Easy recipe and takes perhaps 10 minutes to make. The amounts listed here will roughly serve two hearty portions or four side portions, but this is a very easy recipe to "resize" to larger proportions. It keeps well in the fridge if there are leftovers. For the first dish, I have put into spaghetti jars while hot, so that they self-seal, and it has kept well at peak flavor for a couple weeks.
After looking around for a similarly-constructed dish in order to help give it a name - I have decided that this recipe is a variant on the Turkish dish iman bayildi, which is braised eggplant with tomato, onion and garlic. Since I have had several people swoon in delight over this dish - and the name "iman bayildi" means "the iman fainted" or "the iman swooned" - it seems an appropriate name to give this dish. (See a traditional recipe of iman bayildi here.)
Eggplant-Mushroom Imam Bayildi
- Using a 3:1 ratio of eggplant to mushrooms (I prefer Chinese eggplant and Portibello mushrooms; regular eggplant and baby bellas work fine). Peel the eggplant; cube it, and loosely chop the mushrooms.
- In a hot skillet at medium heat, put a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Add eggplant and mushrooms.
- Add 2/3 cup of water and 1/2 to 1 packet beef bouillon. (I prefer Trader Joe's, which comes in handy small packets, and is extremely flavorful.) Stir.
- Heat until the eggplant is tender.
- Add 1-1/2 Tbsp. gyoza sauce (again, TJ's makes a great one) and 2-3 Tbsp. of a sundried tomato-based dressing. (I like Cindy's Kitchen brand). If you don't have that particular brand of dressing handy, use sundried tomatoes or sundried tomato paste.
- Add a liberal pinch of Sunny Spain salt-free seasoning. (If you don't have this, substitute a little fresh pepper, a dash of garlic powder, a Tbsp. or two of diced onion, and a squeeze or two of lemon juice.)
- Stir and allow to simmer for five minutes before serving. Serve over noodles or rice; as a side dish; or even as the main part of a meal - goes very well with buttered bread!
Chipolte-Glazed Pineapple
The last time I was in Florida, I discovered a product called The Hot Squeeze*. This honey-based chipolte sauce is freakin' awesome on everything. With lime juice on steak! With lemon juice on chicken! Tossed with steamed vegetables! Used in stir fry!
Now, I happen to love pineapple, and when it's in season, I eat it fresh often. But even as delicious as pineapple gets, you occasionally want to do something different with it. I recently picked up The Flavor Bible, and one of the things the book discussed is pairing up opposites to really bring out flavors. Various Far Eastern cultures have for many years combined sweet and spicy; here, clearly, was an opportunity!
Prep time and cooking takes 5-10 minutes.
- Slice fresh pineapple across the fruit so you have 1/2"-1" thick round slabs of pineapple. Quarter these.
- Over medium-high heat, add about 2-3 teaspoons of The Hot Squeeze to your saucepan. Since it is honey-based, it will easily melt on the heat.
- Put the pineapple into the sauce and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes per side; the edges should start to show signs of carmelization.
- Flip the pieces over and repeat on other side.
That's it! They're delicious served straight up, or with a little vanilla yogurt or ice cream.
Another thing I do is to start with the fresh pineapple, but remove the rind and then cube the fruit. I then add the fruit and the Hot Squeeze to a pot, and cook for a few minutes, which makes a marvelous salsa-style treat, hot or cold.
* (apparently, you can buy The Hot Squeeze as a six-pack on Amazon. They have limited distribution in stores, but their website lists where you can find them.)
Now, I happen to love pineapple, and when it's in season, I eat it fresh often. But even as delicious as pineapple gets, you occasionally want to do something different with it. I recently picked up The Flavor Bible, and one of the things the book discussed is pairing up opposites to really bring out flavors. Various Far Eastern cultures have for many years combined sweet and spicy; here, clearly, was an opportunity!
Prep time and cooking takes 5-10 minutes.
- Slice fresh pineapple across the fruit so you have 1/2"-1" thick round slabs of pineapple. Quarter these.
- Over medium-high heat, add about 2-3 teaspoons of The Hot Squeeze to your saucepan. Since it is honey-based, it will easily melt on the heat.
- Put the pineapple into the sauce and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes per side; the edges should start to show signs of carmelization.
- Flip the pieces over and repeat on other side.
That's it! They're delicious served straight up, or with a little vanilla yogurt or ice cream.
Another thing I do is to start with the fresh pineapple, but remove the rind and then cube the fruit. I then add the fruit and the Hot Squeeze to a pot, and cook for a few minutes, which makes a marvelous salsa-style treat, hot or cold.
* (apparently, you can buy The Hot Squeeze as a six-pack on Amazon. They have limited distribution in stores, but their website lists where you can find them.)
1 comments:
That eggplant thingie was AWESOME. And I'll be trying the pineapple thing, too - I bet my husband would love it.
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