Simplest Tomato Tart ever!

Aug 132012
 

When it comes to tomatoes in perfect ripeness, I always keep it simple and let the tomato do the talking. The luscious sweet taste of a perfectly ripened tomato in August is nothing short of restorative.

Are you ready for how easy it is?

1. Sheet of puff pastry spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet. I do not even roll it out. Unfold. Done.

2. Spread the top with a thin layer of Dijon mustard.

3. Top with sliced tomatoes. These are from Frillman Farms. Green Zebra, Indigo Rose Black, and Black Cherry are the heirloom varieties that I used. Yum.

4. Drizzle with a light hand some extra virgin oil. Light salt and pepper.

5. Bake for approx. 20 mins. at 400F.

6. Let cool and if desired, you can drizzle with my light pesto (lemon juice, basil, garlic and evoo) or just tear up basil leaves on top.

NOTE: Store bought puff pastry is vegan. This is a vegan dish in case Ellen DeGeneres comes over to your house this August.

Print

Simplest Tomato Tart ever!
This is the simplest tomato tart ever!

Author:
Recipe type: Appetiser
Serves: 2

Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Ingredients
  • 1 Sheet Puff Pastry
  • Small amount Dijon Mustard
  • 5-10 small heirloom tomatoes
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper

Instructions
  1. Sheet of puff pastry spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet. I do not even roll it out. Unfold. Done.
  2. Spread the top with a thin layer of Dijon mustard.
  3. Top with sliced tomatoes. These are from Frillman Farms. Green Zebra, Indigo Rose Black, and Black Cherry are the heirloom varieties that I used. Yum.
  4. Drizzle with a light hand some extra virgin oil. Light salt and pepper.
  5. Bake for approx. 20 mins. at 400F.
  6. Let cool and if desired, you can drizzle with my light pesto (lemon juice, basil, garlic and evoo) or just tear up basil leaves on top.

Nutrition Information
Serving size: 2

 

Enjoy!

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce

Jun 262012
 

My new favorite thing to eat is eggplants. It was something that I did not love as a child and have not given it much of a break as an adult, but all my preconceived notions are now gone. This easy rustic recipe will convert even the skeptical ones of the bunch about this beautiful glossy purple vegetable.  The buttermilk sauce is excellent on the eggplant or slathered over any other grilled vegetables, lamb chops, etc. I am using fat free Greek-style yogurt these days, but whole milk would taste even better. It is a lovely side dish or serve it with some crusty bread or pita and you have a great little lunch. I served this pretty platter on a dinner buffet. Big hit because of it’s taste and beauty. I made it ahead of time because it more flavorful at room temperature, which freed me up for other dishes that needed to be prepped right before.

This is my adaptation from Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe from his great vegetable cookbook, Plenty. He uses za’tar spice at the end to sprinkle over the buttermilk sauce. I did not have it, so I just stuck with the thyme and pomegranates, but then added some pomegranate molasses because it was handy and I thought the sweet tang would add something to the dish. This worked out great.

In my attempt to imitate Nigella’s scene of a late night raid of the fridge, I pulled out the cold eggplant that was beautifully slathered with buttermilk sauce and coated it with copious amounts of sriracha sauce. Oh, was this so fabulous. I washed it all down with an ice cold beer. I certainly was not as sexy as Nigella doing this. First of all, I had no makeup on and she wears red lip stick for her late night raid. Let’s not even mention my worn-out night shirt I was wearing. I did moan a bit like she does, because it was that tasty. Frankly, it is way too hard to see what is going on in the kitchen with just light from the fridge. How does she do that? This was all done for the sake of art, by the way. LOL.

Print

Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce
This is my adaptation from Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe from his great vegetable cookbook, Plenty.

Author:
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Recipe type: Main Entree
Serves: 2

Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Ingredients
Eggplat
  • 2 large and long eggplants
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoons thyme leaves
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • ½ cup pomegranate seeds
  • ¼ cup pomegranate molasses
Sauce
  • 9 tablespoons buttermilk
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt
  • 1½ tablespoons olive oil, plus a drizzle to finish
  • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 pinch salt

Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Cut the eggplants in half lengthways, cutting straight through the green stalk (the stalk is for the look; don’t eat it).
  3. Use a small sharp knife to make three or four parallel incisions in the cut side of each eggplant half, without cutting through to the skin. Repeat at a 45-degree angle to get a diamond-shaped pattern.
  4. Place the eggplant halves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  5. Brush them with olive oil—keep on brushing until all of the oil has been absorbed by the flesh.
  6. Sprinkle with the lemon thyme leaves and some salt and pepper.
  7. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, at which point the flesh should be soft, flavorful, and nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
  8. To make the sauce, whisk together all of the ingredients. Taste for seasoning, then keep cold until needed.
  9. To serve, spoon plenty of buttermilk sauce over the eggplant halves without covering the stalks. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses and plenty of pomegranate seeds on top and garnish with thyme leaves as well.

 

Enjoy this super easy and healthy recipe. Make the buttermilk sauce all on it’s own. Fabulous. Let me know about your best Nigella imitation. Meanwhile, I will try to get a life. LOL.

Pull up a chair,  Elizabeth

 

Braised Coconut Spinach and Chickpeas over Sweet Potato

Feb 232012
 
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

 

 

I was on the hunt for a hearty vegetarian recipe. You know the one that a carnivore wouldn’t miss the meat at the meal kind of recipe.  Coconut Braised Spinach and Chickpeas over Sweet Potatoes is the exact kind of recipe that I was searching for. I could taste every flavor of each vegetable. There is heat and sweet, tang and subtle flavors in one bite. TheKitchn.com is great stop for a last minute recipe and it is where I found this one. Of course, I changed it around a bit, but this is a great resource.

My young son did not like the spinach and chickpeas at all. He was shivering as he was asking me if he had to eat it. He really hates anything with spinach. He love, loves, loves sweet potatoes, though.  That is what he ate. I had plenty of leftovers, which I used in soup and in a frittata.  This is also a great side dish. I have served it with lamb chops. Perfect compliment.

 

 

Braised Coconut Spinach & Chickpeas 
serves 4/main dish or 6/side dish

2 teaspoons oil or
1 small yellow onion
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger, from a 3-inch piece
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
1 dash of red pepper flakes ( I have also used roasted hot peppers. Your call)
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 pound baby spinach( or frozen, thawed and drained)
14-ounce can coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground ginger or grated from fresh
4 oz. cream cheese (vegan variety is also an option.)


1. Heat the oil in a large, deep Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat.

2. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is beginning to brown.

3. Add the garlic, ginger, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and red pepper, if using. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add the chickpeas and cook over high heat for a few minutes or until the chickpeas are beginning to turn golden and they are coated with the onion and garlic mixture.

5. Toss in the spinach, one handful at a time. This will take about 5 minutes; stir in a handful or two and wait for it to wilt down and make room in the pot before adding the next handful. When all the spinach has been stirred in, pour in the coconut milk and stir in the salt, ground ginger, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer then turn down the heat and cook for 10 minutes or until the chickpeas are warm through.

6. Stir in cream cheese until it melts.

7. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice, if necessary.

Serve with:
Whole roasted sweet potatoes
Pomegranate seeds, to garnish

You can bake a sweet potato quicker then a russet potato. It  will take about 40 minutes at 400F. You can always cut the sweet potatoes in half if you want them to cook quicker. I have used pomegranate molasses over the top as well when I can not find fresh.

You can’t even feel guilty about this recipe. It is super healthy. All the flavor is the bonus. This is the dish that you make for your friends that are vegan, gluten free, dairy free come over.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

 

Soba Noodles with Eggplant & Mango

Jan 312012
 
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

I love reading cookbooks. I read them like novels, but it is rare that I make almost every recipe from a particular cookbook. I find them inspirational and only cook a few recipes from them.  I just recently opened a cookbook that blew my mind and I want to cook almost every recipe in it. It is Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty. It is a vegetarian cookbook from the guy that writes the vegetarian column in the Guardian. (London newspaper) He also has several restaurants in London.

I am really trying to have vegetables be the show case of our family meals and meat, the compliment. I want my son to crave vegetables. I want to crave vegetables more then fries. This kind of recipe answers this desire. These soba noodles with eggplant and mango are so flavor packed, that I wanted to lick the bowl when I was finished.

Okay, now I am going to bitch for a moment. There are a lot of typos in this book. At least, in the kindle version of it. For example, in this recipe it says that I need 12/3 cup of basil. What? Thank goodness I am a confident cook and knew how to switch this up, but just beware of this, if you buy the book.  I also used agave nectar in place of sugar, because I am watching my sugar intake. I also added fresh mint because it just seemed like it should be in there.

You can serve this as a starter or add some fried tofu to make it a main dish. I had some left over and ate it for lunch the next day.

SERVES 6

1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 T. sugar (2 T. agave nectar)
1/2 t. salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 fresh red chile, finely chopped
1 t. sesame oil
grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 cup sunflower oil
2 eggplants, cut into 3/4-inch dice
8 to 9 oz. soba noodles (I used two neat little bundles)
1 large mango or 2 small mangos, peeled, diced or cut into strips
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced

 

1. In a small saucepan gently warm the vinegar, sugar, and salt for up to 1 minute, just until the sugar dissolves.
2. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, chile and sesame oil. Allow to cool, then add the lime zest and juice.
3. Heat up the sunflower oil in a large pan and shallow fry the eggplant in three or four batches. Once golden brown remove to a colander , sprinkle liberally with salt and leave there to drain.
4. Cook noodles in plenty of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. It takes 5 to 8 minutes. I would lean toward the 5 minute side  of this to keep them al dente. Drain and rinse well under running cold water.
5. Shake off as much of the excess water as possible, then leave to dry on a dish towel.
6. In a mixing bowl, toss the noodles with the dressing, mango, eggplant, half the herbs and onions. You can even leave it aside for 1 to 2 hours.
7. When ready to serve add in the rest of the herbs and mix well, then pile on a plate or in a bowl.

 

I made this ahead and served it to friends as a side dish. It has a big wow impact when you place this beautiful dish on the table. I had it made it ahead and all the prep dishes cleaned up before my guests got there. Love that.  You will love the tang, sweet, and heat in this dish. It is summer in the middle of winter. This is just a great recipe. My hat is off to you, Yotam Ottolenghi. Thanks for the inspiration.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Garlic in olive oil

Dec 232011
 
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 Mellow, nutty, and sweet. I love how garlic tastes when it is cooked. Making up a jar of roasted garlic in olive oil doesn’t take long. It will last about 2 weeks, but it never lasts that long in our house. What do I use it on? The real question is what I don’t use it on. Slather the garlic on bread or add to a quick sauce for pasta. Use the oil to make a simple salad dressing or fry an egg in. My son loves a slice of crunchy toasted baguette brushed with the garlic oil and slice of salami on top for breakfast. He always has apple slices along with it. Drizzle it in a sandwich. I have whipped the roasted garlic into potatoes. OMG, that is fabulous, but hash browns cooked with garlic oil is fabulousity.

You can use it when roasting veggies or over a slice of pizza…on salmon or to poach shrimp in. Okay, do I need to say more? This stuff is just a must-have in your fridge. To top it all off, it is good for you. Dr. Oz, come on over and look into my fridge, this stuff is great.

Okay, are you ready for how easy it is?

This is the hardest part. Put 5 heads of garlic, that is peeled, in a one quart sauce pan.

Generously cover all the garlic with olive oil, filling up the pan.

Add some peppercorns (5-8), a bay leaf, and some thyme, if you have them.

Place in a 300F oven for about an hour.

When you pull out, it is good served warm. I usually store in Mason jar in the fridge. When I am ready to use, I do let it get to room temperature and sometimes I reheat it in the microwave so that it is warm.

Oh, I can’t wait to hear how you use it.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

CSA recipe 4: Fried Green Tomatoes

Oct 112011
 
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Ingredients used:

Green Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes

I have never had a fried green tomato before in my life. I first heard of them from the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes. After receiving these green tomatoes in my CSA basket, I knew I was going to finally make them. In researching different recipes, I found out that fried green tomatoes are not originally a southern dish as I had always thought. At the turn of the century, all the recipes found were in the northern and mid-western states. It also seemed to have a strongest presents in the Jewish community. It is believed that the tomatoes were picked right before the first freeze so they would be ruined. With a long winter ahead, nothing on the vine went to waste.

After looking over several different recipes, I went for the one that seemed liked any grandma would of passed down to her family.

Cut your tomatoes a little thick. You do not want them too thin. Dip them first in AP flour, then in buttermilk (I used soy milk because of my son’s allergy to milk), then in seasoned cornmeal. I seasoned the cornmeal with creole seasoning.( I mix up the Emeril’s essence recipe)  I use creole seasoning often enough that I keep it by my stove top. Put breaded tomato slices all on a tray and heated up some oil over med/high heat in a pan. You want an enough oil that when you place your breaded tomato in the oil it goes half way up the side of it. Brown on  both sides. Drain on paper towel.

Now I ended up not making any remoulade for the tomatoes because I wanted to taste them straight up.  I loved how the cornmeal complimented the tartness of the green tomato. The firmness of the tomato really played well for frying. I noticed that a lot of people just use hot sauce to accompaniment the fried green tomatoes.  I liked them that way as well, but they do not need much. I did think to myself that they would taste great on a burger, though. Crisp, tart, rich, and meaty. What can I say? I always go there.

Now the grape tomatoes were eaten the day we got them by my son, who eats them like candy. It is also a great addition to his lunch box, but sometimes have a hard time finding organic ones.

The last two ingredients are arugula and eggs. That is the next post.

I am loving my CSA. Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

 

The CSA challenge

Sep 262011
 
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I am crazy about produce. I love the wide variety of color and texture. I am a total want-a-be gardener. I dream of the entire backyard being made over in the spirit of the victory gardens of long ago as well as chickens and goats for eggs and milk. Maybe a bee hive for my own honey. Oh, artisan goat cheese would be made. I would feed my family entirely off the land. Then… I wake up. Who am I kidding? I hate digging anything. I have to work full time. I am overwhelmed with just keeping my house clean.

My friend, Liz, offered me her share of a CSA while she was out of town. I graciously excepted and looked forward to our veggie pickup all week. For those of you who do not know Community-Supported or Community-Shared Agriculture (CSA) is also known as “subscription farming.” You buy a subscription from a local farmer just like you buy a subscription to a magazine. But instead of receiving a magazine each week, you receive a “share” of fresh, locally grown or raised fruit and/or vegetables. Some farmers also offer CSA subscriptions for farm-fresh eggs, and/or meats. While new in name, Community Supported Agriculture goes back to an earlier time when people knew where their food came from, ate  with the seasons, and enjoyed a delicious, healthy diet of pure, fresh foods.

 I believe that supporting local farmers are better for our economy and our healths. “In season” is what CSA’s are all about. The grocery store knows no seasons. What we have gained in convenience, we have lost in flavor, freshness, nutritional value, and human connection-to each other and to the land. That said, I have done most of my shopping at the grocery store in the urban world in which I live.  I do support our local farmer’s market June-Oct, but have not committed to a CSA program, mostly do the initial upfront cost.  I found to be average about $450-$650 to be paid at the beginning of the season. (May-Oct.)

  Smack in the middle of the city there is this beautiful garden. How wonderful. It really is in my backyard. I am so happy that my friend, Liz, shared this with me. So now let’s get down to the fun part. The food I received in the share this week.


Here’s the challenge. What would you make out of these ingredients?  I will be posting all week what I make from my CSA weekly share.  What I would love to hear from you is what you would make.

Rainbow swiss chard
Cucumber
Purple basil
Green tomato
Baby red turnips
Fresh eggs, 1 dozen
Scallions
Romaine lettuce
Cherry tomato
Arugula

Let me know your ideas and tomorrow I will post my first dish created from the basket.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Baked Stuffed Mini Peppers

Sep 052011
 
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

As much as I have been known to worship the pig, our family tries to practice Meatless Mondays and eat  more vegetables in our over all diet. I just adore produce. I love this time of year with bountiful farmer’s markets with so many fresh and locally grown choices to bring home. What I am not a fan of is a vegan/vegetarian meal that is trying to mimic a meat meal. I was at a vegetarian restaurant recently and they had gyros, hot dogs, and burgers all made with faux meat products. Yuck. I find them to have a horrible aftertaste, no matter  what spice is used to mask the flavors. You can’t tell me that this heavily processed product is better for me than organic, hormone-free piece of meat. I want a vegetarian meal that salutes the vegetable. I do like a good organic tofu quite a bit, though.

These stuffed peppers are influenced by so many Greek dishes I have had. They do wonders with vegetables. I made this in a vegetarian and a vegan variation.  I cooked the rice with spinach, onions, and garlic.  I stuffed the peppers with the cooked rice that I had added yogurt and feta too, then baked them in simple tomato sauce.  When serving up this dish, I drizzled these luscious peppers with some toasted pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, and mint dressing. Oh, it was good. Satisfying is the word that comes to mind. For my son’s dairy allergy, I used soy cream cheese to mix with the rice and seasoned with salt & pepper. Stuffed some of the peppers with that rice. It turned out great.

I served it with lots of steamed broccoli. Everyone’s plate was cleaned off empty. That speaks for itself.

I am also a huge fan of my rice cooker. You put your rice, liquid (water, stock, coconut milk), some seasonings in the pot, cover, push the button and later you have super tasty rice dish. I am not the only one that loves their rice cooker.  Rodger Ebert wrote an entire cookbook dedicated to just the rice cooker! He wrote it after he had gotten throat and tongue cancer. He could no longer eat, but wrote out of vivid memories he had for the food that came out of this little kitchen appliance.  I sat one day in total amazement watching Wolfgang Puck sell thousands of rice cookers on HSN.  He was making all sorts of dishes that had nothing to do with rice in the Wolfgang Puck signature collection rice cooker. I fixated on the bottom of the screen where the counter represented numbers sold. He put hard uncooked pasta, cheese, salt & pepper, and some creme into the rice cooker and 20 minutes later had mac and cheese. A few more thousand sold. What? I was taken. I got mine on sale a million years ago. It looks a little worse for wear, but that puppy makes beautiful rice. I love that I can make a big batch of rice and have it that night for dinner and have lots of leftovers to use in a different recipe later.  These stuffed peppers were made with leftover rice from the night before. I always try to make enough so that I have leftovers. I really like making a combination of brown rice and quinoa. Then I make a salad with what is leftover the next day.

A great feature of this recipe is that you can make it ahead. You also can make as much as you would like. Small or large amount.  Whatever rice you have cooked, mix in yogurt and cheese and stuff. Place in a baking dish that has tomato sauce in the bottom. Bake and you are done.

 

Serves 4

Spinach Rice for Stuffing Peppers

1 cup white rice
3/4 cup spinach, chopped. (Using frozen is fine. Thaw, drain, squeeze out excess water)
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 2/3 cups broth or broth made from bouillon. (vegetable, chicken, or beef would work)

1. If using rice cooker, place all ingredients into rice cooker and turn on.
2. If using sauce pan, put all ingredients in pan, bring to a boil.
3. Turn down to low for 20 minutes covered.
4. Turn off heat and let stand for 10 minutes with cover still on. Fluff with fork before serving.

Baked Stuffed Mini Peppers

1 overflowing cup of cooked Spinach Rice
3 T. Greek style yogurt
2 T. Feta cheese
ground pepper to taste
approximately 18-20 mini peppers, tops cut off and insides cleaned out of seeds
8 oz. can tomato sauce

1. Place rice in bowl. Stir in yogurt, feta, and some pepper. All the rice should be coated well. Add more yogurt if necessary.
2. Coat your casserole dish with tomato sauce. Approximately a 1/4 inch deep.
3. Stuff peppers with rice mixture, then place in casserole. Fill up dish. Cover with foil.
4. At this stage you can place in fridge for a day before cooking. When ready to cook, stick covered casserole in a 350F oven for an hour.
5. Remove cover, then turn up oven to 400F and bake another 7-10 minutes to brown the top. I usually make my pine nut dressing at this point.

This is one of those dishes that I usually serve the entire casserole on the table. It is just so darn pretty. It is so healthy for you, who cares if you have seconds? Serve with Pine Nut Dressing.

Pine Nut Dressing

4 T. olive oil
2 T. pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 T. fresh mint, torn or chopped

1. Place olive oil and pine nuts in small pan and heat over med-low heat.
2. Watch carefully. When pine nuts are browned, pull from heat. Pour over a small dish that chopped garlic as been placed in. The heat of the oil will cook the garlic. Let it set for five minutes.
3. Stir in chopped mint. I usually place dressing on the table for people to dress the rice dish themselves.

 

Vegan Variation: Replace the yogurt with soy cream cheese or some soy sour cream. You can replace the feta with some soy cheese that you enjoy. I did not add soy cheese to my son’s version, but I did add some salt to his mixture of rice. The soy cream cheese added the right creamy texture and was super flavorful.

 

This will go on our Meatless Monday favorites list, without a doubt.  The colors pull you in, then texture of the creamy rice with the tomato sauce and peppers are delightful. Topped with the crunch of the pine nuts fresh hint of mint. Mmmm…so good.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

 

 

Eggplant Pomegranate Relish

Jun 232011
 
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

 

\

 

Have you ever read a recipe that sounded amazing and you realize that you have everything you need in the house to make it that very moment?  I ogled the eggplant pomegranate relish recipe, got up from the computer and made it within 15 minutes. It tasted as good as I had visioned it tasting. That is called seizing the flavor moment. LOL. The big surprise is that my seven year old loved it as well. Total shocker, but I do think what helped is I left out the fact it was eggplant until after he tasted it.

Pomegranate molasses is the key to this dish. It has become one of pantry stables. The huge handful of mint at the end did put it over the top, though. Back to the pomegranate molasses…I have seen Bobby Flay use it a great deal, but no idea of it’s flavor. It’s sweet without being overly so, but fruiter then regular molasses. It has a lot of tang. I can buy it here at the Middle Eastern stores, but you also get it on line.

The recipe that I read tells you it would taste great with fish or game. I am telling you, this taste good about anything that you put it on. I put it on a turkey sandwich. It worked. My son put it on his cheese quesadilla. Yum. Put some on my feta omelette this morning as well. It is one of those recipes that you will glad to have in the fridge for giving your simple something an over the moon taste kick.

Adapted from Saveur Magazine

Makes 3 cups

1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large eggplant, cubed
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2″ piece ginger, peeled and minced
1 cup tomato sauce
1⁄3 cup pomegranate molasses
1 tsp. harissa or your favorite hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat until hot. Add eggplant, then some salt sprinkled on top.  Cook, stirring often, until soft, 5–10 minutes.

2. Reduce heat to medium, add onions and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, 2–3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

3. Add tomato sauce, pomegranate molasses, and harissa, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir to loosen brown bits on bottom of skillet. Bring mixture just to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Add more heat if you desire. Remove from heat and stir in mint.

Did you notice it took me 15 minutes to make?  Hope that you read this, get up and make it. I do know that it will now be on my communal table often.

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

Huckleberry Pie! Thanks to the dearest friend ever!

May 242011
 
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Just a few posts back, I told you all that I have not had a huckleberry pie, my favorite, since I was about 7 years old. It was always something my mother made for my birthday, but have never had it since.

Can you imagine my surprise a few days after I wrote that post, I had a big package arrive at my door from Wild Harvest in Burlington, WA. What could this be? It was a big box. I opened the packing slip and it said it was from my friend, Sarah Jolie. She is a my friend that is always doing sweet stuff for me, but what was this? Then I read down on the contents of the box. It said,”Wild mountain huckleberries, 3 lbs.” 3 lbs of huckleberries! 3 frickin’ pounds of huckleberries! Oh my. I can make two pies with that. Oh my! What if it doesn’t live up to my memory of it? OMG, this is totally generous of Sarah. It said on the note, an early birthday present. Yahoooooo!

Oh, I am so nervous even opening the box. Very fancy container.  I am so nervous. I can not f-up this pie. The crust has to be perfect. I actually stared at the box for about an hour before even removing the berries.

They came frozen in two 1.5 lb. bags, which each bag is perfectly portioned out for a pie. I promptly put them in the freezer. I knew that I had to take my time on deciding when I was going to make this glorious pie.  I know that I had to make it when I did not feel rushed. I needed to be making them with love that I had in heart for that early childhood memory. That was going to be the only way this pie was going to compete with my childhood memory.

After that I needed to decided how I would share this precious commodity. As generous as I am with my food, I was not going to share this one lightly. Okay, the list is short! I am so excited!

So I made pie one this past weekend, when my brother was in town, and I will make the second one next weekend for Sarah and my other good friend, Christine. Gabriel and I will have pie for both weekends but it is my birthday week. I even told Gabriel not to offer a piece of pie to my friend that was stopping by. That’s right, I have become obsessed!!!

Guess what? The pie turned out great. It was as good as my memory of it. Huckleberries are a bit tart compared to blueberries. I think that they have more substance behind them. My mom’s pies were always a bit runny, but she never put the tablespoon of cornstarch in her berry pies like I do, but I  only used a 1/2 cup of sugar. See my post on strawberry rhubarb pie to get recipe.

I have the best friends ever! I can’t even begin to describe to you what an amazing friend I have in Sarah Jolie. I count myself lucky to one of her friends and all her other friends know what I mean. Only her other friends understand how it feels to have Sarah gift of spirit and light present in our lives. I heard someone say one time, “We should all try to be as true of heart as Sarah.” No truer words could be spoken.

Besides giving me back a wonderful childhood memory, she helped me share it with my young son. I was his age the last time I had a piece of huckleberry pie.  To memories and love! Bravo, Sarah!

Pull up a chair, Elizabeth

 Older Entries