[gardeners] Gourmet Magazine eggplant and fruits for Lon!
flylo@txcyber.com (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sat, 7 Jul 2001 22:04:43 -0500
The Gourmet mag may be a bit off topic for gardeners but not when
their July issue is totally focused on Produce. They have several
articles on canning (water bath mostly), and one on "1001 Bites"
(Turkish cooking). Since it's Gourmet mag, the photos are
sensational, calories leaping right off the pages. One on eggplant
was tempting, especially in lieu of our recent discussion on the
topic.
Braised Eggplant with Onion and tomato
6 small Italian eggplants ( 2 lb total)
2 medium onions, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick wedges
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped plus 1 1/2 cups drained chopped
tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat leaf Italian parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
(They claim this really is Turkish, honest!)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup water
preheat oven to 400*F
Halve eggplant lengthwise and score flesh 1/2 inch deep in a
crosshatch pattern (1 inch squares, don't cut thru the skin).
Arrange cut side up in a large roasting pan and season with the
salt.
Cook onions in 3 tbsps oil in a skillet over moderate heat. Soften
about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in the
tomatoes, parsely, basil, lemon juice 2 tsp sugar and salt.
Divide topping among eggplant halves, mounding in the centers.
Stir together the water, remaining 1/4 cup of olk and remaining tbsp
sugar until the sugar is dissolved, then add to roasting pan. Cover
tightly with foil and bake in center of oven, basting every 15 min
with liquid that cooks out. Cook 45 minutes. Uncover and cook
until eggplants are tender (they will collapse and flatten slightly)
and cooking liquid is reduced and beginning to caramelize, about
40 more minutes. Serve hot, drizzled with pan juices.
Recommended serving with Feta and Walnut Phyllo Rolls, but
since there isn't anything 'gardening' in that one, I'll send it privately
to anyone who needs a quick phyllo fix.
Fruits too:
Lon, something for you in Gourmet July issue! A couple in
Australia are growing rain forest plants, things they deem
significant in the medicinal/culinary realm that may be lost in
natural state. They've gone all over the world on collection sprees,
and the list of fruits they're growing is overwhelming.
Haven't been to the website but it's:
www.botanicalark.com They're Alan and Susan Carle.
Martha, (Texas)
Visit our Paso Fino Club: www.TxPFHA.org
Visit our farm:www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/5505/index.html