stuffed eggplant

I’ve prepared eggplant before, mainly sliced into about 1 inch slices and prepared.

A different method this time. Basically sliced lengthwise, scoop out some of the interior leaving a shell (x2).

Prepare your favorite stuffing with the removed eggplant diced.

Sparing the details, such as peeling the eggplant, and salting and draining etc, precook the shells in an oven.

Add the stuffing to the shells and baked again till cooked through and soft.

Not the most appetizing pictures of the finished product but similar to a pizza with an eggplant crust.

the shells before baking

prepped ingredients and stuffing preparation

pre baking the shells

A small amount of cooked rice added with sauteed onion,diced green pepper and celery along with seasoning.Later, (not shown) add tomato sauce, diced, cooked sausage. spoon into shells, top with sliced mozzarella cheese.

The finished meal , Placing one of the shelves at the upper most position results in a broiler effect if you like the eggplant a bit more well done. Oven temp was about 350 degrees F Timing was by eye.

Chicken with wine

 

Catching up on some recent meals to post.

An easy recipe for a classic way to prepare chicken. One of the many adaptations of coq au vin. I won’t post the recipe as there are so many variations. Basically a braised chicken with wine.

 

Quick bowl of soup

Chicken broth, Chicken, steamed veggies, homemade noodles , season as you like.(Chili paste) Top with fried egg.

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beef soup with noodle squares

a few pictures

a hearty beefy soup, wit the addition of a thickening agent, a stew

a beef soup/stew for the instant pot

prep the following:

egg noodle semolina recipe, roll out and cut into good size noodle squares, set aside

prep veggies, onion, carrot celery, a pinch of oregano, paprika, parsley and thyme, a bit of tomato paste and a few garlic cloves minced

leaf a few brussell sprouts, slice mushrooms

slice and cube beef season with salt, pepper and marinate if possible

set instant pot to saute, high and let come to temp

with a bit of oil, brown beef, remove from pot

add to pot onion, celery and carrot mixture with your seasonings

cook till wilted and soft

add sprout leaves, mushrooms and tomato paste to pot

mix and cook several minutes

return beef to pot, with broth top to fill line of pot.

cover, reset and set to stew soup setting about 15 minutes low pressure

at end of cycle release pressure , remove cover, reset to saute high, add noddle squares when the pot begins to boil

cook the noodle squares till tender, reset and set to keep warm setting

add more broth if necessary.

serve with crusty bread

 

 

 

 

 

Random

DAL, two recipes

Dal, lentils and beans all in the same catagory, recipes abound and as probably you have researched, the more research yeilds that the recipe usually was what the cook has on hand especially as to the spicing of the dish. Here’s one from the Bob’s Red Mill bag of Dal followed by the Milk Street recipe for Turkish Red Lentil Soup.

New Delhi Dal

 

I utilized curry powder in place of the tumeric. Some ground cloves sufficed for the 12 whole cloved required. (have to order some cloves)

Boiling the beans, alot of water! these beans will soak up quite a bit of liquid. This is 1/2 the recipe.

most dal recipes require an addition to be added to the beans once cooked

mash them and then add the oil spice mixture

Basicallly I ate these alone to get a taste for the beans, they would make a good spread for chips or an addition to rice.

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A Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Aleppo Pepper

 Turkish Red Lentil Soup

from 177 milk street.com

Are we ready ? I used the Bob’s Red Mill orange/yellow dal.

the sweating of the onions

Add the garlic for about 30 seconds, to the onions, then add the rest of the ingriedents, minus the water (broth), lentils and rice. cook up for about a minute.

 

……..in go the beans, rice and water

a lively simmer, cook covered about 30 minutes, the rice will break down somewhat adding to the texture, I cooked leaving the beans at the aldenti stage.

I skipped the addition of the Aleppo pepper since I didn’t want to search it out at this time , I added a bit of finely chopped dried pepper that are sitting on the windows sill drying out from green to a shrivled red, some moderate heat in the background.

Even though there is a lot of paprikia, which I though would be overpowering, the balance is delicious and the beans have a pasta like texture. The tomato paste smooths it out. My best use of the dal so far. No mint or lemon wedges served. 

Soup, yellow noodle, chicken

This is what I get for watching to many periscopes of traveling in Hong Kong , shops, markets, crammed along the streets , fast service at it’s best. Food from A to Z. Appetising !

Some chicken scraps tenders  from chicken breast that were trimmed for another use, some leftover mushrooms, in one small pot, a smidgen of duck fat, water, hot pepper pastes, diced white onion, ginger garlic paste, simmered with salt and pepper to taste. Later,  add the yellow noodle, simmer and drain using some of the concentrated broth as a base in a soup bowl. Spoon some the chicken mixture into the bowl.

In a stock pot,  a collection of vegetable trimmings accumulated over time added water to cover, simmer to render a vegetable broth.

Ladle the vegetable stock to fill the soup  bowl, garnish with the green onion.

 

Pork Fried Rice

Easter dinner (yet to be posted), left us with leftovers, one of the advantages of hosting dinner is that when cooking a meal that you don’t often have , you allow for extra, both for giving out “take out ” containers to guests and having leftovers available during the week.

Diced pork from a crown roast was sauteed to brown and reserved. Add one cup of rice to a heavy skillet along with a bit of oil and shallots. Stir to coat rice and cook shallot slightly.

With heat at high, add 2 cups broth, stock or whatever to skillet. Let the mixture boil uncovered about 5 minutes till most of the broth dissipates. Sprinkle soy sauce over rice mixture till your satisfied with the taste and color. I add a bit of dried red pepper flakes here.

Depending with the type of rice continue cooking over low heat a few more minutes or shut the flame down and cover. Go do something else for about 15 minutes.

I just put the diced pork on a plate and plated the rice over it.

Perhaps if i wasn’t so hungry I would have added some celery and onions.
Served with a White House Honey Porter
https://peabodypico.wordpress.com/2016/03/27/64-white-house-honey-porter/

Pasta (gnocci ) and beans

A take on the classic pasta and beans, cooked the dry white beans last night and finished with the sauce and gnocci tonight. Some pork neck bones for the sauce , a can of tomatoes and finely ground carrot and onion. More  on the side of a veggie sauce. A chopped dried hot pepper and thinned with broth and mead. Simmered till reduced and thickened.

  
The gnocci complimented the beans better than pasta as they have a soft slightly chewy texture. 

soup’s ON !

 Recently made soup from chicken carcass.

fresh made noodles, Garden grown Red Russian Kale, Tat Soi Asian Greens, and Te You Flowering Broccoli