Eggplant Goddamn

The first time I ever ordered fish I was 19.  The five word story is I ate the skin.  It did not fulfill my maturation in any regard.  I felt the same way about eggplant as I did about about salmon for too long of a time. Ten years later with a dozen or more ignoble attempts I realized: 1) the nightshade makes a poor side; 2) there is a broad line between cooking the hell out of it and slurm; 3) the waiter should have said something.  So this is a good curry for the dark plant.  The skin is softened and lacks the shark skin taffy. 

Thanks to everyone who has ventured into the tar pits of the blogosphere.  It seems archaic, like writing with a stick in the mud. 

*Cook the rice first.  Seriously, I am not trying to be coquettish.

What You Need:
Rice, cooked
1 onion, chopped
1 Eggplant, quartered and sliced
1 sweet potato, cubed
2-4 Tbsp green curry paste
14 oz can coconut milk
1  C vegetable stock
1 Tbsp oil
Additional
2 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp lime rind


* If you look closely at the picture you will see red curry paste instead of green.
Stick with green, trust me

Green Curry with Sweet Potato and Eggplant

Heat oil in wok or large frying pan.
Add onion and curry paste--the more the better
Cook, stirring, over medium heat 3 minutes

Add Eggplant, cook 5 minutes

Pour in coconut milk and stock- bring to boil;
then simmer 5 minutes.

Add sweet potato, cook 10 minutes until tender

Stir in brown sugar, lime juice and rind.
Season with salt to taste and serve over rice.

*Don't over do it with the lime juice or it will taste like vomit--fer reals.


Total Time: about 30 minutes, not counting rice
Drink:  Water, Iced
Music:  Calexico

Teach a Man to Fish and He'll Die of Mercury Poisoning

First, I'd like to say Hallo to whoever is in Germany and checked out my premier post. Danke.

When cooking for two, normally, I will make the full 4-6 servings so we can eat the remainder for lunch the following day.  However, I do not eat left-over fish.  Never.  I'm a single-issue voter when it comes to nuking fish.  It is etched into my soul.  If I live to be old and I am AARPing it up; lacking all forms of lucidity, my care-giver will think I love fish.  "It's all he ever talks about--fish."  They'll put a fish on my urn.  Jesus, this kind of spoiled living drove Kierkegaard's hand.

So, this recipe is cut in half.  I like to cook fish about every other week or so.  Usually I bake or grill and serve with rice.  This recipe calls for pan frying which makes it easy.  All you have do is loosely time it, flip until opaque.

Tilapia lacks flavor. It is an African fish whose etymology goes back to Tswana.  Tilapia literally translates to "fish."  It takes the lime juice well. 

What You'll Need:

2 Tilapia Filets
1 red bell-pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
10 or so pitted green olives


Oils, Herbs, etc.

1/4 C. parsley
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lime juice
Salt and Pepper



Tilapia with Peppers and Green Olives

Photos by DMG

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat.

Season fish with pinch of salt and pepper and cook 4-5 minutes per side until done.

Meanwhile . . . .

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in second skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook peppers and onion 8 - 10 minutes, until tender.

Stir in olives, parsley and lime juice.  Season with pinch of salt and pepper.

The green olives really pull the lime and fish together.  I couldn't eat all of it so I'll have a container of 21st century judgment and guilt in the fridge for a week or so.  Spoiled living--bastard.

Total Time
20 minutes
Drink
Green Olive Martini
Music
The Clash

Oh What the Hell? Tofu!

Why did the inaugural recipe have to be tofu? On top of the innocuous bean, ginger is added as well.  What a double kisser.  Ginger is quite a spice with a sharp flavor. It works really well with beef in Chinese meals.  In this meal it comes off a bit dry and soy sauce was needed to cut it.

I am not a vegetarian and this is not a vegetarian site. You've heard the question before: "Chicken, beef, seafood or vegetarian?"  I always choose vegetarian because you can eat a different meal every day for 365 days.  Now, I don't have fussy kids or a red-neck spouse to harp on me for trying tofu every now and then, but my wife is not a fan of the curd so I've found I have to go out of my way to really cook it so its texture is more firm.  This recipe sears the tofu in a pan and gives it a nice outer shell and flavor. 

photos by DMG

What you need:

Rice
1 pound extra firm tofu
1 Tbsp. bottled minced garlic
1 large Red Pepper, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 cup sliced green onions

Spices
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbsp. bottled ground ginger

Oils
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
Cooking spray

Seared Tofu with Gingered Garlic
Important!!!   Cook the damn rice first.  Seriously, start it right now.

Place tofu on a clean towel for 10 minutes
to drain the liquid from it.  Then cut into
1" squares.

Heat 2 teaspoon sesame oil in medium
pan over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger
and red peppers. Saute 3 minutes.

Stir in 3/4 of green onions, vinegar and
soy sauce; cook 30 seconds.  Remove from
from pan.

Clean pan, spray with cooking spray.
Sprinkle salt and pepper over tofu and
add to pan.  Cook on all sides until nice and
golden.  Flip them like an omelet and don't
worry about searing every side.

Once brown, add bell pepper mixture and heat through, drizzle 1 teaspoon sesame oil over top.  Serve over rice, then sprinkle with sesame seed and green onions. 

* We added a touch of soy sauce to the final product for a shot of moisture.  Don't over do it with the sauce and don't let your guest do it either.  You should probably just do it for them or they'll just screw up the meal you just cooked for them.  In fact, tell them: "You just got served."

Total Time
Less than 30 minutes not counting damned rice

Music
The EELS

Drink
Rivertowne Babbling Blonde