Learning to Love...

There have been a few speed bumps on my road to being a well rounded foodie. Although I have yet to meet anyone that is less picky an eater than me, there are still a few things that I shy away from ordering or cooking with because I don't loooove an ingredient. And my motto has always been to eat only what I love, and only what's delicious. But, that doesn't mean I can't stretch myself and my palette by incorporating some new things into my daily repertoire. I know many people that flip for eggplant. They love it in pasta, they put it on their pizza and bake it by the dozen in lasagna.

I never grew up using or eating eggplant and wasn't really introduced to it until I moved to New York and became all too well acquainted with the carby, fatty goodness of eggplant Parmesan. Years of working as a magazine assistant led to heaping spoonfuls of it eaten at my desk between meetings and during working lunches and dinners. Needless to say, after a while, some things take on a negative connotation when associated with less than stellar memories, and as such, eggplant has fallen by the wayside as far as my diet is concerned. But recently, an excellent trip to the farmer's market inspired me to rediscover this lovely fruit (that's right, eggplant is actually a fruit--google it if you don't believe me, but it is in fact a berry).

A new stand at the market that I'd never seen had a lovely selection of Japanese eggplant, which are significantly smaller and more slender than the eggplant we're used to here in the United States. A few went a long way towards an excellent side dish (that is for once totally vegetarian...except for the fish sauce...well, I tried) from one of my favorite chefs, Kylie Kwong. I actually combined two of her eggplant recipes into one, using the roasting application from her book Heart and Soul, and the tomato dressing from Simple Chinese Cooking. I always figured that I liked eggplant in stir-fry, so why not go for a Chinese application? The dish turned out really great, with the eggplant taking on a nutty flavor after a long roast in the oven. The finely diced garlic on top also roasted and took on a mild, sweet flavor, which contrasted wonderfully with the sweet and sour tomato dressing. I made a few minor tweaks to each recipe so that they'd work together, like adding extra fish sauce and vinegar to the dressing to up the tartness and take away some of the sweetness that we'd get from the eggplant and garlic. Here's what I came up with:



Japanese Eggplant with Garlic, Olive Oil and Tomatoes
adapted from Heart and Soul

3-4 Japanese eggplants, halved, then halved lengthwise
extra virgin olive oil
7 garlic cloves, finely diced
1/4 bunch thyme
1 teaspoon salt
ground white pepper

Tomato Dressing
adapted from Simple Chinese Cooking

4 small tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely sliced spring onions
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp malt vinegar
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Place eggplant on a lightly greased baking sheet, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes or until eggplant is tender.

2. Increase oven temperature to 400 F degrees and uncover baking sheet. Cook eggplant another 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

3. Meanwhile, combine all of the ingredients for tomato dressing in a bowl and set aside.

4. Arrange eggplant on a platter or in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with tomato salsa. Enjoy!

-Laura

Fry Hard

Lest you believe that this is some sort of healthy food blog because my first food related post is about tofu, let me first say that I firmly hold the following truths to be self-evident:

1. All things are exponentially more delicious when deep fried
2. Just add bacon
3. Few things are more delicious than a perfectly cooked steak, medium rare
4. One of those things a is fresh out the fryer glazed donut. Or 6.

So why then, do I present myself to the blogosphere with a tofu dish? The answer is simple: I've had a culinary epiphany. You see, I previously took tofu to be a mound of watery, jiggly, cloudy water. Which is actually true, but like so many things in their raw form, tofu benefits greatly from a salty coating and a deep fat fry. And since it is good for you, I don't feel so bad about covering it in salt and tossing it in 4 cups of oil.

The recipe I use originated in Kylie Kwong's excellent cookbook, Heart and Soul: Simple Chinese Cooking. What first peaked my interest in the recipe was watching her make it on her show of the same name (it aires on the Discovery Home channel). Unlike most tofu cookery in the U.S., which is done with firm tofu, Kwong uses silken tofu, which is part of what makes the Chinese and Japanese preparation of tofu far superior to most American ones. This tofu is creamy in texture and less dense than the firm type, so it lends itself particularly well to deep frying and searing, creating a lovely textural contrast between the crispy crust and the soft molten interior. Dipped in sichuan pepper and salt and drizzled with lemon juice, the resulting dish is both comforting and refreshing.

So that, my friends, is my sell as far as this tofu recipe is concerned--it's crispy, salty, sweet and delicious. Not to mention, further proof that all foods benefit from a good old deep fry. Check out my version of the recipe below:


Deep Fried Silken Tofu with Sichuan Pepper and Salt

Tofu
1 block silken tofu
1 cup flour
salt
pepper
vegetable oil (or other light colored frying oil)
1 lemon (for garnish)

Sichuan pepper and Salt
3 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp sichuan pepper corns

1. Mix salt and pepper into flour (in a smal bowl) to taste. Set aside.

2. Pat tofu dry with paper towel, but don't squeeze out all of the water, and cut it into about 1 1/2 inch blocks. Toss the tofu chunks in the flour mixture to coat.

3. Heat oil on high in a wok or dutch oven. When the oil is hot, carfully add the tofu, no more than 4 pieces at a time. Flip them over halfway through cooking so both sides are golden brown and delicious. Set the cooked tofu aside on paper towel to absord excess oil until ready to serve.

4. While the tofu is frying, heat a dry pan on medium high heat. Add sichuan peppercorns and salt. Dry roast in a pan unil very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add mixture to a mortar and pestle and allow to cool, then grind into a coarse salt. Serve alongside tofu and lemon wedges as shown. Enjoy!

-Laura