miss my classmates each and every day. Maybe I will find out what sleeping in feels like for a change! Or, more likely, I will find 10 new things to fill my time with. Either way, I am a free agent in the culinary scene. Giggity, giggity!
Anyhoo, the morning after the ceremony, my family and I stopped at the Greenmarket before heading to see a movie. I didn't really have any intentions of getting anything. That was until I saw them - the most adorable baby eggplants EVER. They were so petite and looked so scrumptious. I simply couldn't resist buying some. Afterwards, when I was carrying around a pound of baby eggplant in the deathly heat, I might have second-guessed myself, but only for an instant. When I got home that night, all I could think about was what I would create with these eggplants. They were too beautiful to chop up into ratatouille. Too small to stuff and call an entree (but they would have been the bomb as appetizers!). In the end, I decided on a Thai/Asian preparation of broiling them and serving them with a satay-style sauce. They were beautiful and delicious, maintaining their integrity and novelty. I served them with Coconut Basmatti Rice (recipe already posted) and Garlic Spinach. Check out the recipes below:
Broiled Thai-Style Baby Eggplant: Yields 4 Servings
1 lb baby eggplant, halved lengthwise
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp tamari
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
Coconut-Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup coconut milk
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 small jalapeno, minced
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp tamari
1 Tbsp chiffonaded basil
Garlic Spinach: Yields 4 Servings
2 Tbsp canola oil or coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz spinach, washed and dried
pinch of crushed red pepper flake
1 Tbsp tamari
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sweat for 1 minute, or until translucent and fragrant. Add spinach and crushed red pepper and cook until just wilted. Stir in tamari and serve immediately.
Hope you enjoy this Thai-style meal! It was super simple and didn't require too many crazy ingredients. Next week, I hope to make my own version of the graduation meal we had last Friday. There might be some other cooking adventures this week, what with my new-found time off. If so, I will definitely keep you posted! Until then, happy eating!
I am home. I am sorry that I have strayed for the glamour of dining out. While trying new restaurants and cuisines has been wonderful, I have missed thee. Have no fear, I am back. Well...that is until I move in 3 weeks.
Last Friday was graduation from culinary school! I have completed all of the written exams and the cooking tests; I have sliced, diced, tourned, concassed, poached, braised and practiced most every culinary term on the planet in the name of "natural food." As I have said before, I am well on my way to becoming the vegetarian queen of the culinary world (in my own head of course). The ceremony was sentimental and bitter-sweet. While I am excited to have my life back and to begin a new chapter, I have no idea of what to do with my newly-rediscovered free time and I will miss my classmates each and every day. Maybe I will find out what sleeping in feels like for a change! Or, more likely, I will find 10 new things to fill my time with. Either way, I am a free agent in the culinary scene. Giggity, giggity!
Anyhoo, the morning after the ceremony, my family and I stopped at the Greenmarket before heading to see a movie. I didn't really have any intentions of getting anything. That was until I saw them - the most adorable baby eggplants EVER. They were so petite and looked so scrumptious. I simply couldn't resist buying some. Afterwards, when I was carrying around a pound of baby eggplant in the deathly heat, I might have second-guessed myself, but only for an instant. When I got home that night, all I could think about was what I would create with these eggplants. They were too beautiful to chop up into ratatouille. Too small to stuff and call an entree (but they would have been the bomb as appetizers!). In the end, I decided on a Thai/Asian preparation of broiling them and serving them with a satay-style sauce. They were beautiful and delicious, maintaining their integrity and novelty. I served them with Coconut Basmatti Rice (recipe already posted) and Garlic Spinach. Check out the recipes below:
Broiled Thai-Style Baby Eggplant: Yields 4 Servings1 lb baby eggplant, halved lengthwise
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp tamari
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
Coconut-Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup coconut milk
1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 small jalapeno, minced
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp tamari
1 Tbsp chiffonaded basil
- Heat broiler. Place eggplant halves cut-side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and tamari; sprinkle with garlic. Broil until tender and golden, about 4 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.
- When eggplant is done, plate topped with the sauce and chopped peanuts.
Garlic Spinach: Yields 4 Servings
2 Tbsp canola oil or coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz spinach, washed and dried
pinch of crushed red pepper flake
1 Tbsp tamari
Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sweat for 1 minute, or until translucent and fragrant. Add spinach and crushed red pepper and cook until just wilted. Stir in tamari and serve immediately.
Hope you enjoy this Thai-style meal! It was super simple and didn't require too many crazy ingredients. Next week, I hope to make my own version of the graduation meal we had last Friday. There might be some other cooking adventures this week, what with my new-found time off. If so, I will definitely keep you posted! Until then, happy eating!
Comments
Post a Comment