Roasted Mushroom Salad

Got up early this past weekend to hit the farmer's market before the storms rolled in (an earthquake last week, this week Hurricane Irene). Am now stocked up (duck eggs, mixed salad greens, peppers, onions, tomatoes, shallots...), well at least for a few days, and have a couple of bottles of wine on hand (just in case). Also discovered a new little Asian market on my walk home, and picked up some mushrooms and chives (for the salad), kimchi (just because I love kimchi), and some shishisto peppers -- kimchi pancakes and pan-roasted shishisto peppers, perhaps? Always thinking about the next meal, can't help it. Probably not the essentials that most others are stocking up on I suspect.

Okay, back to the salad. This is just a simple little salad of roasted mushrooms and shallots over a bed of mixed lettuces, radicchio, and dandelion greens (for a hint of bitterness), topped with homemade garlic herb croutons. My favorite way to enjoy mushrooms is to roast or saute them until they lose some of their water, and become a bit crispy on the edges. Adding a fried egg or two on top transforms this dish into a meal, perfect for brunch or a light dinner.

Roasting the mushrooms on a sheet pan in the oven, requires minimal work, but produces loads of umami flavor. Just a quick toss from time to time, results in perfectly cooked mushrooms. You can use any variety of mushrooms, just be sure not to crowd the pan, otherwise the mushrooms will steam instead of roast.

As you can see in the photo below, the mushrooms get nice and golden brown and a bit crispy along the edges.

Roasted shiitake, crimini, and enoki mushrooms

Roasted Mushrooms

1 1/2 pounds assorted mushrooms (such as shiitake, crimini, oyster, enoki), halved

4 shallot, peeled, thinly sliced

Extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Coat the mushrooms with olive oil, fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Divide the mushrooms onto two baking sheets and roast ~25 minutes until mushrooms are crispy. Rotate half way through cooking.

If you have some stale, day-old bread laying around and don't know what to do with it, croutons are a perfect solution. You can use any type of bread and any number of fresh or dried herbs (such as thyme, rosemary, oregano) for an extra punch. Also, I like to generously rub the bread with a fresh garlic clove before chopping into bite-sized croutons. 

Homemade Garlic Herb Croutons

2 thick slices of day-old, rustic crusty bread
1 or 2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped (or rosemary, oregano)
Extra virgin olive oil, to lightly coat croutons
Sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Rub the bread on both sides with the garlic clove. Cut into cubes. Toss the croutons with olive oil, fresh thyme, and season with salt. Place on a baking sheet and bake 7-8 minutes until golden brown but slightly chewy on the inside. Set aside.

Balsamic Dressing

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Juice of half a lemon

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Assembling the Salad
Mixed salad greens (such as baby lettuces, dandelioin greens, beet greens, frisee)
Chives, chopped, about ~1/4 cup
1 to 3 egg(s) (chicken, duck, quail)
Balsamic reduction (optional)
Coarse sea salt

Toss the greens and chives with the balsamic dressing. Place the dressed salad greens on a plate and top with the roasted mushrooms, shallots, and croutons. 

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add a couple teaspoons of oil and swirl to coat the pan. Crack the egg(s) into the skillet, and cook until the whites are set. Place the egg(s) on top of the salad. 

Drizzle with balsamic reduction (optional). Sprinkle with coarse sea salt and garnish with a few chopped chives.

Pasta con le Sarde

If I had to pick the quintessential dish of Sicily, a dish that clearly reminds me of my time on the island, I would put pasta con le sarde at the top of my list. Pasta, with wild fennel (finocchio), sardines, and bottarga (aka cured tuna roe). Bottarga, like nothing I've ever tasted, adds a truly unique element to the pasta. Bottarga's flavor profile is somewhat akin to sea urchin and squid ink -- all taste briny, like the deep sea. Managed to smuggle some bottarga back home in my suitcase. Sadly, my supply is beginning to dwindle. So, have begun to contemplate ways to recreate this dish sans bottarga. Am certain it can be done, though will continue to search for a new source for bottarga,  be it domestic or abroad.

Suspect that some will stop reading after the mere mention of sardines, let alone bottarga or anchovies. There was a time in my life when I too would have done the same. however, travel has opened my eyes and broadened my palate. Now, I seek out new and unusual flavors and ingredients. It makes cooking and eating vastly more interesting. So, step out of your comfort zone, try something unique now and again, and keep an open mind when it comes to new experiences.

Bottarga de Tonno (cured tuna roe)

Some preparations of pasta con le sarde incorporate sweet elements, like grapes or raisins; however, I prefer a more savory version. This dish has rapidly become a staple in my weekly repertoire. Quick and easy to prepare, with loads of flavor.

That being said, I've modified this recipe to account for the availability of ingredients here in the United States. Don't worry, the flavors hit the mark. First, finding a replacement for the bottarga. Have seen versions of pasta con le sarde that use anchovies, cooked down in olive oil, to replicate bottarga's salty, briny taste. Not a perfect substitute, but a suitable replacement. Next, wild fennel. It grows all over Sicily and has a decidedly more pronounced anise flavor than its cultivated cousin. Have recently started adding dried, ground fennel seed in addition to fennel fronds, to produce a more intense, but well-balanced, fennel flavor.

Wild Fennel (left); Dried Fennel Seed (right)

The rest of the ingredients should be readily available. You can use fresh sardines, but more often than not I tend to use the canned variety, especially when I'm preparing this dish during the week and don't have as much time. This dish is equally good when using fresh pan-seared sardines.

Pasta con le Sarde
1 pound linguini or bucatini (used whole wheat linguini)
~ 1/2 cup fennel fronds, coursely chopped
1 tablespoon dried, ground fennel
2 cans sardines, packed in oil, drained, filleted (or 1 pound fresh sardines)
6 anchovies, rinsed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Bread crumbs, toasted

Red pepper flakes to taste
Sea salt to taste

Anchovy oil:  In a small saucepan, heat the anchovies in 1/3 cup of olive oil. With the back of a wooden spoon, mash the anchovies in the oil until well dissolved.

If using fresh sardines prepare as follows: pat the sardines dry. Season with salt and pepper, and a light dusting of flour. Shake off any excess flour. Heat ~ 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat until the oil is very hot and smoking. Add the sardines to the pan, cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove from the pan and place on cooling rack to allow excess oil to drain off. De-bone and roughly chop sardines.

Heat a pot of salted water over medium heat. When boiling, add the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 7 minutes.Drain, reserving a little pasta water.

Heat a tablespoon or two of the anchovy oil in a large skillet. Add the pasta and a touch of the pasta water. Add the sardines, fennel fronds, ground fennel seeds, the remainder of the anchovy oil, red pepper flakes, and sea salt to taste. Toss lightly to combine the ingredients and cook until just warmed through, about 1 minute. Place in a large serving bowl. Sprinkle toasted breadcrumbs over the top. Garnish with a few fennel fronds.

Note: If you happen to procure bottarga, omit the anchovy oil and replace with a few slices of shaved bottarga and a healthy drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookies

Some days you just need a cookie (or two). I've had one of those days weeks. My poor old jeep broke down for the second time in the past few weeks. Left me stranded again ol' girl; this time you clunked out right in the middle of a busy highway during morning rush hour traffic. I was actually on my way to the auto repair shop when I broke down. I almost made it, just had a few blocks to go. Only took a little over an hour for the tow truck to arrive this time (ughh). Almost a week later and $800 in the hole, and they are still trying to figure out what's wrong (sigh).

As good an excuse as any to indulge, don't you think? These cookies are decadent--kind of like a super rich chocolatey brownie in the form of a cookie. And, who doesn't like the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Maybe not the prettiest cookies in the world; nonetheless, more than make up for their appearance in terms of flavor.These are not made with cocoa powder, but with pure dark (72%) cacao, melted and mixed with just a few ingredients, including all-natural chunky peanut butter.

Didn't want to use commercially-prepared peanut butter chips after scanning through the list of ingredients [partially defatted peanuts, sugar, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (palm kernel oil and soybean oil), reduced minerals whey (milk) dextrose, contains 2% or less of: salt, soy lecithin, and vanillin, artificial flavor].

Instead, I decided to make my own "peanut butter chips" since I wanted just a pure peanut butter flavor. I did this by taking some all-natural chunky peanut butter (ingredients: peanuts and salt; go figure?) and spreading it thinly (~1/4 inch thick) on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, then placing in the freezer overnight until solid. Then, I cut the block into small squares ("chips"). My thought process was that I wanted the peanut butter to stay in chunks during mixing and baking.

The outcome, the dark chocolate and peanut butter flavors are well-pronounced, intense in flavor, and not loaded down with excess of sugar and sweetness.  Unfortunately, they disappeared rather quickly. Time to bake another batch.

8 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3.5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks
3.5 ounces peanut butter chips

Coarse sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

Place the 8 ounces of chocolate and butter in a medium-sized heat proof bowl. Create a double burner, by placing the bowl of chocolate over a pot of barely simmering water. Whisk the chocolate until just melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a medium-sized heatproof bowl, mix the eggs and sugar. Set the bowl with the eggs over the pot of simmering water, until just lukewarm to the touch. Stir the eggs into the warm (not hot) melted chocolate. Stir in the flour mixture. When cooled, add the chocolate chunks and peanut butter chips.

Place the mixture in the refrigerator for ~15 to 20 minutes. With an ice cream scooper, scoop rounded tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheets. Sprinkle a bit of course sea salt over the top of each cookie. Bake until the surface of the cookie looks set, but still gooey in the center, ~12 to 13 minutes. Set the cookies on a rack to cool and firm up a bit. 

Once cooled, I like to store them in the refrigerator.

Chickpeas with Black Sausage, Pine Nuts, & Raisins

This is part 2 of a three-part post I will refer to as A Taste of Spain. 

Part 1: Squid and White Beans with Balsamic Reduction; Part 2: Chickpeas with Black Sausage, Pine Nuts, & Raisins; and Part 3: Rock Shrimp (or baby clams) with Eggs (to follow). 

All three of these dishes remind me of my wonderful time in Spain, and I am happy to share my inspiration with you. The great thing about these dishes is that they require only a few ingredients and are easy to prepare. Dish them out onto small plates and you'll have yourself a nice little assortment of tapas, for a party, perhaps? Oh, maybe include a batch of bacon wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo (pronounced chor-ee-tho in Spain); will have to make some soon. And, some bacalao (cod) fritters...

That being said, I must confess, this dish is not made with just any old pork sausage, but, stay with me, it's traditionally made with blood sausage -- a mixture of pork, pork blood, grains, and spices. Look at it this way, using all of the animal, including its blood, is a sign of respect for the animal that gave its life for our table. Okay, now that I've got that out there, I hope you're still on board. I picked up some blood sausage from a local D.C. charcuterie artisan. If you can't stomach the idea of blood sausage, feel free to substitute with your favorite pork sausage. Of note, the blood sausage adds a distinctive, earthy taste that, in my opinion, makes this dish unique.

Added a touch of hot smoked Spanish paprika for a smoky element and to counterbalance the sweetness of the raisins. Also, topped the finished dish with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt to create a nice balance of sweet and salty.

Prepping all the ingredients ahead of time makes assembly a breeze. You can cook the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and confit the onions a few days in advance. Just store in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature when you're ready to use.

Chickpeas with Sausage, Pine Nuts, & Raisins

1 pound cooked chickpeas

1/4 cup seedless white raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

~ 4 ounces blood sausage, casing removed, chopped into small pieces (more if you wish)

1 cup onion confit (refer to recipe below)

2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, mixed with large pinch hot smoked paprika

3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Coarse sea salt

Heat 2 tablespoons of the paprika-infused oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. When hot add  the onion confit and stir. Add the blood sausage, and cook breaking up the sausage until crumbled. Add the raisins and pine nuts. Stir to incorporate. Add the cooked chickpeas and parsley. Stir until the chickpeas are well incorporated and hot. Serve with a drizzle of paprika infused olive oil and sprinkle of coarse sea salt.

Onion Confit
(adapted from Alice Waters: Chez Panisse Vegetables)

2 large onions, peeled, cut in half, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (olive oil or combination of oil and butter)
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
3 sprigs thyme
1 cup red wine
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup sherry vinegar

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Brown the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until onions soften. Stir in the sugar and cook, covered, a few more minutes to allow the sugar to caramelize slightly. Add the thyme sprigs, red wine, and vinegars. Turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for ~1 to 1 1/4 hours, until the liquid is cooked down to a syrup. You can prepare ahead of time.

Squid and White Beans with Balamic Reduction

It all started with some fresh cranberry beans. Well, okay, let me backtrack a bit. It all started with the memory of a wonderful dish I had at the La Boqueria in Barcelona -- then the cranberry beans came into the picture. Found some of these distinctively colored beans at my local farmers' market the other day.

Fresh beans cook much faster than dried beans and have a superior texture.

If you've ever been to Barcelona and enjoy food, then you've probably paid a few visits to La Boqureria. And, if you've stopped at La Boqueria for a bite (and, of course, to stock up on jamon iberico bellota), there's a good chance you've run across the famous (and always jovial) Juanito, proprietor of Bar Pinotxo. Bar Pinotxo was my first stop during a three-week stay in Spain. Breakfast at Pinotxo consisted of baby squid and white beans, chickpeas with black sausage (aka morcilla), and a glass of cava. What a great way to start the day!

Juanito, Bar Pinotxo

I hadn't thought about that meal in a while; that was until the other night, when I was watching an episode of From Spain with Love. The host, Annie Sibonney, was at La Boqueria having breakfast at Pinotxo and was lucky enough to observe one of the chefs in action as he prepared several of the bar's beloved dishes.

Despite the incredible depth of flavor, these dishes are easy to prepare. And, it doesn't hurt to have some of the freshest ingredients and seafood at your disposal. These dishes are meant to be prepared quickly, within minutes, to accommodate the masses of people that pass through this market every day. A much elevated form of fast food than we are commonly accustomed to here in the States.

Despite the lack of impeccably fresh seafood, at least here in Washington, DC, you can still reproduce this dish with much success. In place of baby squid, you can use larger squid and slice them into roughly half inch rings (use the tentacles as well). Other than that, all you need is some beans (dried or fresh), fresh parsley, balsamic reduction, some sea salt, and oil for pan frying (preferably in a well-seasoned wok).

Squid with White Beans and Balsamic Reduction
The saltiness from the squid plays nicely against the sweetness from the reduced balsamic vinegar.

3/4 pound squid (bodies and tentacles)
1 1/2 cup cooked white beans (dried or fresh)

1/3 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of oil
sea salt to taste
balsamic reduction (see below)

To cook fresh beans, cover the shelled beans with water in a 3-4 quart pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for ~ 20 minutes until soft. Drain and season with salt.

To cook dried beans, refer to this site.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. When hot, add the squid. Cook briefly, just a minute or two, until cooked through. Add the chopped parsley, beans, and saute another minute. Place in a serving dish. Sprinkle with course sea salt and drizzle with balsamic reduction.

Balsamic Reduction

It's really easy to make your own balsamic reduction. Pour the entire bottle of balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until reduced by seventy-five percent. So if you start with a 250 ml bottle, simmer until it is reduced to ~60 ml. Let cool and then, using a funnel, pour the contents into a squeeze bottle. Store in the refrigerator. If it gets too cool, warm the bottle in some warm water before using. I've seen balsamic reduction already prepared in the grocery store, but it's filled with all sorts of unwanted ingredients (i.e., HFCS, xatham gum, caramel coloring).

Next on the agenda, chickpeas with black sausage (aka morcilla); blood sausage already on hand from Red Apron Butcher Shop.

Farmers' Market Pizza and Hibiscus Tea

Pizza with Heirloom Tomatoes, Peaches, & White Truffle Salami

After my busy weekend of shopping I was inspired to do some cooking with all my new culinary finds. My initial thought was to make a salad with some juicy West Virginia peaches I purchased. Grilling the peaches would have been a nice touch, but since I recently moved, and no longer have a place to grill, nor a grill (left it behind in Chicago, so sad; sad to have left such a great city that is, the grill will get replaced, at some point).

This gave me an idea, hmm, I wonder how fresh peaches would taste on a pizza? Well, along with some heirloom tomatoes, fresh goat cheese (with chipotle), hot banana peppers (to counterbalance the sweetness of the peaches), basil, and some really tasty truffle salami I picked up along the way. Basically, a tomato-peach salad on top of some homemade dough in the form of a pizza. This may seem a bit atypical for a pizza, but after living in Chicago for the past 10 years, and only having access to seasonal produce for such a small window of time, I've grown to cherish every moment of the growing season.

So, my thoughts? I love the combination of the peaches and tomatoes. And, the truffle salami, what's not to love. You get hints of truffle with every bite; probably some of the best salami I've tasted outside of Italy. Everything tastes fresh, not globs of cheese running down your plate.

There's no way to get that nice charcoaled crust without a wood/cool fire oven. But using a pizza stone and turning your oven up as high as it goes, produces a nice crispy, browned crust in under 10 minutes (closer to 81/2-9 minutes total cooking time).

Am a bit indecisive at times and had trouble deciding on what type of cheese to use on the pizza. Ultimately, I settled on a combination of fresh goats cheese from Cherry Glen Farm (located just outside Washington DC, in Boyds, MD), Cypress Grove (from Arcata, California), and some Manchego (Spain) to round it off.

I love the hint of white truffle in this salami. Alternatively, you can drizzle a bit of white truffle oil over the top of the pizza after it comes out of the oven, or even garnish with a hint of truffle sea salt.

Some Cherokee purple, green and red zebra heirloom tomatoes.

And some juicy peaches from West Virginia.

Farmers' Market Pizza

Pizza toppings
1 large or 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 peach, thinly sliced

1 banana pepper, seeds removed, thinly sliced
(truffle) salami, thinly sliced
shredded/crumbled cheese (used combination of fresh goat's cheese and Manchego)
fresh basil, thinly sliced for garnish
sea salt or truffle salt to taste
drizzle of olive oil or truffle oil

red pepper flakes

Pizza Dough 

Makes 4 pizzas (each weighting 9 ounces)--I used 1 and froze the rest

4 1/2 cups (20.25 ounces) 00 flour (or all purpose flour, unbleached high-gluten, bread, or half white-wheat)
1 3/4 teaspoons (0.44 ounces) salt
1 teaspoon (0.11 ounces) instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil (optional)
1 3/4 cup (14 ounces) ice cold water

Note: I have to admit, I used half white-wheat flour in the dough. On previous attempts, I found the dough a bit "doughy" with whole wheat. But, upon further experimentation, I found that if you roll it out very thin, it will get nice and crispy.

Stir together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Stir in the water and olive oil (if using). With a wooden spoon, mix all the ingredients together until it forms a ball. Mix for about 5 to 7 minutes until all ingredients are evenly distributed. The finished dough will be springy, elastic, and sticky.

Sprinkle flour over the dough. Cut the dough into four pieces. Gently shape each piece into a ball. Mist the dough with oil, and cover with plastic.

The next step is letting the dough rise. Typically, I let the dough rise for three hours at room temperature. You can also refrigerate overnight to rest the dough (it can keep up to three days in the refrigerator); remove from the fridge and let the dough come to room temperature.

Making the Pizza
Place the pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees (or as high as your oven will go) for at least 30 minutes.

Now it's time to roll out the dough. Generously flour a peel or, alternatively, the back of a sheet pan. Roll the dough so that it stretches to about 11 to 12 inches in diameter for a 9 ounce piece of dough.

Slide the pizza onto the baking stone and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 81/2-9 minutes. Top with fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil or white truffle oil, sea salt or truffle salt, and some red pepper flakes to taste.

Hibiscus Tea

I've made this tea on many occasions--baby showers, work functions--and it's always a big hit. It has just a hint of sweetness from pure cane sugar. There's also nice floral notes from the hibiscus flowers, along with cinnamon and citrus undertones. Very light and refreshing!
 

dried hibiscus flowers

Hibiscus Tea (courtesy of Michael Chiarello)

48 ounces water
3 tablespoons hibiscus flowers, organic

2 cinnamon sticks

1/8 cup sugar
1 small orange, sliced

ice

Note: I typically find hibiscus flowers at Mexican grocery stores or sometimes, Whole Foods.

Bring water to a light boil. Turn off the heat, add the hibiscus flowers and cinnamon sticks. Cover and steep for 20 minutes. Strain the tea, add the sugar and orange slices. Serve over ice.

Roasted Eggplant Two Ways with Harissa and Mint

Eggplant. Perhaps a bit of an underappreciated vegetable. However, in the past few years I've really grown to enjoy and crave eggplant, especially the long, slender Japanese varietal. Special thanks to my friends at Green Acres Farm (North Judson, Indiana) for introducing me to this lovely variety. I've eaten so much eggplant as of late, but I've yet to get tired of it. When you roast them in the oven, they get tender, crispy, sweet, and delicious. In my never ending quest for new and interesting flavors, I began to ponder, what else could I do with eggplant? And so my search began.

While perusing my ever growing collection of cookbooks, I came upon a recipe for Baked Stuffed Eggplant (Adapted from “Flavors of Morocco: Delicious Recipes from North Africa” by Ghillie Basan)--stuffed with garlic, onion, breadcrumbs, and harissa. Since I already had some Japanese eggplant in house, which are much to slender to stuff, I've decided to recreate this dish two ways: 1) simply roasting Japanese eggplant and then drizzling with olive oil, topping with harissa and mint, and 2) using the larger Italian globe variety, to stuff and bake.

A bit on harissa. If you haven't tried it, I must warn you, it is highly addictive. It's a mildly-spiced North African sauce made from dried chiles, garlic, and tomato. You can buy it already prepared in the grocery store, but I recommend taking the time to make it yourself. I guarantee it will taste much better than what you can find already prepared. It's extemely versatile, can be eaten alone with some crusty bread, used as a spread on sandwiches, mixed in pasta or couscous, on top of eggs, or used as a condiment for grilled fish or vegetables...the possibilities are endless.

Japanese Eggplant with Harissa & Fresh Mint

 Japanese Eggplant with Harissa & Fresh Mint
 3-4 Japanese eggplant, sliced ~ 1/2 thick

olive oil
smoked hot paprika to taste
salt and pepper to taste

mint leaves, thinly sliced

harissa (refer to recipe below)

Toss the sliced eggplant in olive oil, liberal sprinkling of paprika, salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Roast the eggplant until browned, about 7-8 minutes, flip and continue roasting until the second side is browned and the eggplant is very tender.

Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and season with sea salt. Top with harissa. Sprinkle mint leaves around the plate.Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Note: you can mix a bit of harissa with yogurt, which adds a nice cooling touch to the spicy harissa. I prefer the full fat Greek-style yogurt.

Harissa

Harissa
6 dried ancho chiles, seeded and membranes removed
6 dried guajillo chiles, seeded and membranes removed
2/3 cup canned whole tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 1/2 teaspoons smoked hot paprika
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon for juicing
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Heat a large pan over medium heat. When hot, add the chiles, one at a time, pressing them flat with a metal spatula for ~10-15 seconds per side. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover them with hot water for 15 minutes and then drain.

Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes, until the seeds release their aroma and darken slightly. Pound coarsely in a mortar.

Return the pan to the stove over medium heat and add the tomato. Cook for a few minutes until the juices reduce and the tomato slightly darkens.

Place the drained chiles in a food processor along with the garlic, tomatoes, paprika, cumin, vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil and blend until incorporated. Season with a squeeze of lemon.

Baked Stuffed Italian Eggplant

Baked Stuffed Italian Eggplant

2 Italian eggplants, cut lengthwise
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, skinned and chopped, plus one tomato, sliced thin for tops
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, toasted
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons harissa (see recipe below) plus extra for garnish
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh mint, thinly sliced for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a spoon, scoop out the eggplant flesh and place it on a chopping board. Brush the insides of the empty eggplant shells with a little olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop the eggplant flesh. Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions until soft. Add the eggplant flesh, cook for a few more minutes, then stir in the tomatoes. Add the garlic, breadcrumbs, cilantro, and harissa. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the mixture into the empty eggplant shells. Arrange the slices of tomato on the top of each one. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. The bigger the eggplant, the longer it takes. Serve it hot. This can be made ahead of time and reheated later.

DC Farmers' Markets -- August 2011

I did my best to support the local economy this weekend. Went to five farmers' markets in two days and am now supplied for the week, well maybe a few days. Love all the vibrant colors and assortment of local fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The following photos are a snapshot of my weekend. Anticipate many new dishes to share with you in the coming weeks.