This past Saturday, I had a minor meltdown searching for something to make for dinner that would please myself, Matt, and my mom. I really wanted to make this eggplant dish, but when I mentioned it to my mom, she responded with a half frown and an emotionless: "Eggplant isn't one of my favorites."
To Matt, I said, "I was thinking of making this baked eggplant dish unless you had an idea for something else?" to which he responded: "I'd probably rather have anything else."
I spent the next hour looking through cookbooks and getting more and more annoyed that I wasn't finding anything I wanted to make. At which point, I got up, announced that we were going to have the eggplant (dammit!) and I was going to the farmers market to pick up the ingredients. "Byeeee!!"
But as you can see from the above photos, I didn't end up buying eggplant. The sun was so bright and the air so hot and the tomatoes and plums so pretty, that I decided to make gazpacho and put my mom in charge of making another plum cake.
I know this is the way a lot of people shop. They go to the market and see what inspires them, but it's not typically the way I go about things, especially post-Teddy. (I now understand those women with their grocery carts so full they seem like they are about to topple over. They are moms who aren't sure if they'll ever get back to the grocery store again.) But I enjoyed my little stint as a farmers market wanderer and gatherer and hope to do it again from time to time, just as I'm enjoying writing this post centering on two recipes I've already made and written about before. The yellow gazpacho goes way back to 2009, back when I sometimes didn't even include a recipe. Here it is, though, in case you want to give it a try, and I recommend that you do. It's so refreshing and delicious. (I also recommend that you skip the step of straining it and that you eat it with lots of bread and possibly butter.) Oh, and word to the wise: the recipe says it serves six, but the three of us devoured our portions and could've eaten more.
Sadly, my mom has already come and gone. And doubly sadly, Teddy and I are both a little sick. But at least we have the long weekend ahead of us. Plus, Matt and I have a new "behind the scenes" (giant winky face) video to share. Hopefully, we'll post that on Tuesday. In the mean time, have a great weekend! xox
6 comments:
This the best gazpacho I've ever had. Also, I would love the Eggplant thing sometime! I think my quote was taken out of context ;-) xoxoxo
the mom at the market, made me laugh out loud! totally me :) and with the LA heat who wants to cart little people in and out of carseats? hope you feel better very soon! i think i need to make this plum cake and maybe the gazpacho too, thanks!
That pic of your mom and Teddy is just the sweetest! :) And I am making that plum cake TONIGHT.
Eggplant gets such a bad wrap!
If you love eggplant, while its still hot in LA, do try this summer lasagna recipe. It is truly delicious! No oven required!
Ingredients:
For the Eggplant:
1 eggplant
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 Tbs parsley
1 Tbs Oregano
Olive oil to fry in
1 or 2 Tbs butter depending on taste
For the assembly:
1/2 cup basil -torn
1/2 cup mint -torn
2 Tbs parsley -torn
1/2 box lasagna noodles
1 ball mozzerella cheese
Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbs sugar
Scant 1/4 cup peppadew peppers chopped
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
It will serve at least 4-6 people. It does not need to be baked so you do not have to heat up your kitchen with the oven in the summer. It takes about 1 hour to prep all the ingredients, 1 hour to let the eggplant drain and 10 minutes to assemble.
First, you peel and slice the eggplant and salt it in a colander. Cover with paper towels and a tea kettle that is full and heavy. This first step is very important to remove any bitterness.
Second, you batter it in homemade bread crumbs seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano and parsley and dipped first in 2 beaten eggs (if you need to use store bought seasoned bread crumbs and salt and pepper.)
Then you fry up the eggplant in olive oil and a little butter (for flavor). Set aside.
Third, you make a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, olive oil, chopped peppadews and a little sugar.
Fourth, chop up a handful of basil, a handful of mint and 1/2 handful of Italian parsley.
Fifth, boil lasagna noodles with a little oil, so that they do not stick , and some salt, to impart some flavor.
Sixth, In a beautiful serving dish layer the noodles, then the eggplant then sprinkle with some fresh mozzarella, then the herbs and finally drizzle with the vinaigrette.
Repeat until all the layers are formed, making sure that the noodle is not the last layer.
Serve at room temperature for the best summer lasagna. Mangia!!!
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