I'm heading out of town for most of the month of July. One of my most difficult culinary tasks every time I leave the city for an extended period of time is to use up all of the perishable items which I happen to have accumulated in the fridge. I think of it as some version of balancing a checkbook, or perhaps like the game Rummikub (where I would often try to use all of my pieces in some sort of miraculous combination of moves --- often failing).
In any case, as my travel date approached I realized that I had an excess of yogurt -- much more than was necessary to finish of my latest batch of granola. Along with the yogurt, my fridge has recently been haunted with an eggplant in desperate need of cooking. The necessity to use these two items precipitated the following eggplant dip recipe (plus I had a lot of garlic which needed using too!).
As with my last eggplant escapade, I decided to roast it over the open flame. This time I covered the surface more completely with foil to help with cleanup. The roasting took about 10 minutes afterwhich I left it in a bowl for another 10 minutes, then sliced it in half and let it drain through a colander for a little while. During this draining I took three heads of garlic and, with boredom mounting, peeled every single clove (probably 50 or so in all). These went into a cast iron pan with ample olive oil and roasted until nice, brown and soft. By the point that these were done my eggplant was drained and I had transferred it to a large bowl and mashed it up. The garlic also got a good mashing. Enter the yogurt! I spooned maybe 5 large spoonfuls of yogurt into the mixture and then mashed it all together some more. To this I finally added some more oil, and a fair amount of salt, pepper, ground cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, and a little tumeric. The taste was nice --- the eggplant and yogurt flavors started strong and then the spices gave an after flavor. However it lacked something in the middle, so I add to it a little balsamic vinegar and some honey and mustard. Now it was good.
So, last night I had this with some large pretzels. Right now I am envisioning myself eating it with some crispy cast iron toasted tortilla as well. Well... to tell the truth I'm mostly thinking about eating watermelon when I get home -- but this dip is good too.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A better way to have a dinner party
The last time I had people over for dinner was Shavuot --- I made Blintzes. I started gathering ingredients at roughly 1pm and ended my cleanup a little after 11pm. During the 10 hours in between I was pretty much working the whole time.
Even for me, 10 hours in the kitchen is just too much time. That is why I was very happy when a college friend of mine emailed me a few weeks ago with the idea of jointly having people over at her apartment.
So, yesterday my friend and I met up at the Wholefoods at 6pm to get our ingredients. The plan for dinner was to have salmon as the main dish. Seeing the price of salmon at Wholefoods, however, I started to wonder if, perhaps, another type of fish might be a better choice. At between 13 and 16 a lb, salmon was just too much. We did not give up on salmon though, as we still had a secret weapon --- Chinatown. After purchasing the rest of our ingredients we walk down Mott street (near my friend's place) and looked at the fish markets. There were some salmon steaks (we wanted fillets though) and then there were some really gross looking cuts of salmon with the bone in it. We asked one of the mongers if we could buy 3 lbs of salmon fillet --- he responded that we could buy a side of salmon which would be seven pounds!
Finally, we wandered into an indoor market which was nice and clean, and actually had some really nice looking salmon fillets. We settled on a little over 3 lbs of the fish and returned back to my friend's apartment.
Since I'm on the subject of Chinatown fish markets, its worth mentioning some of the weirder things you see there. At one of the outdoor markets there was a gigantic barrel of live frogs hopping around. Then, inside of the indoor market, there was a large display of alligator's legs. I'm sure if I had look a little more I would have seen some other oddities as well.
Back to the dinner -- we got to my friend's place at about 7:30. Dinner was set for 9 so I delayed cooking the fish for some time (knowing also that people would be late). The menu was as follows:
~Oven cooked salmon covered with chopped dill, honey, mustard, ginger, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and some salt / pepper. To go along with this was a sour cream based sauce with dill, mustard, honey, lemon juice, curry powder and paprika.
~Over roasted potato chunks, tossed before cooking with olive oil, rosemary, paprika, a little curry powder and some pepper (salted after cooking).
~Fresh spinach salad with chopped red pepper, carrot, strawberry, craisin, almond slivers, and some balsamic vinegar.
~Cooked string beans with ginger, garlic, almond slivers, honey, curry powder and balsamic vinegar (I've posted on this before).
~Fruit salad desert.
I need to admit that the inspiration for the fish and for the salad recipes was from one of my aunts. During holidays when my family congregates in Springfield Mass, we often have lunches at my aunt's and we have wonderful dairy/fish dishes there. The salmon and salad both are very similar to things which we often have there. I'm sure that the recipes which I have eaten there will continue to influence much of my cooking.
The food turned out well, and the time of it was just right. People came a little late, and the fish finished just as they were coming. We moved everything up to the roof of the apartment building, where there was a beautiful table and a bunch of chairs (most of which were dry). The lighting was a little tricky, but we managed to use to lanterns to cast just enough light to see what you were eating. I was happy with the way the food tasted. The salmon was cooked well, but not dry (in fact it was quiet juicy) and the sauce went well with it. A friend of mine mistakenly thought the sauce for the salmon was a dressing for the salad, causing her some confusion and discomfort (I don't think the mix of spinach salad and sour cream sauce is all that good). The potatoes had a nice skin and the rosemary had infused them with a nice flavor. In all I was happy about the outcome of the food.
And the best part of the whole night was that when everything was done and people were ready to leave, I was able to leave too! Having done the cooking I was spared the work of clean up. All of the good and fun of cooking, and none of the wrinkled hands of washing dishes and cleaning up. This is definitely the way to do dinner parties.
Even for me, 10 hours in the kitchen is just too much time. That is why I was very happy when a college friend of mine emailed me a few weeks ago with the idea of jointly having people over at her apartment.
So, yesterday my friend and I met up at the Wholefoods at 6pm to get our ingredients. The plan for dinner was to have salmon as the main dish. Seeing the price of salmon at Wholefoods, however, I started to wonder if, perhaps, another type of fish might be a better choice. At between 13 and 16 a lb, salmon was just too much. We did not give up on salmon though, as we still had a secret weapon --- Chinatown. After purchasing the rest of our ingredients we walk down Mott street (near my friend's place) and looked at the fish markets. There were some salmon steaks (we wanted fillets though) and then there were some really gross looking cuts of salmon with the bone in it. We asked one of the mongers if we could buy 3 lbs of salmon fillet --- he responded that we could buy a side of salmon which would be seven pounds!
Finally, we wandered into an indoor market which was nice and clean, and actually had some really nice looking salmon fillets. We settled on a little over 3 lbs of the fish and returned back to my friend's apartment.
Since I'm on the subject of Chinatown fish markets, its worth mentioning some of the weirder things you see there. At one of the outdoor markets there was a gigantic barrel of live frogs hopping around. Then, inside of the indoor market, there was a large display of alligator's legs. I'm sure if I had look a little more I would have seen some other oddities as well.
Back to the dinner -- we got to my friend's place at about 7:30. Dinner was set for 9 so I delayed cooking the fish for some time (knowing also that people would be late). The menu was as follows:
~Oven cooked salmon covered with chopped dill, honey, mustard, ginger, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and some salt / pepper. To go along with this was a sour cream based sauce with dill, mustard, honey, lemon juice, curry powder and paprika.
~Over roasted potato chunks, tossed before cooking with olive oil, rosemary, paprika, a little curry powder and some pepper (salted after cooking).
~Fresh spinach salad with chopped red pepper, carrot, strawberry, craisin, almond slivers, and some balsamic vinegar.
~Cooked string beans with ginger, garlic, almond slivers, honey, curry powder and balsamic vinegar (I've posted on this before).
~Fruit salad desert.
I need to admit that the inspiration for the fish and for the salad recipes was from one of my aunts. During holidays when my family congregates in Springfield Mass, we often have lunches at my aunt's and we have wonderful dairy/fish dishes there. The salmon and salad both are very similar to things which we often have there. I'm sure that the recipes which I have eaten there will continue to influence much of my cooking.
The food turned out well, and the time of it was just right. People came a little late, and the fish finished just as they were coming. We moved everything up to the roof of the apartment building, where there was a beautiful table and a bunch of chairs (most of which were dry). The lighting was a little tricky, but we managed to use to lanterns to cast just enough light to see what you were eating. I was happy with the way the food tasted. The salmon was cooked well, but not dry (in fact it was quiet juicy) and the sauce went well with it. A friend of mine mistakenly thought the sauce for the salmon was a dressing for the salad, causing her some confusion and discomfort (I don't think the mix of spinach salad and sour cream sauce is all that good). The potatoes had a nice skin and the rosemary had infused them with a nice flavor. In all I was happy about the outcome of the food.
And the best part of the whole night was that when everything was done and people were ready to leave, I was able to leave too! Having done the cooking I was spared the work of clean up. All of the good and fun of cooking, and none of the wrinkled hands of washing dishes and cleaning up. This is definitely the way to do dinner parties.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Middle Eastern party
Two days ago (friday) I went to a dinner shindig at my friends' apartment in the upper west side. The theme was middle eastern. My contribution was an eggplant dip (more later about this). The meal was very yummy. We started out with some bread / cut pita and my eggplant dip, as well as a hummus dip which the hosts made (http://www.recipezaar.com/green-herb-hummus-359660). There was also a large chunk of cheese and some really yummy turkish bread a friend brought.
The meal was very well balance --- there was a super yummy Israeli cous cous boiled up with a cinnamon stick for flavor, and then tossed with roasted butternut squash, browned onions, chopped greens, and some nuts and dried fruits (cranberries and raisins). I'd need to say that the cous cous was my favorite dish at the dinner simply because it had really interesting flavors, plus the squash and onions made it a little more substantial than is usual for cous cous. See (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Israeli-Couscous-with-Roasted-Butternut-Squash-and-Preserved-Lemon-102250) for the recipe.
The other main dish at the dinner was homemade falafel. The host sent me a link to the recipe he used (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Falafel-231755), though he substituted canned for dried chickpeas. These falafel tasted really good --- I think that the red pepper gave them a nice kick, plus the herbs in them did a nice job cutting down on any oily taste. I think it would be worth trying it with the dried and then soaked chickpeas, and also aiming for a less pureed and more grainy consistency pre-frying. Still, the falafel were packed with flavor and went really well with all of the different sauces which were made to accompany them.
As far as the sauces are concerned, there was a traditional tahini, a tzadziki sauce, a hot pepper sauce and a mint chutney (slightly less traditional this was originally intended for some lamb which was eventually deleted from the menu --- thus leaving everything on the menu eatable for me).
To accompany all of this was a nice spinach, goat cheese, and pine nut salad.
Now, my one contribution was this eggplant dip. I had a lot of fun making it, since it was the first time I really ever successfully used an eggplant. That said, it was my second time trying. My first time was at a BBQ with some NYU friends about two months ago. Someone brought an eggplant, and everyone thought I would know what to do with it. I had no clue, but I pretended to know, so I chopped it into a some slices and threw it on the grill with some salt and pepper. This did not work so well and I eventually denied all connections with the alleged eggplant.
Well, this time I consulted the collective knowledge base of the peoples of this fair planet and the internet told me I should roast it over my stoves gas flame. I actually had two eggplants, so I lined two burners with foil and using some long tongs, I placed both of the eggplants on top of the flames. At first nothing seemed to be happening, but eventually the skin began to peel and the eggplant got softer. Every few minutes I turned them some so that eventually all of the skin was peeling and charred. I'd say I spent about 15 minutes roasting, though they could have even stood for a little more time (the inside of the bigger one was not entirely soft). It was good that I used some foil, though still there was plenty of clean up to do on my stove top from the liquid which had seeped out of the eggplant.
From the fire to a bowl for about 10 minutes went the eggplant. After they had cooled some I pulled off the skin, cut them in half and tossed them with ample kosher salt, and then let them drain off excess liquid in a metal colander. When all was said and done, I mushed them (seeds and all) together into a large bowl and then added a few cloves of garlic finely diced, a few large splashes of olive oil, some squeezes of a lemon, some more salt and some freshly ground pepper. The result was really yummy. The flame roasting of the eggplant really did give it a nice smokey flavor. The two eggplants made enough dip to fill a medium sized pickle jar (not the large one, but one maybe 6 inches high and 4 inches in diameter. Oh, and just to be safe and not give anyone botulism, I even blanched the garlic for 30 seconds in boiling water (and the iced it). I've seen that if you put raw garlic in an oily environment, it is possible to develop botulism (which can kill).
The meal was very well balance --- there was a super yummy Israeli cous cous boiled up with a cinnamon stick for flavor, and then tossed with roasted butternut squash, browned onions, chopped greens, and some nuts and dried fruits (cranberries and raisins). I'd need to say that the cous cous was my favorite dish at the dinner simply because it had really interesting flavors, plus the squash and onions made it a little more substantial than is usual for cous cous. See (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Israeli-Couscous-with-Roasted-Butternut-Squash-and-Preserved-Lemon-102250) for the recipe.
The other main dish at the dinner was homemade falafel. The host sent me a link to the recipe he used (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Falafel-231755), though he substituted canned for dried chickpeas. These falafel tasted really good --- I think that the red pepper gave them a nice kick, plus the herbs in them did a nice job cutting down on any oily taste. I think it would be worth trying it with the dried and then soaked chickpeas, and also aiming for a less pureed and more grainy consistency pre-frying. Still, the falafel were packed with flavor and went really well with all of the different sauces which were made to accompany them.
As far as the sauces are concerned, there was a traditional tahini, a tzadziki sauce, a hot pepper sauce and a mint chutney (slightly less traditional this was originally intended for some lamb which was eventually deleted from the menu --- thus leaving everything on the menu eatable for me).
To accompany all of this was a nice spinach, goat cheese, and pine nut salad.
Now, my one contribution was this eggplant dip. I had a lot of fun making it, since it was the first time I really ever successfully used an eggplant. That said, it was my second time trying. My first time was at a BBQ with some NYU friends about two months ago. Someone brought an eggplant, and everyone thought I would know what to do with it. I had no clue, but I pretended to know, so I chopped it into a some slices and threw it on the grill with some salt and pepper. This did not work so well and I eventually denied all connections with the alleged eggplant.
Well, this time I consulted the collective knowledge base of the peoples of this fair planet and the internet told me I should roast it over my stoves gas flame. I actually had two eggplants, so I lined two burners with foil and using some long tongs, I placed both of the eggplants on top of the flames. At first nothing seemed to be happening, but eventually the skin began to peel and the eggplant got softer. Every few minutes I turned them some so that eventually all of the skin was peeling and charred. I'd say I spent about 15 minutes roasting, though they could have even stood for a little more time (the inside of the bigger one was not entirely soft). It was good that I used some foil, though still there was plenty of clean up to do on my stove top from the liquid which had seeped out of the eggplant.
From the fire to a bowl for about 10 minutes went the eggplant. After they had cooled some I pulled off the skin, cut them in half and tossed them with ample kosher salt, and then let them drain off excess liquid in a metal colander. When all was said and done, I mushed them (seeds and all) together into a large bowl and then added a few cloves of garlic finely diced, a few large splashes of olive oil, some squeezes of a lemon, some more salt and some freshly ground pepper. The result was really yummy. The flame roasting of the eggplant really did give it a nice smokey flavor. The two eggplants made enough dip to fill a medium sized pickle jar (not the large one, but one maybe 6 inches high and 4 inches in diameter. Oh, and just to be safe and not give anyone botulism, I even blanched the garlic for 30 seconds in boiling water (and the iced it). I've seen that if you put raw garlic in an oily environment, it is possible to develop botulism (which can kill).
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