What's cooking?

[Robin Garr]

My version of Kung Pao chicken from an old, purportedly authentic Chinese recipe, chik'n (Gardein) stir-fried with tiny chile peppers, lots of garlic, hoisin and hot brown bean sauces, toasted peanuts and a shot of Sriracha "rooster" sauce. 

Goat tacos (sous vide shoulder with an ancho rub) with grilled corn, grill roasted poblanos, black radish and lime pickled onions. Grilled green bean tacos with mint, cucumber and queso fresco.

Green Lentil Salad with Baby Spinach and Goat Cheese, Heirloom Tomato Salad and Bread. The heirloom tomato salad used my first (and likely last ) Brandywine tomato- amazing flavor! The green lentil salad is vegetarian and relatively quick prep- warm, but light and great for hot weather. We liked it so much I'm posting the recipe link here:( You can get French de Puy lentils at Lotsa)

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/04/dinner-tonight-green-lentil-salad-with-baby-spinach-and-goat-cheese-recipe.html?ref=search


Deb

[Robin Garr]

You can get French de Puy lentils at Lotsa)

Recipe sounds great, Deb! That's good news about the lentils at Lotsa, too. What section are they in? I like to support them first, but usually get lentils in bulk at Rainbow Blossom or W- W- Whole Foods.

Robin,

I got them there several months ago- just grabbed them when I saw them. They were in bulk containers- I think they were with the other beans/ rices/ etc. They are not marked as de Puy, but they were very good.
I made it as written using very good wine vinegar and my favorite dijon- next time I'd add a bit more baby spinach.

Deb

[Robin Garr]

Caprese again, this time made in a different style than the other day, with bite-size cubes of fresh Italian Oxheart tomatoes and fresh mozzarella marinated in olive oil, a little lemon juice, kosher salt and Tellicherry pepper, garnished at service with fresh basil chiffonade. 

[Robin Garr]

Gazpacho! Cool, spicy and delicious, and uses up a lot of garden produce. Great summer lunch ...

[Robin Garr]

Okra is coming on strong In the garden now. Tonight, Indian bhindi curry with okra, onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes, and plenty of fiery and complex Indian spice. A good beer might seem called for, but it actually went very well with Chateau des Cleons 2010 Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie.

[Robin Garr]

Baba ganoush, hummus's bigger, more sophisticated brother. I back-engineered this recipe from Al Dewan, an excellent Lebanese restaurant in Astoria, NYC, in the early '90s. The secrets include roasting the eggplant over hickory smoke, using lots of garlic, a measured amount of tahini, and plenty of excellent, dark olive oil.

My recipe: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvis ... 0905.phtml

[Robin Garr]

Last night's dinner, hot from the grill: Eggplant from the garden, grilled Sicilian style, with lots of olive oil and garlic. 

Which leads me to the question...
At what point or size of the eggplant do you need to peal it? I ruined a great egg plant dish by failing o peal it. My husband lovingly referred to it as my aspirin casserole.

[Robin Garr]

Which leads me to the question...
At what point or size of the eggplant do you need to peal it? I ruined a great egg plant dish by failing o peal it. My husband lovingly referred to it as my aspirin casserole.

Carla, I'd say it depends more on the recipe and maybe the cooking method than size. Roasting usually softens the skin. Imam bayildi involves longer simmering, which does the same. Stir-frying? I'd probably peel larger eggplant but probably let the little ones go. Larger eggplant have tougher skin, and longer or hotter cooking tends to break it down. But it's hard to generalize, other than to suggest that if you don't like tough skin, err on the side of peeling it.

But what about the bitterness? I thought the skin of larger eggplants was bitter?

[Robin Garr]

But what about the bitterness? I thought the skin of larger eggplants was bitter?

Dunno. I like black coffee and hoppy beer, so maybe I just have a high tolerance for bitter. It's the texture, not the flavor, that bothers me. Again, though, the best advice is simple: "If in doubt, peel."

[Robin Garr]

Makur Bai Krapao, Thai-style spicy eggplant with basil.