Eggplant 2013

I seem to do an article on eggplant about this time every year (It’s in season in the garden and in the markets), but I am always looking for different ways to use it. People who extol eggplant claim there’s a thousand ways to cook them. It is amenable to many cooking techniques, which is good news since it should never be eaten raw.

I was at Cochon in New Orleans a few weeks ago, and there was a charred eggplant on the menu with a tomato sauce which looked intriguing.  My son ordered it and of course I had a taste and it was excellent. Seeing some small globe eggplants in the farmer’s market the following weekend I decided this was the time to grill some small eggplant and make a tomato sauce.

One must remember that an eggplant is really an oversized berry. Like tomatoes, potatoes, and tobacco, it is in the nightshade family. It has been grown in the South since the eighteenth century, but most colonists used eggplant only as a garden ornament, because they believed that nightshades caused madness. Some of the earliest specimens were small, oval, and white, just like a hen’s egg, so the name was fitting and came to be used for all varieties.

Charred Eggplant with Tomato Sauce (My version)

Note: Charred eggplant on a grill gives it a smoky flavor and makes the pulp very silky. You can roast the eggplant in the oven on a baking sheet in a 400°F oven, but it will not have the same smoky allure.

6 small globe eggplants

Preheat a grill to high temperature. Prick the eggplant several times with a fork to let the steam escape as it cooks. Grill the eggplant, turning with tongs as needed, until the skin blackens and the inside collapses and softens, about 15 minutes. Set aside and make the tomato sauce.

Tomato Sauce:

2 tbsp. olive oil

One 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

½ small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Pinch of sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup basil (stir in at the end of cooking)

In a 4 quart saucepan put the olive oil and heat then add the rest of the ingredients (except basil) and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the basil near the end. Put all in a food processor and process until smooth. You can refrigerate for several days or freeze. This is very good on pasta and anywhere a good tomato sauce is needed.

Place 2 grilled eggplant on a plate and surround with some of the tomato sauce. Yummy!

I also found a recipe for eggplant pie in the cookbook, A Love Affair with Southern Cooking, by Jean Anderson. I had never heard of this, but it is a pie that many southern children grew up eating. Perhaps some of you know of this pie. I will give it a try.

Eggplant Pie

Serves 6-8

4 large eggplant (about 4 ½ pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium-large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon celery salt

½ teaspoon onion salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 slices firm-textured whole-wheat bread, toasted and torn into small pieces

2 large eggs well beaten with

¼ cup evaporated milk and

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

4 cups coarsely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)

Spread the eggplant chunks one layer deep on four large rimmed baking sheets. Sprinkle each pan of eggplant with 1 ½ teaspoons of the salt, toss well, spread again, and let stand for 30 minutes (this is to rid the eggplant of most of its liquid).

Take the eggplant up by handfuls, squeeze out as much liquid as possible, drop into a colander, and rinse very well under cool running water; you’ll have to do this in small batches. Squeeze dry again, then spread on several thicknesses of paper toweling. When all of the eggplant has been spread on paper toweling, cover with more paper toweling and press down hard to extract as much remaining moisture as possible.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 13x9x2-inch heatproof baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Melt the butter in a broad-bottomed Dutch oven over moderately high heat, add the onion, and sauté, stirring often, for 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned. Add the eggplant and sauté stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until touched with brown.

Mix in the celery salt, onion salt, and pepper, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is soft. If there is excess liquid in the pot, raise the heat to high and boil uncovered for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.

Set off the heat and mix in the toast, egg mixture, and half of the cheese. Scoop into the prepared pan, spreading to the edge, and scatter the remaining cheese evenly on top.

Bake uncovered on the middle oven shelf for about 30 minutes or until bubbling and brown. Let the eggplant pie stand 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Serve as an accompaniment to baked ham or roast lamb, beef, turkey, or chicken.

 

 

Castles and Queens

We visited two great castles in Scotland, both of them in Caithness on the very northern most part of Scotland.  We had our woolens but the wind one day off the North Sea meant we needed even more to keep warm.

We drove up from the airport in Glasgow to Wick where we spent two nights in Ackergill castle.  The castle and its setting were fabulous with its outlook over the North Sea.  But the service was lacking as was the food.  We went into town the second night and had Indian take-out!

The treat was the Castle of Mey, the only home the Queen Mother Elizabeth ever owned. She bought the abandoned castle in the 1950’s after the King died.  She was to spend the next 50 years visiting there every August. Prince Charles, her favorite grandchild, still makes the yearly August pilgrimage.  We had to plan our visit after he had left as the castle is closed to the public when he is in residence.

The guided tour gave much insight into the life of the Queen Mother.  She was a Scottish girl who refused the proposal of the Duke of York several times before accepting.  Then comes the surprise: The Duke’s brother becomes king but abdicates to marry, and Elizabeth’s husband becomes King George VI.

She was not known as an intellectual but her sense of duty to family and country was significant and she became and stayed one of the most beloved royals. She loved to have people about, and the Castle of Mey was filled with guests every autumn.  The Queen Mother had fruit in her room for breakfast every morning.  Lunch was usually a picnic which meant that the cook and staff served the meal alfresco.  She had a gin and Dubonnet at lunch.  Tea time was at four.  Dinner was not until nine.  The menu was written out each evening in French (she was fluent). She always had champagne for dinner.  Before dinner cocktails included a martini for her, stirred (not shaken; this was before Bond).

The Queen Mother loved fish and omelettes, but I cannot relate to her dislike of smoked salmon, oysters, coconuts and capers. She wouldn’t let staff she liked retire.  The chef only retired in his late 70’s when the Queen Mother died.  She didn’t change much at the castle, threadbare though it might have been.  The Queen gave her mother a new carpet in the Drawing Room but it had to be the same pattern as the old one.  They still use the refrigerator and stove from the 1950’s.  (Those old appliances hold up better than new ones.)

Our room at Ackergill was up several flights of steep spiral stone steps which I found a chore.  The Queen Mother’s bedroom was up a flight of the same type which she climbed even on her last visit to the Castle of Mey at age 101.  The entrance to the main floor also had a double staircase.  The Queen had some handrails installed one Sunday morning while her mother was at church.  When the Queen Mother returned, she took one look at the new handrail and went up the other side.

The castle has an extensive walled garden and it is still a working farm where Angus cattle, the Queen’s favorite and North Country Cheviot sheep are raised.  There is a tea room where we had a nice soup with cheese scones for lunch and, of course, a shop where I bought a throw in the Castle of Mey plaid and a new cookbook A Taste of Mey, Recipes and Memories, Inspired by the Castle of Mey, Caithness, Home of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

I have chosen to do one of her favorite dishes, Oeufs Drumkilbo, found in the cookbook. It is “really like a posh prawn cocktail and egg mayonnaise all wrapped into one.”  It was created by Mrs. Cruikshank, the 17^th Lord Elphinstone’s first cook at Drumkilbo where they lived in the early 1950’s.  The recipe in the book is from Julian Williams, formerly Head Chef to Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, which was adapted from a recipe given to him by Michael Sealey RVM (Gold), Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Head Chef for forty years (the one who got to retire only when she died!).

 

Oeufs Drumkilbo, a legendary favourite (British spelling)

Serves 6-8

¾ pint mayonnaise

4 diced hard boiled eggs

8 oz. cooked shrimp

8 oz. diced lobster (I could not get lobster so used more shrimp)

3 diced ripe tomatoes (blanched, skinned and de-seeded)

1 dessert spoon anchovy essence (I used a tube of anchovy paste)

6 drops Tabasco sauce

1 dessert spoon tomato purée

2 oz. gelatin

¼ pint warm fish stock

Dissolve the gelatin in the warm fish stock and allow to cool. Place the mayonnaise in a bowl and add half the cooled gelatin. Add all the other ingredients to the mayonnaise mixture and stir carefully to combine. Place the mixture in a china or glass bowl and chill until set.

Glaze with the remaining gelatin and decorate at will (I used parsley) and allow to set. Serve with fingers of brown bread, mustard and cress.

 

 

It is a very nice cool luncheon dish or it could be a first course for a nice dinner.

 

 

Scotland 2013

We have just returned from a wonderful trip to Scotland. As some of you probably know we like to go there. It is beautiful country, more sheep than people, the weather is cool, and it is easy to get around even on the left side of the road. My husband does all the driving and says he enjoys shifting gears and driving on the left side of the road (on those single tracts there is no left or right). To each his own, I suppose. It gets rather tight in some areas. I love those warning signs, “Oncoming traffic in the middle of the road!”

We spent some time looking at castles (will report on that next week) and doing some shopping. They just have the best store called House or Bruar, which has wonderful cashmeres and woolens. I did my cold weather clothes shopping in one afternoon.

We had some rainy days and evenings and enjoyed watching BBC Scotland. I found a cooking show which I had never seen before and it was a take on the show ‘Two Fat Ladies’, which was on PBS stations in the states several years ago. One of the ladies died, so the show ended. This show was called ‘The Hairy Bikers’; now how funny is that? They are not very good looking, fat too; and yes, they were pretty hairy (long beards and long hair). Si King and Dave Myers are the hairy pair. I watched their show and actually bought two of their cookbooks. So I guess their looks did not turn me off!

I cooked from one of the cookbooks as soon as I returned. The name of the cookbook was The Hairy Bikers’ Family Cookbook. These are family recipes which are comforting and basic Scottish cooking. I found most of them interesting, but I had to convert all the measurements which took some time since they did not do it for you. I chose to cook the recipe they had done on the show I saw which looked really yummy and was a recipe from their youth. It is really delicious and everyone in your family should like this recipe. The recipe calls for mince which is our ground beef.

From The Hairy Bikers’ Family Cookbook, published in Great Britain in 2010.

Mince and Dumplings

Serves 6

2 Tbsp. sunflower oil (found this oil at Whole Foods)

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 celery sticks, stringed and finely sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 lb. lean minced beef, I used grass-fed

 1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes

2 tbsp. tomato purée

2 cups beef stock (can use beef cubes)

1 cup red wine

Pinch of sugar

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Dumplings

1 cup self-rising flour

¼ cup butter (I use only Kerry Gold as it is from grass-fed cows and Whole Foods has significantly lowered the price!)

½ tsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish. Cook the onion, garlic, celery and carrots for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and lightly color. Add the beef and cook with the vegetables for another 5 minutes until the mince is no longer pink. Stir regularly to break up the meat.

Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, beef stock, red wine, sugar and bay leaf. Season with a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To make the dumplings, put the flour in a bowl and stir in the butter, salt and parsley. I put all this in the food processor and added enough cold water until a soft ball was formed. Only about 1/3 cup of water is needed. Take the soft, spongy dough and make 12 small balls.

Stir the mince well and remove it from the heat. Drop the dumplings carefully on top of the mince. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and return to medium heat. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the dumplings are well risen and light.

It you want them brown on top, finish them for a few minutes in the oven under the broiler.

This is one of those comforting dishes which will be great on a cold winter day.  It was still good this week even with our summer heat still going strong.

The Hairy Bikers’ other cookbook is on light Indian food. But we will save that for another day!

We have just returned from a wonderful trip to Scotland. As some of you probably know we like to go there. It is beautiful country, more sheep than people, the weather is cool, and it is easy to get around even on the left side of the road. My husband does all the driving and says he enjoys shifting gears and driving on the left side of the road (on those single tracts there is no left or right). To each his own, I suppose. It gets rather tight in some areas. I love those warning signs, “Oncoming traffic in the middle of the road!”

We spent some time looking at castles (will report on that next week) and doing some shopping. They just have the best store called House or Bruar, which has wonderful cashmeres and woolens. I did my cold weather clothes shopping in one afternoon.

We had some rainy days and evenings and enjoyed watching BBC Scotland. I found a cooking show which I had never seen before and it was a take on the show ‘Two Fat Ladies’, which was on PBS stations in the states several years ago. One of the ladies died, so the show ended. This show was called ‘The Hairy Bikers’; now how funny is that? They are not very good looking, fat too; and yes, they were pretty hairy (long beards and long hair). Si King and Dave Myers are the hairy pair. I watched their show and actually bought two of their cookbooks. So I guess their looks did not turn me off!

I cooked from one of the cookbooks as soon as I returned. The name of the cookbook was The Hairy Bikers’ Family Cookbook. These are family recipes which are comforting and basic Scottish cooking. I found most of them interesting, but I had to convert all the measurements which took some time since they did not do it for you. I chose to cook the recipe they had done on the show I saw which looked really yummy and was a recipe from their youth. It is really delicious and everyone in your family should like this recipe. The recipe calls for mince which is our ground beef.

From The Hairy Bikers’ Family Cookbook, published in Great Britain in 2010.

Mince and Dumplings

Serves 6

2 Tbsp. sunflower oil (found this oil at Whole Foods)

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 celery sticks, stringed and finely sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 lb. lean minced beef, I used grass-fed

 1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes

2 tbsp. tomato purée

2 cups beef stock (can use beef cubes)

1 cup red wine

Pinch of sugar

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Dumplings

1 cup self-rising flour

¼ cup butter (I use only Kerry Gold as it is from grass-fed cows and Whole Foods has significantly lowered the price!)

½ tsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish. Cook the onion, garlic, celery and carrots for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and lightly color. Add the beef and cook with the vegetables for another 5 minutes until the mince is no longer pink. Stir regularly to break up the meat.

Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, beef stock, red wine, sugar and bay leaf. Season with a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To make the dumplings, put the flour in a bowl and stir in the butter, salt and parsley. I put all this in the food processor and added enough cold water until a soft ball was formed. Only about 1/3 cup of water is needed. Take the soft, spongy dough and make 12 small balls.

Stir the mince well and remove it from the heat. Drop the dumplings carefully on top of the mince. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and return to medium heat. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the dumplings are well risen and light.

It you want them brown on top, finish them for a few minutes in the oven under the broiler.

This is one of those comforting dishes which will be great on a cold winter day.  It was still good this week even with our summer heat still going strong.

The Hairy Bikers’ other cookbook is on light Indian food. But we will save that for another day!

We have just returned from a wonderful trip to Scotland. As some of you probably know we like to go there. It is beautiful country, more sheep than people, the weather is cool, and it is easy to get around even on the left side of the road. My husband does all the driving and says he enjoys shifting gears and driving on the left side of the road (on those single tracts there is no left or right). To each his own, I suppose. It gets rather tight in some areas. I love those warning signs, “Oncoming traffic in the middle of the road!”

We spent some time looking at castles (will report on that next week) and doing some shopping. They just have the best store called House or Bruar, which has wonderful cashmeres and woolens. I did my cold weather clothes shopping in one afternoon.

We had some rainy days and evenings and enjoyed watching BBC Scotland. I found a cooking show which I had never seen before and it was a take on the show ‘Two Fat Ladies’, which was on PBS stations in the states several years ago. One of the ladies died, so the show ended. This show was called ‘The Hairy Bikers’; now how funny is that? They are not very good looking, fat too; and yes, they were pretty hairy (long beards and long hair). Si King and Dave Myers are the hairy pair. I watched their show and actually bought two of their cookbooks. So I guess their looks did not turn me off!

I cooked from one of the cookbooks as soon as I returned. The name of the cookbook was The Hairy Bikers’ Family Cookbook. These are family recipes which are comforting and basic Scottish cooking. I found most of them interesting, but I had to convert all the measurements which took some time since they did not do it for you. I chose to cook the recipe they had done on the show I saw which looked really yummy and was a recipe from their youth. It is really delicious and everyone in your family should like this recipe. The recipe calls for mince which is our ground beef.

From The Hairy Bikers’ Family Cookbook, published in Great Britain in 2010.

Mince and Dumplings

Serves 6

2 Tbsp. sunflower oil (found this oil at Whole Foods)

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

2 celery sticks, stringed and finely sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 lb. lean minced beef, I used grass-fed

 1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes

2 tbsp. tomato purée

2 cups beef stock (can use beef cubes)

1 cup red wine

Pinch of sugar

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Dumplings

1 cup self-rising flour

¼ cup butter (I use only Kerry Gold as it is from grass-fed cows and Whole Foods has significantly lowered the price!)

½ tsp. sea salt

2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole dish. Cook the onion, garlic, celery and carrots for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften and lightly color. Add the beef and cook with the vegetables for another 5 minutes until the mince is no longer pink. Stir regularly to break up the meat.

Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, beef stock, red wine, sugar and bay leaf. Season with a good pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To make the dumplings, put the flour in a bowl and stir in the butter, salt and parsley. I put all this in the food processor and added enough cold water until a soft ball was formed. Only about 1/3 cup of water is needed. Take the soft, spongy dough and make 12 small balls.

Stir the mince well and remove it from the heat. Drop the dumplings carefully on top of the mince. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and return to medium heat. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until the dumplings are well risen and light.

It you want them brown on top, finish them for a few minutes in the oven under the broiler.

This is one of those comforting dishes which will be great on a cold winter day.  It was still good this week even with our summer heat still going strong.

The Hairy Bikers’ other cookbook is on light Indian food. But we will save that for another day!