Caponata

I had two beautiful eggplants staring at me in my fridge over the last weekend and I wanted to pay them the respect they deserved.  My version of this Sicilian dish omitted the olives since I thought the capers added enough salt. It is a sweet, rich and tangy vegetable spread that is a great starter to any fish dish or a lighter pasta like aglio e olio.

Ingredients
olive oil for frying
2 medium eggplants cut into small cubes
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
1 cup crushed canned tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup whole unsalted almonds, coarsely ground
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 handful of basil leaves, thinly chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a large frying pan heat oil over medium-high heat and add eggplant in small batches.  Fry until golden brown then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and salt each batch. Repeat with remaining eggplant then transfer to a bowl to cool.

2. Use the leftover oil in the pan and add onions and celery with a bit of salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes until onions become translucent and brown.

3. Reduce heat to medium and add tomato paste and water.  Cook until water is evaporated then add crushed tomatoes and cook for another 7-10 minutes stirring every so often.

4. Stir in vinegar, capers and honey until everything comes together and thickens up.  Set aside and let cool for about 30 minutes.

5. Combine cooled pan mixture into the bowl with the eggplant and add basil, almonds and salt and pepper to taste.  I put the almonds in a small blender and blended until they were in pieces the size of flax seeds, this gave a great bit of texture to each bite. Mix everything until basil and almonds are integrated.

6. Serve with a fresh baguette and enjoy!

Sushi Salad Bowl and Cold Pepper Tofu

Sometimes you just want something that screams AYCE but isn't quite sushi. These dishes hit the spot especially on a hot, humid day where the last thing you want to do is stand over the stove. No heat required.

Ingredients

iceburg lettuce

dried wakame ( seaweed )

radishes

cucumber

carrot

nori ( dried seaweed ) 

green onion for garnish

togarashi ( japanese chili pepper spice ) for garnish

wasabi for garnish

pickled ginger for garnish

Dressing

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp finely grated ginger

2 medium carrots peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 medium onion roughly chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. To make the dressing add all ingredients in a food processor except the salt and pepper and pulse until everything is combined and carrots are completely broken down.  Add salt and pepper to taste. This will keep in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

2. Rehydrate your dried wakame by soaking in water and draining 2-3 times.  Chop all vegetables as you like, I peeled the carrots into ribbons to add a bit of a different texture.

3. Combine all salad bowl ingredients in a bowl as you desire and serve dressing on the side. Garnish with a nori sheet, wasabi, pickled ginger, togarashi and green onions.

Ingredients

1 package of soft or medium tofu, whichever texture you prefer

2 tbsp Gochujang ( Korean red pepper paste )

2 tbsp light soy sauce 

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sugar

black and white sesame seeds for garnish

chopped green onions for garnish

Directions

1. When using tofu I normally wrap it in paper towel as soon as I take it out of the package so the extra moisture can be absorbed and not dilute the dish.  Then cut into half inch strips and lay onto a serving plate.

2. To prepare the sauces take the Gochujang and thin it out with a bit of the light soy sauce and set aside ( it's quite thick to begin with ), then combine in a separate bowl the sesame oil, sugar and light soy until sugar is dissolved.

3. Pour both sauces over the tofu and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion.