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Crunchy Epplant is Divine!

     When I first read the recipe for Crunchy Eggplant, in Michael Schlow's new book, It's About Time, I wondered if I was looking at a typo. Did he really mean to say cut the eggplant slices two inches thick? As one who has always liked her eggplant as thin as possible, more like eggplant wafers even, this just didn't seem right. I was however, seriously craving both eggplant and veal parmesan. I'd had both just two nights ago at a friend's dinner party, but we were having so much fun drinking wine on her new front deck, that we almost didn't get around to eating dinner. When we finally did eat it was delicious but I must not have had much because I've been wanting more ever since.

     I just couldn't bring myself to cut the egpplant two full inches thick though. So I compromised, by doing half of it just over an inch and the rest, about a quarter inch. I was so uncertain about the thickness, that I searched online and found this mouthwatering picture and passionate review of this eggplant dish that is served as an appetizer at Via Matta.  Looks like it is supposed to be this thick.

     Sometimes, it's deliciously good to be wrong! The thick slices of eggplant that I coated with a seasoned Panko crumb mix, fried in extra virgin olive oil, and then baked for 15 minutes in a hot oven, were nothing short of amazing. The thin slices didn't even compare. When prepared this way they were too greasy and crunchy and the eggplant barely existed. Topped with a little cheese, and a bruschetta-like tomato sauce, the thick eggplant slices were crispy on top and bottom and meltingly tender and sweet in the middle. Great as an appetizer, this could also make a wonderful vegetarian entree or as I had it, as a side dish, with Veal Milanese.

Crunchy Eggplant adapted from chef Michael Schlow's recipe. In the book, it says this is the most popular dish served at Via Matta. If you make this as I did, you'll understand why.

1 large eggplant

1 cup flour

1 cup panko crumbs

2 eggs

2 tablespoons water

2 pinches oregano

2 bigger pinches basil

dash of salt and pepper

Pour flour into shallow bowl and season with salt, pepper, oregano and basil.

Do the same in another shallow bowl with the panko.

Beat eggs with water in a shallow bowl.

Slice eggplant into one inch thick slices. Not necessary to peel.

Dredge each slice in flour, shake off excess, dip into egg, then into panko crumbs and coat well on both sides.

Once all slices are coated, place on a plate, cover, and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Let eggplant slices sit out for ten minutes before frying in extra virgin olive oil,

Add about a quarter cup of oil to a large saute pan over medium high heat.

Fry each slice for a few minutes on each side, working in batches so you don't crowd them in the pan. Drain on paper towels, then place in a shallow pan and bake at 400 for about 15 minutes.

As soon as eggplant slices come out of the oven, drain again on paper towels and top each slice with about a tablespoon or so of cheese. I used a blend of mozzarella, cheddar, provolone and asiago, but any combination is fine. Spoon sauce over eggplant, and enjoy!

Bruschetta like sauce

1 large can diced tomatoes

2 big cloves garlic

1 big onion

1 cup sliced mushrooms

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon canola oil

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 can water (use the can tomatoes came in)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspooon salt

Oregano, Basil, and Rosemary

In large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and olive oil, and saute about three minutes until they start to soften. Add garlic and cook a few minutes more.

Sprinkle sugar over onions, stir and cook a few more minutes. Add mushrooms and butter and cook about five minute. Add wine and wait two minutes.

Add tomatoes, water, and spices. Stir well, cover and simmer for about two hours or so. This makes a thin, flavorful sauce that is delicious served over egpplant or veal.

:) Pam

Radius Roast Pork...food fest at Pinehills

I had too much fun Saturday night. It was a food and wine lovers dream. A 'Progressive Feast' at Pinehills in Plymouth. Such a clever marketing idea. It was a charity benefit, with proceeds going to Children's Hospital in Boston. Chefs from several of my favorite restaurants in Boston were cooking and each course was held in a different model house, each of which was beautifully decorated. It was one of those perfect nights, out with several of my closest friends, and we just had a ball. We may have drank a tad too much wine, indulged in one too many desserts, but it was worth it. I was home and in bed ridiculously early (like before 10), and slept like a baby.  :)

We started with Champagne, then walked to the first house for appetizers, prepared by Marc Orfaly, chef/owner for both Pigalle and MarcO. I haven't been to his restaurants, but after sampling his food, I definitely will go. We had Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, which went really well with my favorite of the two appetizers, a melt-in-your mouth diced fresh tuna wrapped in crispy phyllo dough with a wonderful spicy sauce and pickled veggies.  Then it was on to Pinot Noir and Confit Duck tacos with avocado and salsa.

The next house featured a chef I've raved here about before, Barbara Lynch of No. 9 Park.  Wines were Louis Jadot Chardonnay and Beaujolais Villages. The Chardonnay was rich and creamy and went well with the roasted chicken dusted with truffle wafers and fingerling potatoes and the Tarte Flambe which was a flatbread of sorts with onion and pancetta. The star though was the whole roasted Foie Gras with Burgundian Apples.  The crunch of the kosher salt added to the flavor and it was absolutely decadent.

Next up was another favorite restaurant, Radius. Owners Christopher Myers, who focuses on wine and Michael Schlow who is also the chef, were serving slow roasted salmon, with cabbage, bacon and dill, and pork loin a L'Apicius with broccolini. This was phenomenal, and the wine with it was lush, Ravenswood Sonoma County Zinfandel and Domaine Schlumberger Pinot Gris. I'm not usually a pork fan, but this dish blew me away. It was sweet, and spicy with a flavor that I couldn't quite place, a bit exotic, and the broccolini with it was perfect.

Dessert was divine and came from Flour Bakery and Cafe, and served by Chef Joanne Change. We savored still warm chocolate chip cookies with huge chunks of oozing chocolate, little cups of rich chocolate pudding, with fresh whipped cream and shaved chocolate, and tiny Lemon Meringue Tartlets. I couldn't have just one. :)

We also picked up a copy of Michael's new cookbook, It's About Time, featuring recipes from Radius, and his other two restaurants, the mostly Italian Via Matta, and seafood focused Great Bay. I was thrilled to find the pork recipe here and will be making it soon. I've had many of the dishes in this cookbook, either in cooking classes or meals at Radius, and I think it is an excellent book, with recipes I will refer to often, and that are not too complicated.

Here's the pork recipe.

Loin of Pork "A L'Apicious"

Michael's comments on this dish, "Relax, it just sounds fancy. I make this all of the time at my house and even at guest chef events, because people really seem to enjoy the balanced seasoning of sweet, spicy, tart, and aromatic."

1 cup honey

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 tablespoons canola oil

1 center loin of pork, trimmed of any excess fat (about 3 pounds, 6 inches in diameter)

salt and pepper

6 to 8 tablespoons chicken stock (or water)

2 tablespoons butter

-

Heat oven to 300

Mix the honey, vinegar, curry and cayenne in a bowl and set aside

Place a large, ovenproof pan on the stove over medium heat and add canola oil

Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper and place in the pan.

Cook gently, just 30 seconds per side, to obtain a light change in color. Do not sear.

Pour the honey mixture over the pork.

Pour the water in to the bottom of the pan, taking care not to pour it on the pork.

Place the pan in the oven and roast for 1 hour, turning the pork and basting it with the pan juices every 3 to 5 minutes.

Turn the oven off.

Remove the pork from the pan, place on a baking sheet, and return it to the oven to stay warm, about ten minutes, while you prepare the sauce.

Transfer the pan juices to a medium sized sauce pot.

Add stock to sauce pot and reduce over medium heat until about half cup remains.

Swirl in the butter, stirring until melted, and remove from heat.

Remove the pork from the oven and carve into thick slices. Arrange on a platter, drizzle sauce over the top, and serve.

This is so delicious!

:) Pam

Homemade Ricotta, and a great cheap red wine

Happy Fall!  First of all, please accept my apologies for taking so long to post.  I have a poor excuse. My digital camera died of unknown causes, and I hesitated to post without pictures, but was told this weekend at a writer's conference by several readers to just stop making excuses and post already. So, I'm back, but you'll have to use your imagination to picture the food I'm about to describe, and it's too bad, because the cannolis I made from my homemade ricotta were amazingly beautiful, and delicious. The ricotta was light, and creamy, with just the right amount of sugar and hint of anise.  It was fun making the ricotta and so much easier than I ever imagined. I'm going to make it again this week, for eggplant parmesan rollups. 

     Except for that fact that I've now twice overcooked my pasta (I keep forgetting about it as I type away here),  tonight's dinner should be good too. The smell of the rich tomato sauce that has been simmering all afternoon was making my stomach growl, until I made it oh so happy with a sip of this fantastic wine that was recommended by my local wine shop. The 2001 Remole Toscana by Frescobaldi is what they call a mini-Super Tuscan, and is a lush blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet. It's sooo good, and a bargain too at only $7.99. It's ideal for pasta, pizza, or just sipping. It's a medium bodied, vibrant red that just explodes with flavor.  It's going to enhance my dinner perfectly. The pasta sauce is a simple mix of crushed tomato, pinch of sugar, salt, handful of fresh basil, half a dozen chopped garlic cloves and several Italian turkey sausages. I sauteed the garlic and sausages in a bit of olive oil, then sliced the sausages, added the tomatoes, and spices, and half a can of water, and set it to bubble away on the stove for a few hours.

      I got the idea for making the ricotta cheese last weekend when I stumbled onto Orangette's mouthwatering post on making ricotta fritters. The fritters sounded delicious, but what really intrigued me was the link that showed how to make your own ricotta cheese. It looked too easy and good to be true. And it was just as easy and fun to make as the article said. All you do is heat a gallon of milk and a quart of buttermilk in a big pot over medium high heat and after about 15 minutes or so, the curds separate from the whey and float to the top. You turn the heat off, scoop the curds into a cheesecloth lined strainer, let it drain, and you have ricotta!  To make the Cannoli, I just added about three tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of anise, mixed it well, let it chill for a few hours in the fridge, then threw it into a ziplock bag, and cut the corner tip off the bottom. Then I just squeezed the cheese into each end of a cannoli shell that I bought from my local bakery.  They were delicious!  If you do decide to make cannoli though, when mixing the sugar in, I'd add it a tablespoon at a time, and check for sweetness, adding more as needed until it tastes as sweet as you like it.

Enjoy!

:) Pam