Text 39364, 75 rader
Skriven 2010-06-23 22:22:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av RUTH HAFFLY
Ärende: eggplant 317
====================
 -=> Ruth Haffly said to Carol Shenkenberger <=-

 RH> Japanese eggplant disappeared in 2 iterations.  First, we cut a couple
 RH> in half the long way, brushed them with olive oil and ground sea salt
 RH> and pepper over them. They were then grilled for a bit, served with
 RH> grill roasted beets and a couple of other vegetables.  The second use
 RH> of it was in eggplant caviar. We did this last week; there's still a
 RH> bit left but it tastes best when fresh made.  Thanks for letting us
 RH> experiment with a new twist on a familiar vegetable.

Grilling is a great way to do eggplant, especially the nonbitter
Asian varieties. For "caviar," though, a more assertive vegetable
(i.e., the common purple eggplant) is beneficial. Speaking of
contrasts, it's partially the play among the four main tastes that
makes this dish special (I cheat and use extra onions to accentuate
the sweet component, though).

EGGPLANT CAVIAR
Compiled by George G. Vitt, Jr.

ADMONITION: Recipe for eggplant caviar follows. It is the
type that was made throughout Siberia and North China - and
the kind that I've eaten since I could lift a fork. Some
other recipes may call for some tomato paste, garlic (or
whatever). IGNORE THEM. They are a deviation from perfection,
undoubtedly written either by some non-cognoscenti, or Tatar
barbarians, or by someone who had his taste buds shot away
in the Crimean War.

[M's note: even though this sounds like my kind of aside,
it's really someone else's. Plus I put both garlic and
tomato paste in mine.]

Read by Nadine Nikitin 8-30-81 (Sun)
From Book "The Russian Chef", 1942, NYC.

PREPARATION: Get 2 large blue eggplants; place in oven and
bake for about 45 min. at 375 degrees F.; when they are
completely soft and cool, remove their skins; place eggplant
in a wooden bowl and chop finely until it has the consistency
of coarse mashed potatoes; separately, finely chop a medium
sized white onion and mix with the eggplant; add a little
vegetable oil (Crisco or Wesson); add salt, pepper, and a
little vinegar to taste, mix all, put in a small dish and
place in refrigerator until served. Good appetite!

USE: A dab of the above on a piece of black bread makes a
super appetizer ("Zakuska" in Russian), especially if eaten
immediately after downing a pony of ice cold vodka in which a
little lemon rind had been instilled overnight!

--mm
Eggplant caviar
:Read by Nadine Nikitin 8-30-81 (Sun)
:From Book "The Russian Chef", 1942, NYC.

2 lg purple eggplant
1 md white onion, minced
2 Tb oil, more to taste
salt, pepper, vinegar to taste

Bake eggplant for 45 min at 375F. Cool and scrape flesh from
skin: discard skin. Chop flesh until it is the consistency
of "coarse mashed potatoes" and put in a bowl with onion and
oil and any juices remaining in baking pan. Season with salt,
pepper, and vinegar to taste and mix well. Serve cool or chilled
as a dip or spread for bread. [M's note: I'd use olive oil if
available, otherwise regular flavorless oil with a little brown
sesame oil. Also, I'd substitute either red wine vinegar or
lemon juice for the regular vinegar.]

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