Reduce to Clear Deliciousness!

From the City...

I am a hunter. Not a real hunter but a bargain hunter. I despise shopping but let me loose in a Buy the Pound, Salvation Army or street/yard sale and I'll see ya in three hours. I broke down and bought a pair of fancy shoes yesterday which I desperately needed and when the man at the cash asked me if I wanted to be on their mailing list for monthly deals, I looked at him and said "i buy one pair of shoes like every eight years so I'm not really your ideal customer...". He laughed and thought I was kidding. I don't buy a lot of new things because I don't need a lot. I also believe in recycling and can't wrap my head around buying new when there is so much great old out there. I buy certain things new cause I just can't find them used.

Anywho, where was I going with this. I was at the vegetable market near my house last weekend and I came across these three huge eggplants that were in a pile of reduced to clear produce. I felt kindda sad, they were perfectly fine minus a few bruises here and there and some slimy bits at the top and yet the whole huge bag was going for a meagre $1. Somebody out there grew these eggplants, packed them and sent them across the globe to my market stand and I was going to eat them.

Here's a recipe for an Eggplant Curry that is pretty darn delicious. I made it on Sunday afternoon and ate it for dinner all week and everyday it just got better and better.

2 to 3 tbsp butter or oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds (I used cumin powder because I didn't have seeds, worked fine)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 to 2 tsp salt
2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 medium eggplants, cut into 1 inch cubes
water, as needed
2 cups frozen or fresh peas
optional but definitely encouraged, 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, minced
optional but definitely encouraged, 1 tbsp plain yogurt for garnish

1) Heat butter or oil over medium heat in a very large, deep skilled or dutch oven. Add seeds and saute until they begin to pop ( 5 minutes)

2) Add onion, salt, turmeric and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until onion is translucent.

3) Add eggplant. Cook, stirrring from the bottome regularly for 15 to 20 minutes-until the eggplant is soft. You might need to add a little water if the mixture is too dry. Cover the pan between stirrings.

4) Throw in the peas and allow to cook 3-5 minutes until bright green. Serve the curry over rice, topped with cilantro and a dollop of yogurt.

All in all this recipe cost me $3 and some cents divided by the number of meals it made (4) it roughly cost me 0.78 cents for dinner. Not too bad for some slimy eggplants.

Next time you're at the produce stand check out your reduce to clear section. You just might have the makings of a great dinner in your hands.

Queen of the Potluck

From the City...

I'm a big fan of Mollie Katzen. She has a ton of cookbooks but I use her Moosewood Cookbook as pretty much my kitchen bible, just don't tell my Joy of Cooking. I lean towards it in the summer when there is more fresh veggies than you know what to do with and even in the winter when you're freezer is stocked with frozen blocks of harvest waiting to be turned into a soup or casserole.

When I was at my local vegetable market this morning I noticed that there was a pretty good assortment of ontario grown veggies, hot house tomatoes and some herbs that would nicely fill out the vegetable component of the salad. The great thing about the recipe is that it's pretty adaptable based on what's in season. I omitted the cucumber and instead chose to sneak in a bright (not local) red pepper, I cheated, just a little but yes I cheated. I also totally pillaged my new herb garden by snipping off the baby shoots of dill, mint and like three tiny sprouts of oregano.

This recipe is the best for potluck's. You serve it cold, it tastes better when left for hours, days even and looks so pretty and colorful in the bowl. The recipe also calls for dry lentils and dry bulgur wheat but I prefer quinoa for the following reasons:

• It tastes amazing
• A relative of the green vegetables like spinach and swiss chard
• Not only high in protein but also considered a complete protein meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids
• I have a huge bag of it that Simon's mom bought me for christmas last year

Here's the recipe, make it and totally rule your next potluck. By rule I mean graciously accept everyone's compliments and requests for the recipe while stating that it was something you just came up with with the leftover contents of your fridge.

Cooked bulgur (cooled) Follow the directions on the package.

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

2 tbsp freshly minced mint

2-3 tbsp minced dill

3 tbsp parsely, minced

fresh black pepper to taste

1/3 cup minced red onion

1 small bell pepper (any colour) diced

1/2 cup crumbled ontario feta

1 medium ontario greenhouse tomato, diced

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts, optional

*note: I use all of the herb measurements very loosely, I never ever measure herbs. I start with a little and gradually add until I have found the perfect taste.

Add everything to the cooked/cooled bulgur except the tomato chunks and walnuts. Mix gently but thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate.

Before serving, add tomatoes and walnuts.