Turkish Roasted Eggplant with Garlic Mayonnaise and Toasted Bread

I don't remember how I first came upon this dish. What I do remember however, is being a very young, very naive sous-chef in one of Napa Valley's most popular restaurants and suggesting that we put  it on the menu as an appetizer.

The next thing I remember is that same appetizer of Turkish-style ratatouille was given a mention in this issue of Saveur magazine. When I say it was given a mention, I mean just that. The article said, we had the Roasted Turkish Eggplant (or whatever it was called on the menu—I can't remember) at Mustard's Grill. The article then went on to give a recipe for the Calamari Salad which they also had and apparently liked better, or at least enough to ask for the recipe.

Well, I didn't care how insignificant it was,  I was so excited that something I had made and put on the menu was mentioned in a prominent cooking magazine that you would've thought they said, Chef Kate Curnes is a brilliant woman who we are hereby nominating for the McArthur Genius Award.

I have made this silky, simple eggplant multiple times every summer since. The eggplant is roasted until it melts and the onions and tomatoes on top are transformed into a caramelized sauce. Spoon all this on some crusty toasted bread and drizzle some lemon-garlic mayo on top. Yea, you'll be happy. Trust me.

Turkish Roasted Eggplant with Garlic Mayonnaise and Toasted Bread
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Makes 4 servings

For the eggplant:
2 pounds eggplant (Japanese or Heirloom eggplant are best)
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes (about 4), diced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large clove garlic, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Italian parsley, for garnish

For the mayonnaise:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced

For the toasted bread:
1/2 loaf Levain or other rustic bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced

For the eggplant:
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Remove stems from eggplant and cut in half vertically. Score the flesh of each eggplant half, making slashes one way and then the other, but don't cut all the way through. Place in a single layer in a large roasting pan.

2. Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, oil, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and toss to combine. Spread mixture evenly over eggplant. Cover with foil and roast for 40 minutes or until eggplant is knife tender. Remove foil and continue roasting until onions are browned and juices are reduce by half, about another 30-40 minutes.

For the mayonnaise:
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, whisking until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

For the toasted bread:
1. Slice bread into 1/2-inch thick slices and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

2. Combine oil and garlic in a small frying pan and warm over low heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Brush garlic oil over bread slices and place in oven with eggplant. Bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

To serve:
1. Place an eggplant half on a plate, drizzle with mayonnaise and sprinkle a few parsley leaves over the top. Place a bread slice on each plate and serve, passing more mayonnaise at the table.

New Potato and Chard Tacos

Recently I've been finding myself making a lot of the food I used to eat sitting on overturned milk crates in the back of restaurant kitchens (last post included). I don't really know why, I certainly don't miss that life.

Maybe its the simplicity of the food—I do seem short on time these days—and those staff meals were always last minute affairs, prepared by whoever had enough time between filling straggling lunch orders and prepping for dinner rush.

Everyone had their specialty, the one thing they always made. I was always pasta, Oaxaca was always Chilaquiles, Antonio hamburgers, and Alejandro chard tacos.

Alejandro was stealth in his cooking. You'd be working, thinking about how starving you were and the next thing you knew he'd be handing you a plate of warm tacos. Sometimes he would beef them up with mushrooms, roasted butternut squash, or potato, but often they were simply braised swiss chard with lots of chile flakes and a generous sprinkling of queso fresco on top to cool the heat. He would slowly braise the rainbow-stemed greens with sweet onions and garlic while warming the corn tortillas over the wood-fired grill. We would eat them as quickly as possible, juice running down our arms into our chef coats.

There was something incredibly satisfying about those ten minutes of the day when we were all silent, hovering over our tacos, thinking our own thoughts. Inevitably one person would finish, toss their plate in the dish pile and it was back to work.

New Potato and Chard Tacos
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Makes 4 servings

5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 pounds new potatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch chard, thoroughly washed and dried, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes, or more if desired
8-12 warm corn tortillas
sour cream or queso fresco and pico de gallo, for serving

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent.

2. Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add garlic and cook a minute more. Add chard a little at a time. It will shrink as it cooks, keep stirring and adding handfuls of chard. Once chard is tender, about 3 minutes, add chile flakes and season with salt and pepper.

3. Fill warm tortillas with potato-chard mixture, top with a bit of sour cream or a crumbling of queso fresco and some pico de gallo.

Chilled Beet Borscht with Caraway Croutons

I have a story for this soup. It involves a little restaurant I used to work at and have fond memories of stealing coffee cups full of this soup. 


Because it was a cold soup I could scoop a mug into the five gallon vat and curb my hunger pains in minutes flat. 

It was a slightly strange meal at 9 in the morning, but my workstation during the day became the salad and cold apps station at night. I didn't like to have to fight my way for stove space to heat something up so I usually just ate what was in front of me, or actually under me, in this case. Believe me I ate my fair share of salads at that hour as well.


I have been dreaming of this sweet, earthy soup for a few weeks now and decided to contact the chef to get the recipe. He had no idea what I was talking about. Ahh, the chef brain. So I followed my taste buds and made it up myself. It may not be the exact same soup, but it is just as delicious as I remember. 

Chilled Beet Borscht with Caraway Croutons
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Makes 8 servings


For the soup:
8 medium beets, about 2 pounds, peeled and large dice
3 small sweet onions, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 teaspoons kosher salt
6 cups cold water
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Fresh dill for garnish


For the croutons:
2 cups, packed cubed day-old bread, such as baguette or peasant bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, crushed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt


For the soup:
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Place beets and onion on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Arrange vegetables in a single layer and roast until a fork easily goes through, about 40 minutes. Let cool.


2. Place a quarter of the vegetables in a blender. Top with a quarter of the salt, water, and balsamic vinegar. Blend on high until very smooth. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Chill thoroughly, at least 3 hours or overnight. 


For the croutons:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Combine all ingredients in a large frying pan or baking sheet and toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes, turning halfway through. Let cool. 


To serve:
1. After soup has chilled, taste again and add more vinegar or salt if desired. Ladle soup into bowls and top with fresh dill and a few croutons. A dollop of sour cream isn't half bad here either. 

New Potato and Green Bean Curry

Earlier this summer my 'lil one and I were asked to represent Mexico at the town library's Reading Around the World Fun Day. Now, I am the first to admit, I am not Mexican, at best I am what my friend Jose calls "Nuevo Latina". But it just so happened that on that particular day my daughter was the only Mexican in town (the Professor happened to be in Vermont) and at 2 years-old she really couldn't be expected to represent Mexico on her own, so I came along.

It was a fun event and brought out all the towns cultural representatives. There was Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany, as well as an Indian family whom I've never seen before and us.

Everyone brought something to share from their respective countries. We brought Watermelon Agua Fresca and Mexican Wedding Cakes, the Norwegians were making Lefse and the Indians had this most amazing rice studded with candied carrots and pistachios.

Overjoyed with the good Indian food I started firing questions at the poor unsuspecting matriarch. What market do you go to? In Minneapolis? In Fargo? What I most wanted to ask her was, Can I come over to your house and cook with you? But by the look of apprehension on her face I knew I had already crossed the line.

Inspired, I came home and found a recipe with all the flavors and smells I imagined filled her kitchen as well as one that could use the freshly-dug potatoes from my garden. This recipe is pretty easy and goes fast so have everything ready before beginning otherwise you run the risk of burning the spices.

New Potato and Green Bean Curry
(Printable Recipe)
Adapted from From Curries to Kebabs by Madhur Jaffrey
Makes 4 to 6 servings

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 whole small dried red chiles
1 pound new potatoes, cut in half if large and quartered
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pound green beans, end trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 medium tomatoes, cut in half and sliced
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
lemon wedges for serving

1. Heat oil in a large, high-sided frying pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Once shimmering, add mustard seed, cumin seed and dried chiles. As soon as mustard seeds begin to pop (a few seconds) add potatoes.

2. Fry potatoes, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown a little. Add cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, turmeric and sugar. Stir to coat potatoes in the spices. Add green beans and garlic and cook a few minutes more. Add chicken stock and 1 teaspoon salt, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, remaining salt and garbanzo beans and simmer, uncovered for another 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt if desired. Serve with lemon wedges and steamed rice.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Fried Eggplant

I have been waiting for eggplant to make an appearance at our Farmer's market. Last Thursday one of the vendors had a singular eggplant for sale which I quickly snatched up, but this was going to be insufficient to curb any real eggplant cravings I've been experiencing.

So patiently I waited, stowing my precious eggplant in the refrigerator to await a mate. On Saturday I hustled out of the house and down to the market arriving promptly six minutes after ten only to see droves of people, more than have ever been there before. In a panic I hopped out of my car, positive I was going to miss out on what was probably my only chance to secure the other eggplant that was likely for sale that morning.

I made my way through the crowd trying to act nonchalant, making small talk with the other vendors, but I could see that the crowds had began to gather around Becky the Eggplant Lady. Could everyone in this tiny town be experiencing the same insatiable urge?

As I got closer I saw there was not one, but three Japanese eggplants for sale on her table. I shimmied my way to the front as...ahem..politely as possible, only to realize that no one there gave a crap about the eggplant. To me Becky is The Eggplant Lady, to everyone else she's The Corn Lady. They were all there for the corn, thank God! I bought all three of those lovely eggplant and left the masses to push and shove over their ears of corn.

I don't peel the tomatoes before making the sauce, but if you are finicky about bits of skin remove the core of the tomatoes and slash a small x on the underside. Plunge in boiling water for 30 seconds or so then submerge in ice water until cool enough to handle. Peel the tomatoes and chop.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Fried Eggplant
(Printable Recipe)
Makes 4 servings

For the pasta with tomato sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
basil leaves for garnish

For the eggplant:
1 1/2 pounds Japanese or Heirloom variety eggplant, roughly chopped
Olive oil for frying

For the tomato sauce:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes, season again with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue simmering until onions are tender and sauce has thickened slightly, about 20-30 minutes. Taste and add more salt if desired.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Once boiling add pasta and cook according to package instructions.

For the eggplant:
1. Place eggplant in a colander and generously season with salt. Toss to distribute salt and let drain in the kitchen sink while oil is heating.

2. Fill a large frying pan with 1/2-inch of olive oil and place over medium heat. Let heat until shimmering, about 5 minutes. Oil is hot enough when a piece of eggplant is immediately covered with bubbles when dropped in the oil.

3. Fry eggplant in two batches until golden brown, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon or bamboo skimmer and repeat with remaining eggplant.

To serve:
1. Drain pasta and return to pot. Ladle tomato sauce over pasta (you may have leftovers depending on how saucy you like your pasta) and add fried eggplant. Gently toss to combine and serve with torn basil leaves.

Sour Apple and Molasses Baked Beans

I'm going to be honest with you, these baked beans seriously take forever to make.

Keep in mind I did not say, take a lot of work, but simply a long time—4 hours in the oven to be exact (that doesn't include the overnight soaking of the beans or the hour and a half to parboil the beans or sauté the vegetables.)

But stick with me now, because the resulting toothsome molasses and bacon soaked beans are sooooo marvelous, and really, patience is a virtue so you should start practicing now.

I get a craving for these beans at least once a year but I always have to wait to make them for a picnic or barbecue because the recipe makes a ton and I end up eating them for a week straight.

They've been on my mind for at least a month now and I finally had the opportunity to make them for a back-to-school shindig at the lake. Worth the wait, yes they were. With a grilled braut and some spicy mustard; the time I spent stuck in my house waiting for them to bake was well worth it.

I use a bag of 15 bean soup mix for this recipe. I love the variety of beans and all the variations in texture and flavor. You may find anywhere from a 13 bean mix to a 16 bean mix any of them work fine, just rinse the beans well and discard the seasoning packet that comes in the bag.

The bacon I get is house-cured at my local butcher shop and is very lean, therefore takes more time to brown (about 20 minutes). If you have very fatty bacon it could take as little as 5 minutes to get browned and crisp.

Sour Apple and Molasses Baked Beans
(Printable Recipe)
Makes 8-10 servings

1 pound bag dried 15 bean soup mix, seasoning packet discarded and rinsed well
8 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 large onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1. Pick over the beans and cover with at least 2-inches of water. Let soak in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Drain beans and rinse in a couple changes of cold water. Place in a large pot and cover with 2-inches of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a vigorous simmer, skimming off any white foam that rises to the top. Simmer until just tender, about 45 minutes. Drain.

3. Heat oven to 350°F. Heat a large, oven-safe, Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid over medium-low heat and add bacon. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, this could take anywhere from 5-20 minutes. Remove bacon with tongs or a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.

4. Add onions to bacon fat and increase heat to medium. Cook until starting to brown. Add peppers and cook 5 more minutes, or until starting to brown. Add beans, tomatoes, bacon, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard and gently stir to combine. Cover and bake in the oven for 2 hours.

5. Add apples and season with salt and bake for another 1 1/2-2 hours uncovered, or until thick and beans are tender, but not mushy. Taste and season with more salt as needed.