Repurposing Basil, Part IV (Mediterranean Roasted Eggplant & Barley Salad)

Another way I’ve been using basil lately is simply to substitute it for other herbs. In recipes like this one, the zing of the basil works well with the yummy roasted & earthy flavors. This started as an Epicurious recipe:

1 1/2 pound eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 bunch chopped scallions

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 1/4 cups pearl barley (8 oz)

1 3/4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

3/4 cup water

juice of a 2 lemons

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/3 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and halved

1/4 cup diced red onion, optional

1 1/2 c. chopped basil

Preheat oven to 425. Toss eggplant and zucchini with 2 tbsp. oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread in single layer in two shallow pans. Roast 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are turning golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer all vegetables to one pan to cool.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute scallions, cumin, coriander, and cayenne for 1 minute. Add barley and saute for 2 minutes longer, until barley is well-covered in the mixture. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes and empty the barley into the now-empty baking pan to cool further.

Whisk together lemon juice, garlic, sugar, salt & pepper to taste, and 1/2 tbsp. oil in a large serving bowl. Add barley, roasted vegetables, and remaining ingredients. Toss to coat. Serve at room temperature. (You can make it ahead and refrigerate it, but it really needs to be served at room temperature.)

 

Technorati Tags: recipes,vegetarian

Egg[plant] Man (Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes)

I love me some eggplant.

I have a hard time pinpointing exactly when I fell in love with those tasty purple critters, but I’ll use just about any excuse to cook with them now. One my the recipes that the Sweet Partner in Crime requests for special occasions is my Eggplant Parmesan, which I make from scratch. Yummy.

Today, though, we’ve got a more Middle Eastern take. This recipe takes a little time to put together, but a good chunk of the cooking time is hands-off, so you can find other things to do while you’re putting it together. This is my take on a recipe from a recent issue of Food & Wine. Here’s what you’ll need:

2 small eggplants (1 3/4 pounds)

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin

Pinch of cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

juice from 1 lemon

Get a good, heavy pot. Prick the eggplants on all sides with a fork. Put the pot over medium-low heat, add the eggplant, cover and cook. (Yes, you read that right. Nothing in the pot but the eggplant.) Cook for about 40 minutes, turning a couple of times, until the outside is charred and the inside is soft.

When cooked, transfer the eggplants to a colander. Cut a lengthwise slit in each and allow them to drain for 10-15 minutes, or until the eggplants are cool enough to handle. Cut the eggplants in half and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Take a mashing utensil (potato masher, bottom of a glass, phone book) and pulverize the eggplant.

Put the pot back on the stove and heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium heat. Add the eggplant mush, garlic, and spices. Cook until most of the water has evaporated and the tomatoes start to break down – 10-15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the herbs and lemon juice. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes or so. While this is simmering, make the couscous. Plate it up and chow down.

If you’re looking for a wine pairing with this, a red from the Rhone region of France is a good bet. I opened a nice Chateauneuf-de-Pape with it, but a good Cotes du Rhone would do nicely.

    

 

 

 

"...which is also a town." (Roasted eggplant and mushroom salad with pine nuts)

 

The Sweet Partner in Crime didn't teach me that a salad by itself could be a full meal.

I used to do this all the time back in the day. Stop by Kroger on the way back to my Lexington bachelor pad, snag a bag of greens, some tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, usually some deli meat and whatever else struck my fancy. Bring it home, chop up everything, throw it in with the lettuce, add some Italian dressing, mix well. Take bowl in front of television. Mindlessly eat.

You know, general bachelor cooking.

No, what the SPinC taught me was a salad by itself could be a really good meal.

We had gorgeous weather yesterday. The day before was nice, but it felt like a warm day in the middle of a cold snap. Yesterday felt like spring. I saw things popping out of the ground, a few crocuses blooming -- good stuff. I needed to cook something outside. I just didn't want anything heavy. I found an old Gourmet magazine (I only read it for the pictures, really!) while I going through a stack of magazines, and it happened to be an issue with an article on grilling. I found this fascinating sounding salad -- spinach salad with grilled eggplant and pine nuts. Lemon-oil dressing with lots of marjoram. Why not?

Headed to the store, picked up the requisite makings, and got the grill going and  got the pine nuts to toasting. I found a few mushrooms when I was going through the fridge, so I threw them on a skewer. Made the dressing and brushed the eggplant (sliced 1" thick) with it. Grilled up the eggplant and mushrooms. Chopped them, tossed them in the salad. Topped with some feta and plated the whole thing up. The final result? See for yourself:

It was light but substantial, fresh but filling. Very, very tasty. If you want to see the original recipe before I messed with it a bit, click here.

This is a rough wine pairing, though. Citrus and bitter from the greens and smoky eggplant. Oh, and nuts, those wonderful toasted pine nuts. (I'll have those in just about anything.) We tried a couple of wines -- the last of that Lurton pinot from a couple of nights ago, and a Penfold's Aussie shiraz/cab blend I'd picked up on a whim. We also had a little sauvignon blanc. I thought the Penfold's worked the best, because the wine needed some fruit and force to able to hang with all of the different flavors we had going on there.

A guilt-free food evening. Gotta love it.

start to finish: under half an hour.