Grilled Cauliflower in Curry

I had this idea the other day, based on some cauliflower salad that I buy sometimes from Whole Foods (I believe their cauliflower salad contains also some garlic and almond flakes). It was simple and easy to make, and my son loved it. I served it with barbecue steak, brazilian style (the only spice in the meat was coarse salt).

Ingredients:

1 whole cauliflower
1 tbs curry powder
3 tbs olive oil
salt

Preparation:

Cut the cauliflower in florets. Discard the leaves.
Mix the curry powder, salt and olive oil in a large bowl. Add the cauliflower florets and mix well, so that the florets get all covered with the curry paste. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Grill the cauliflower, turning once, for a a few minutes (around 10 minutes) until they are softer and lightly darkened.
Serve.

Zaallouk (Eggplant appetizer)

I went to a Moroccan cooking workshop organized by CCW, Creative Cultural Weavers, our cultural group. Thank you, girls, for the organization and for the recipes. I am copying the first one here, together with my photo of the dish.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants
1 can of crushed tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion
basil
olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450F.
Wrap the eggplants with aluminum foil and bake for 40 min to 1 hour.
Put olive oil, garlic, onion in a pan.
Cook on medium heat. Pour the tomatoes, basil, salt and keep cooking for 10 min.
Once the eggplants are baked, cut them in half, scoop the inside, discarding the skin, and add to the tomato sauce.
With a hand mixer, roughly blend the mixture.
You can serve the Zaallouk over grilled slices of ciabatta.

Easy Carrot and Cheese Crostini

My friend Olga made this for our friends in Shanghai, long ago. From time to time I remember them (or her) and I make them. But I never wrote the recipe, so sometimes it gets a little different, but it always turns out fine.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded cheese, cheddar or Mexican blend
1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt (optional)
pepper
1 French baguette, sliced

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 F.
Mix the carrot, cheese, garlic (if using), mayo, salt (if using) and pepper. Spread on top of a slice of bread. Arrange on a baking sheet. Bake until the cheese starts to melt. 

Guacamole

Of course Lucia gave us her recipe for Guacamole in the Mexican Cooking Workshop. It was the best I ever ate.

Ingredients:

3 avocados
1 jalapeño chili in vinegar, chopped (or 1 tsp lime juice) *
3 tablespoons diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons diced tomatoes (optional)

Preparation:

Smash the avocados with a pestle. Mix with the remaining ingredients.
Serve with corn chips (tortilla chips).

* This is the can from where she got the Jalapeño in vinegar

Eggplant and Roasted Peppers Bruschetta

I was looking for recipes for crostini toppings. I checked on Food Network and found one with eggplant, which I changed a little bit and adapted it for my taste.
It is best made one day ahead, so that the flavors are enhanced.
Here it is.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, diced (no need to peel)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons for sauteing
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup pitted and diced kalamata olives
1/4 cup capers
3/4 roasted red peppers, cut in small strips
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves


Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange the eggplant on a half sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Put it in the oven and bake until nicely charred, about 15 to 20 minutes.
In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic. Cook until the garlic browns, about 1 to 2 minutes, then add the onion. Cook until the onion softens, 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Remove the eggplant from the oven and transfer it to a bowl. Add the onion mixture, the olives, capers, and roasted red peppers. Toss to combine. Add the wine vinegar, fresh parsley and oregano and toss until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to cool and improve the flavors.

Serve over toasted baguette slices.

Note: To enhance the flavors, this dish is best if prepared one day ahead. Keep refrigerated in that period.

Sweet and Savory Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce

Some months ago I went to an Afghan cooking workshop, I liked it very much. Since then, I have made this Eggplant dish many times. Some colleagues of my husband came from India, I served this, they loved it. They said it is very much like the food in India from where they came.

Sweet and Savory Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce
(Borani bademjan)
Ingredients:

2 onions, chopped
¼ cup oil
2 medium sized eggplants
3 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
yogurt sauce (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon turmeric

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 ºF. Wrap the eggplants in foil and place in oven on a baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the oil. Fry the chopped onions until golden. Add garlic, tomatoes, black pepper and turmeric. Stir and let boil a little. When the eggplants are cooked, cut them in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon.

Add this pulp to the skillet with the onions and tomatoes. Reduce heat to the pan and keep cooking the mixture, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Serve with yogurt sauce.

Yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup yogurt
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lemon

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.


To serve with the eggplant, arrange a layer with half the yogurt sauce, add all the eggplant mixture, and finish with the rest of the yogurt sauce.

Note: When tasting the eggplant mixture by itself, we notice there isn't any salt. Adding the yogurt sauce changes the taste completely. But if you want, you can add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt at the time you add the pepper, while cooking the eggplant.

Polish Cauliflower

I was browsing one of my old cooking books, when I stumbled upon the perfect recipe for the situation I was in. I called it the "post-Thanksgiving syndrome": full fridge, a lot of ingredients telling me they would soon get rotten if I didn't use them, and also a lot of leftovers from my huge Thanksgiving dinner from Whole Foods. Actually, it was supposed to be a "Petite" holiday dinner. But, believe me, we were 4 people and we'd been eating from it for 3 days.
The recipe was so simple I couldn't believe, and it contained 2 of the ingredients I was going to dump in the bin that same day: an almost whole cauliflower (not from Thanksgiving) and the stuffing. So I made the Cauliflower and we loved it!!!  

Ingredients:

1 whole cauliflower, leaves removed
Salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup leftover stuffing/dressing or coarsely chopped breadcrumbs*
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)*
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation:

In a pan that fits the whole cauliflower and has a lid, add water to around 1 inch in height and have it boil. When boiling, add salt and place the cauliflower inside to cook. When it starts boiling again, cover, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Don't turn around the cauliflower, its top side cooks by steaming.
Meanwhile, melt the butter, add the stuffing or breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown **. Add the egg, parsley (if using) and lemon juice, stir.
Place the cooked cauliflower on a platter or bowl, cover with stuffing mixture. Serve immediately.

Notes:

* My suggestion is to use parsley only if using breadcrumbs. If using stuffing/dressing, it already has some herbs and seasoning, so there is no need to add more.

** At this point, I removed it from the pan and spreaded it in a baking sheet. Then took it to a preheated oven at 300 F and baked for a while, turning twice. I particularly like it crunchy. After that, I put it back to the pan and added the egg and lemon juice.

Leek and Pear Soup

This was made by my friend Celia. Her soups are wonderful, this one is no exception. I loved it. Then she sent me the recipe, so that some more people can enjoy it. Besides, it is very easy to make.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 lb leek (remove the dark outer leaves), chopped in big chunks

1 1/2 lb pears (peeled)

1 tablespoon pear liquor

1/3 cup dry white wine

3 cups chicken broth

¾ teaspoon salt

Pepper (optional)

Freshly chopped parsley to garnish

Preparation:

In a saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the leek until soft (10-15 min).

Add pears, pear liquor, and wine. Bring to a boil.

Pour the chicken broth, bring to boil, and simmer for approximately 15 min, until the pears are tender.

Puree in a blender until smooth.

Reheat in the saucepan, and then add pepper (if using.)

Serve with freshly chopped parsley.