SWEET CORN POLENTA WITH EGGPLANT AND TOMATOES

Eggplant Sauce on Sweet Corn Polenta

This is another great recipe adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi's cookbook, Plenty.  It's a polenta made with fresh sweet corn and topped with an Eggplant and Tomato Sauce.  Since the fresh corn season is coming to an end, I wanted to use some of the last few stalks of the season from my farmers' market so this was a simple and perfect dish to make.  

In lieu of cornmeal that is typically used for traditional polenta, fresh corn is cooked, then processed in the food processor where it breaks down into a sweet and pasty texture.  It is then added back to its original pan along with some butter and cheese.   I used freshly grated parmesan reggiano cheese, which is not as dense as feta cheese which was part of the original recipe.  As a result, the polenta had some excess liquid, but we strained it.

For the eggplant sauce, I had to add some garlic.  Also, I used olive oil and roasted the eggplant in the oven. 

Although we salvaged the runniness of the "polenta", the dish turned out to be very flavorful.   My meat-eating friend said that if vegetarian food tasted this good, he might give up meat. 

 

Eggpland and Tomato

Eggplant and Tomato Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil (part for eggplant; part for sautéing garlic)

1 medium eggplant cut into 3/4-inch dice
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 cup dry white winee
1 cup fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 oz water
1/8 teaspoo salt
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss olive oil and eggplant in a bowl and ensure eggplant is well covered with oil.  Place eggplant on a pan and roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, turning as necessary until eggplant is lightly browned and softened. 

Heat some olive oil in a large sauté pan.  Add garlic and cook until slightly aromatic and softened.  Stir in tomato paste, and then add roasted eggplant along with any residual juices from the roasting process.  Add the wine and cook for one minute.  Add the chopped tomatoes, water, salt and oregano and cook for a further 5 minutes to get a deep-flavored sauce. Set aside; warm sauce when needed.

 

Corn in Food Processor

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Sweet Corn Polenta

5 ears of corn

2 cups water, or enough to cover the corn kernels about 1/2 inch
3 tablespoons butter, dicedAsk a question about this ingredient
1 cup grated parmesan reggiano cheese
Salt
Pepper
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Shuck each ear of corn, then chop off the pointed top and stalk. Use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels. Stand each ear upright on its base and shave downward, or lay each ear on its side on a cutting board to slice off the kernels.

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Place the kernels in a medium saucepan and cover them with the water. Cook on a low simmer for about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to lift the kernels from the water and place into a food processor; reserve the cooking liquid.

Process corn for a few minutes to break as much of the kernel case as possible. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture becomes dry.

Return the corn paste to the pan with the cooking liquid and cook, while stirring, on low heat until the mixture thickens to a mashed potato consistency.  If there is a lot of liquid left in the pan, drain polenta while reserving the draining liquid.  Fold in the butter, the cheese, salt and some pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.  Drain again if there is too much liquid.

SPICY PUNJABI EGGPLANT WITH POTATOES

This recipe is adapted from The Indian Slow Cooker Cookbook: 

http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Slow-Cooker-Healthy-Authentic/dp/1572841117/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344284454&sr=1-1&keywords=indian+slow+cooker+cookbook

The slow cooker is a great appliance for days when the temperature is in the low 90's or mid 90's or whatever.   

Indian Eggplant

I served this with baby Basmati rice and added a dollop of yogurt to tone down the heat (of the dish).  It was spicy!  I don't know if it's because the slow cooking technique made the spices more intense, but for those who like spicy--really like spicy-- this is definitely a dish to try.  Another meatless Monday!

12 cups diced eggplant
2 cups diced potato
1onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 2" piece of ginger, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" matchsticks
8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 Green chiles, chopped
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds
1Tablespoon red chile powder
1 Tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 cup canola oil
salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

In the crockpot

Put all ingredients, except salt and cilantro, into a slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours.  When done, add salt and cilantro.

PURPLE AND WHITE EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA--BAKED--NOT FRIED

I think that the first time I ever made eggplant parmigiana was in 1979.  Back then, it was the "typical pizza parlor" dish with eggplant fried in vegetable oil and then covered with that Polly-O mozzarella cheese "stuff" that was wrapped in plastic and tasted as such, dusted with Parmigiano "cheese" that had the consistency of baby powder from a can that looked (and tasted) like something you would dust on your feet after a work-out and shower.  The sauce was....well, it was.

Oh, how times have changed, and changed, and changed again.

As I look back, I realize that was a long, long time ago.  Since then, I've explored and made cuisines from all over the world.  But getting back on track and a blast from the past and recent past and more recently, I made eggplant parmigiana.   Yes, I made eggplant parmigiana.  Not a typo.  I think the first time I made this recipe was during a major snowstorm in early 2010.  And that was the first time I made eggplant parmigiana since 1979.  And I liked it.  Probably because it's not the typical fried eggplant smothered in plastic and/or powdered cheese. The eggplant is baked instead of fried.  I use low-fat mozzarella cheese and panko in lieu of bread crumbs.  

I adapted this recipe from Mario Batali's cookbook, Molto Italiano, 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home.

http://www.amazon.com/Molto-Italiano-Simple-Italian-Recipes/dp/0060734922/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335705532&sr=1-1

So, about a week ago, after purchasing a beautiful white eggplant, I decided to revisit the recipe and make a "white and purple" eggplant parmigiana.  No plastic or baby powder in this one.  It was very good, tasty and light.   

PURPLE AND WHITE EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA--BAKED--NOT FRIED

4 oz. extra-virgin olive oil
1 white eggplant, about 1 pound
1 purple eggplant, about 1 pound
Salt and pepper
2 cups marinara sauce, preferably home-made (another recipe)
1/2 pound fresh low-fat mozzarella, sliced paper thin
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup panko

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Lightly oil a baking sheet with olive oil.

Slice each eggplant into 6 pieces about 1 inch thick.  Brush eggplant with olive oil and lightly season each disk with salt and pepper and place on the oiled sheet. Bake the eggplant at 450 degrees until the slices begin turning deep brown, about 12 minutes. Turn eggplant over and brush with more olive oil, as necessary. Remove the eggplants from the oven and let cool.  Eggplant could rest for a while at this point, until ready to handle.

Roasted Eggplant

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.  In an 8 by 12-inch pan, place the 4 largest eggplant slice evenly spaced apart. Over each slice, spread 1/4 cup of tomato sauce. Place one slice of mozzarella over each and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon grated Parmigiano. Place the smaller slices of eggplant over each of the disks and repeat with tomato sauce and the 2 cheeses. Repeat, layering again until all the ingredients are used. Sprinkle the panko over the top of the eggplant dish, and bake uncovered until the cheese is melts and the tops turn light brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

EGGPLANT MASHED POTATOES

EGGPLANT MASHED POTATOES

This  one of my favorite recipes for a spin on the "boring" mashed potatoes.  I've done the wasabi root (no pun intended), so here's another method to make the old-fashioned, classic potato root (again, no pun intended) into a more flavorful side dish.  Typically, most side dishes are ignored and they are treated like the girl (or guy) at the dance that never gets asked to dance. Not this side dish.  I really like the Mediterranean flair, different from the Asian wasabi version mentioned above.  This recipe was adapted from the Union Square Cookbook. http://www.amazon.com/The-Union-Square-Cafe-Cookbook/dp/0060170131/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1331948988&sr=1-1
  It goes really well with roasted chicken or any full bodied fish.

4 Japanese eggplants (about 2#), peeled
4 oz. olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon peeled and grated ginger
1 tablespoon tahini*
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 cups mashed potatoes (recipe follows)**

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the eggplants in half, then slice each lengthwise into quarters.  Slice across the quarters at 1/2-inch intervals.  Put the cut eggplant on a lightly oiled roasting pan.  Drizzle evenly with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Cover eggplant with foil and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, until eggplant is tender.  When done, let eggplant cool down and puree in a food processor until smooth.

In a medium pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the sesame oil.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add eggplant puree, tahini, and soy sauce.  Cook for about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the warm mashed potatoes and heat through.

*TAHINI is a white sesame paste found in most specialty grocery stores or Middle Eastern shops.  If tahini is not available, make your own using one part of toasted sesame seeds with one part water.  Grind into a paste.   

**MASHED POTATOES
2# of Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into equal parts
dash of kosher salt
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Place potatoes in a 2 quart saucepan and cover with cold water.  Add the salt.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until potatoes are completely tender, about 30 minutes.  When potatoes are tender, drain them.  Then, put potatoes into a food mill, or a potato ricer, or just use an old-fashioned potato masher to mash them.  After the potatoes are mashed, add the butter and milk and incorporate all.  Potatoes are now ready to add to something else (e.g., eggplant puree above), or just douse in gravy from another recipe, or just have by themselves.