Most eggplant recipes you see are for baked, roasted, deep-fried, or steamed eggplant. Why is this? Because it generally takes a long time to cook, even if you're patient. This method involves frying, but with a covered lid. As long as the eggplant doesn't dry out, it should cook thoroughly.
3-5 Japanese eggplants, sliced in 3/4" diagonal cut pieces
1 red bell pepper, 1/4" lengthwise slices
1 green bell pepper, 1/4" lengthwise slices
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. chicken/vegetable/beef broth or water
slivers of green onion for garnish (optional)
dash of salt, to taste
Sauce:
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
1. Stir-fry red and green bell peppers with the oil and the garlic about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Stir-fry eggplant until lightly browned. Turn heat down to medium and simmer with 1/4 c. broth covered until eggplant is soft. About 30 minutes.
3. Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Once the eggplant is just about done, add the sauce and stir until the eggplant is coated. Add the peppers back in and fry for 1-2 more minutes.
5. Remove from heat. Garnish with slivers of green onion.
Hot buttered rum
I don't know what made me think that this hot toddy would be sweet and tasty. Unfortunately, it just tastes like hot rum diluted with boiling water and melted butter + spices. Maybe it's the unsalted butter I used. I was expecting more flavor? Anyhow. Saveur magazine's recipe for this isn't that good. If I had the patience or the butter to make another base I would add a lot more sugar, or something.
Saveur's hot buttered rum base recipe:
1 3/4 c. butter, softened
1/4 tsp. each cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves
1 c. dark brown sugar
Mix well.
Per serving ingredients:
2 tbsp hot buttered rum base
1.5 oz dark rum
8 oz boiling water
To drink, add 2 heaping tbsp of hot buttered rum base to a mug, 1 1/2 oz dark rum, and add 8 oz. boiling water.
Stir and serve.
Apple Cordial (revisited)
I checked on my jar of apple cordial and it looks like chopped apples sitting in brandy.
So, the chopped apples and cinnamon stick have been mingling with the brandy for about two weeks now. How long should I let it sit before I drink it? And, is cordial a drinking thing, or would it be more useful in desserts as a flavored brandy? Can't say I've had a cordial before. I suppose I could whirl the apples through my food processor and strain the liquid through both cheesecloth and a paper filter to get more clarity out of the liquid.
I remember someone associated with CoW made mead and triple filtered it. Was that a paper filter?
On a side note, seeing how every liquor shop/wine cellar I visit doesn't have a bottle of Sheridan's on their shelf, I might just try to make it myself. Although, I should probably get caps for my rootbeer bottles and brew that rootbeer kit. I think I've stocked enough bottles for a batch.
Apple Cordial
3 cups apples, coarsely chopped
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups 80 proof brandy
one 4" cinnamon stick, broken
Directions:
In a large screw top jar, combine all ingredients. Cover Tightly. Invert jar. Let stand for 24 hours. Turn jar upright, let stand 24 hours. Repeat turning process until sugar dissolves.
Store in a cool, dark place for 4-6 weeks. Strain through a cheesecloth into decanter.
(Update: 2/27/2008) This jar has been sitting under the sink for quite some time now, although the lid is now really stuck. I haven't been able to decant it into a clean jar. *sigh*
3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups 80 proof brandy
one 4" cinnamon stick, broken
Directions:
In a large screw top jar, combine all ingredients. Cover Tightly. Invert jar. Let stand for 24 hours. Turn jar upright, let stand 24 hours. Repeat turning process until sugar dissolves.
Store in a cool, dark place for 4-6 weeks. Strain through a cheesecloth into decanter.
(Update: 2/27/2008) This jar has been sitting under the sink for quite some time now, although the lid is now really stuck. I haven't been able to decant it into a clean jar. *sigh*
The Anatomy of Spaghetti
I've never understood the allure of marinara sauce or the eating of pasta with it without meat. Maybe a vegetarian can explain it to me. There is a proper way to prepare a meat sauce, but sadly, I have yet to find a restaurant that even comes close to the Hsi family standards of making spaghetti sauce. Cooking for one isn't really that big of a challenge, except when it comes to this particular dish. When I make spaghetti, it's like I'm making it for the family again. What ends up happening is that I'll make a batch that'll maybe feed 4-6 people and freeze half the sauce and eat the rest over the course of the next week or so.
The marianara sauce, I'd always believed, is a base. People don't eat sauce bases. That's like sucking on a boullion cube then drinking a quart of water to make soup in your stomach as everything churns around. "Spaghetti sauce" is more like a stew in texture and composition. It's a tomato-based stew, IMHO. Of all the possible ingredients to go into the sauce, onions are not one of them. Unfortunately, there's only one way to get around the onion ingredient in pre-made marinara sauce, and that's to make it from scratch. But, not tonight 'cause I'm hungry and the jar of "spaghetti" sauce is available in my pantry.
There are some things that make me happy when I see a marinara meat sauce:
a) I see meat
b) There're no onions
c) Lots of shrooms!
The ingredient list:
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb ground beef
One 25 oz jar of marinara sauce
One 14.5 oz can of tomatos
8 oz white/brown mushrooms, quartered
2-3 tbsp red/white/or rice wine
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp (or more) oregano
sugar, to taste
2-3 bay leaves
Prep and cook time for the sauce should take no more than 30-40 minutes, 'cause ya don't want to overcook the beef.
The "sauce" should look like it's 1/2 meat, 1/2 mushrooms, 1/2 sauce, and 1/2 everything else.
Ahhh.. dinner time.
Yeah, yeah. The pasta. I like the fusili (spiraly) pasta. Ya start both at the same time. Pasta takes a few minutes more to be al dente, fully cooked but not overly soft.
The order of operations:
1. Heat 2-3 tbsp cooking oil (I used olive oil, only 'cause it's the only oil I have) over medium-high heat
2. Add the chopped garlic and stir until the garlic has slightly browned
3. Remove the garlic to a small bowl (nobody likes burned garlic in spaghetti sauce)
4. Add the ground beef and stir until it is nearly browned everywhere
5. Turn heat down to medium and add the marinara sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, and everything else.
6. Cover and simmer on low-medium heat for the remainder of the time until the pasta is done.
The marianara sauce, I'd always believed, is a base. People don't eat sauce bases. That's like sucking on a boullion cube then drinking a quart of water to make soup in your stomach as everything churns around. "Spaghetti sauce" is more like a stew in texture and composition. It's a tomato-based stew, IMHO. Of all the possible ingredients to go into the sauce, onions are not one of them. Unfortunately, there's only one way to get around the onion ingredient in pre-made marinara sauce, and that's to make it from scratch. But, not tonight 'cause I'm hungry and the jar of "spaghetti" sauce is available in my pantry.
There are some things that make me happy when I see a marinara meat sauce:
a) I see meat
b) There're no onions
c) Lots of shrooms!
The ingredient list:
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb ground beef
One 25 oz jar of marinara sauce
One 14.5 oz can of tomatos
8 oz white/brown mushrooms, quartered
2-3 tbsp red/white/or rice wine
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp (or more) oregano
sugar, to taste
2-3 bay leaves
Prep and cook time for the sauce should take no more than 30-40 minutes, 'cause ya don't want to overcook the beef.
The "sauce" should look like it's 1/2 meat, 1/2 mushrooms, 1/2 sauce, and 1/2 everything else.
Ahhh.. dinner time.
Yeah, yeah. The pasta. I like the fusili (spiraly) pasta. Ya start both at the same time. Pasta takes a few minutes more to be al dente, fully cooked but not overly soft.
The order of operations:
1. Heat 2-3 tbsp cooking oil (I used olive oil, only 'cause it's the only oil I have) over medium-high heat
2. Add the chopped garlic and stir until the garlic has slightly browned
3. Remove the garlic to a small bowl (nobody likes burned garlic in spaghetti sauce)
4. Add the ground beef and stir until it is nearly browned everywhere
5. Turn heat down to medium and add the marinara sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, and everything else.
6. Cover and simmer on low-medium heat for the remainder of the time until the pasta is done.
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