Smokey Indian Eggplant

It seems like just a few short weeks ago I was looking at a garden full of small, green tomatoes. Now there are so many coming in, I can't keep up! It's a happy dilemma!

My eggplant, on the other hand, have not produced very much at all. I've harvested only two smallish fruit and that's probably going to be it for the season. The same thing happened last year. Maybe I'm just not meant to grow eggplant. Shrug.

I first stumbled on this recipe for coriander eggplant in The Complete Hot and Spicy Cookbook years ago. It's a great recipe to play around with, adding more or less of whatever spices you'd like. It's also a good way to use the season's bounty. Grilling the eggplant over coals really makes this dish special, but I’ve done it many times in my oven and it’s still very good. Enjoy!

Smokey Indian Eggplant
Serves 4 as a starter or a snack

• 1 large eggplant
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 knob ginger (or more to taste), cut into matchsticks
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbs ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cayenne
• salt, to taste
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Preparation:
Poke holes all over the eggplant then grill it over low coals until cooked through and soft. Alternatively, put it in a 350F oven for about 45 minutes. Make sure the eggplant is very soft. Traditionally the flesh is scooped out of the skin, but I like to keep the skin on (unless it’s really burnt). Your choice.

In a skillet, heat about 2 tbs oil to saute the onion and ginger. When they have softened and start to brown a bit, add the coriander and cayenne and continue to cook for about 1 minute (stir constantly). Add the tomatoes and cook until they release their juices and start to break down. Add the eggplant and stir well to incorporate. Cook a little longer to evaporate off some of the liquid, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add salt to taste. Turn off the heat and throw in the chopped cilantro.

As with most Indian food, this tastes even better the served the next day. If you’re making this ahead, hold off on adding the cilantro until just before serving. It can be reheated or served cold with a side of naan bread.

Sweet Corn Soup

Gas is convenient, but it really is no match for coal as far as flavor goes. And to be honest, gas takes a bit of the fun out of grilling. There’s just something enjoyable about firing up the old Weber. Since we could only do it when the weather was nice, it gave us something to look forward to. And I knew my food would have that light, smokey goodness that reminds me of cowboys and sleeping under the stars. With gas, I just have to push a button and wait 5 minutes. Boring! No more something-to-look-forward-to.

Okay, I’m romanticizing just a bit, but you die-hard coal fans know what I mean.





I just happen to be smoking some fish and chicken, and since I didn’t want to waste the heat, I threw on some corn. The smoke had already died down, but the corn still took on a light smokey flavor, which came through in the soup. Another reason to look forward to firing up the old Weber.

No charcoal grill? No problem! Try broiling until it takes on a little color. Corn is phenomenal this time of year so you can’t really go wrong.


Sweet Corn Soup
(serves 3 to 4)

• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4-5 ears corn, grilled and kernels removed from ears
• 1 medium potato, peeled and cut in half
• 3 cup chicken broth (vegetable is fine too)
• 2 cups water
• juice of 1/2 lemon or lime, more or less to taste
• salt, to taste

Preparation:
Start by sauteing the celery, onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Once they are softened, add the corn (reserve a half cup or so for serving), potato, broth, water and lime juice. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until the potato is softened, about 20 minutes. (It is completely okay to simmer for longer since you will be pureeing the soup.) Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Puree the soup and pass it through a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the solids. Add back in the reserved kernels. If the soup is too thick, use more broth or even a little bit of cream to thin it out. Check seasonings again. At this point it’s ready to serve, however, I like to let soups sit for a couple of hours to overnight for the flavors to meld. Your call.

This soup is awesome as is, but it’s nice to add a little something to contrast with the sweetness of the corn. We like crumbled blue cheese. Flaked, smoked salmon works well too. Both have a savory-saltiness that compliments the corn’s sweetness. Or go simple and add just a small dollop of sour cream. Or sour cream mixed with adobo (as seen in the picture). Or avocado. The possibilities are endless! Oh, and it can be served chilled too!

And So Ends the Saga...

Hubby finally got tired of the whole gas vs. coal saga and took matters into his own hands. For Mother's Day he gave me the Rolls Royce of gas grills (his words, not mine). I'll admit I was a little dubious, being a staunch coal fan and all, but I must admit that I've warmed up to it. We use it 3 to 4 times a week, and it sure came in handy this last Spring, which was the wettest I've ever experienced.

Although the grill was my present, it's Hubby who truly loves the thing. (Funny how that worked out, huh?) He wants to buy accessories for the darn thing! I've already nixed the rotisserie attachment and beer can chicken holder. He's also suggesting stuff we should grill. Yesterday it was pizza. Unlike the beer can chicken holder, this turned out to be a good idea.




Who knew grilling pizza would be so easy? We used a pizza stone so we didn't have to worry about the flames burning the crust. We made regular pepperoni pizza and I experimented with a Thai-inspired BBQ chicken pizza that turned out really, really tasty. Unlike a regular pizza, this one is baked only with the sauce (and cheese, if using) and then the toppings are added after. What you end up with is something that feels like a chicken and herb salad on top of thin flatbread rather than a heavy pizza. It reminded me of some of the pizzas we had in Italy, just with an Asian twist.


Here's what you need to make 3 to 4 individual-sized pizzas:

For the curry sauce
1 to 2 heaping tbs curry paste (I used yellow, but panang or massaman would also work well)
1 can coconut milk (not lite)
fish sauce, to taste
sugar, to taste

Toppings
grilled chicken (I used a lemongrass marinade, but simple salt and pepper seasoning is fine)
cilantro, roughly chopped
Thai basil (or any other kind is fine), roughly chopped
green onions, thinly sliced
fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
fresh mozzarella (optional), sliced

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough (for 2 medium or 4 individual sized pizzas)

Before you make the curry sauce, you may want to read this post. The pictures may be helpful. To make the curry sauce, saute the curry paste with about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the coconut cream until the oil starts to separate out. Add the remaining coconut milk. Add fish sauce and sugar to taste. Allow the sauce to reduce by about 1/4 to 1/3, stirring frequently to prevent burning. It will thicken more as it cools. Set aside until needed.

Grill the chicken and keep it warm until you're ready to top the pizza.

Roll out the dough so that it is thin. Slather it with the curry sauce and top with mozzarella, if using. (I did one with cheese and one without. They tasted about the same.) Bake the crust on a pre-warmed stone in a covered grill (temp should be close to 500F) until done, about 5 to 7 minutes.

As the crust is baking, slice the chicken and toss with the chopped herbs. As soon as the pizza is done, top it with the chicken and herbs and serve immediately.

It's been so long since I've participated in a blogging event, I thought I'd submit this to Grow Your Own, since the herbs are from my garden. The host this month is Kitchen Gadget Girl Cooks. There's still plenty of time to get your submission in if you want to participate this month!

Lemongrass and other random nonsense

Can you believe it’s almost June?! Time is just flying by. I wish it would take the rainy weather with it though. Portland is weird in the late spring/early summer. It’s not really cold, but it’s not warm either, and definitely not dry. It’s been raining for what seems like days and it’s supposed to rain all next week. Poor Sonny has had his last 4 baseball games canceled and they will probably have to cancel the games this week if it really does rain. Last game of the season is this week, so let’s hope he’ll get to play at least that one. So disappointing for him.

One good thing about all this rain is I don’t have to water my garden. This year I’m growing hot peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, basil, mint, kohlrabi and lemongrass. Mom sent me the lemongrass from her own garden. She said to just stick it in the dirt and it will take care of itself. I was a little skeptical because she sent me about 20 short, dried out looking stalks, but they appear to be doing okay. Green shoots are growing out of them and they’ve only been in the ground for 3 weeks. Of course she didn’t tell me how far apart to space them, so I just stuck them about 4 or 5 inches apart. Now she tells me I should have stuck them 1 to 2 feet apart because they can grow into large bushes. I’m wondering why she sent me 20 stalks when she knows my 2 beds are only 8’x2’ each. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful. I use a lot of this aromatic herb, so the thought of bushes of lemongrass right in my backyard is making me giddy.

Since I haven’t posted in a while, I’m going to get all up in yo’ face with the pictures. Some have nothing to do with food, but I know the grandparents will enjoy them. Others are of my garden. And at the very end, is a nice little recipe for a lemongrass-y grilled pork tenderloin. Enjoy!


That white sweatshirt stayed white for all of 3 minutes. Note to Hubby: don't buy him anymore white clothing!

I think those green things mean they're going to live. I'm giddy with excitement!

Speckled lettuce.

More lettuce. Truly, it's so easy to grow and can tolerate chilly weather.

My first lettuce harvest. I harvest about twice a week.

I love urban gardening!

And now for the lemongrass-y pork tenderloin! This is really easy and delicious. Here's what you'll need:

1 pork tenderloin
about 1/3 cup coconut milk
1 to 2 tbs Thai curry paste (any flavor will do)
2 to 3 stalks lemongrass, white part only, ends crushed
2 to 3 cloves garlic crushed
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs fish sauce or soy sauce

For the dipping sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 to 1/3 cup rice vinegar
fish sauce to taste (about 1 to 2 tbs)
1 clove garlic, finely minced
fresh Thai chillies, to taste, finely minced

Throw everything into a plastic Ziploc bag and let it marinate in the fridge overnight. About 30 minutes before grilling, take out the pork to take the chill off. Grill over medium heat until it's done to your liking. We like it ever so pink, so about 143F at the thickest part. Remember to let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing into it.

To make the dipping sauce, I just put the sugar, water and rice vinegar in a microwaveable glass bowl or mixing cup and nuke on high for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture becomes a little thick. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then throw in the garlic and chillies. Lastly, stir in the fish sauce.

Serve pork and dipping sauce with rice.

Yippeeeeee!

Yahoo-weee! I think this migration worked just fine. Props to Hubby for doing all the work and getting it done in a timely manner. Now all I have to do is start posting...

Something is coming up soon! I promise!