Eggplant Marinara

To make Eggplant Marinara ala Craig’s style (which means quick and easy), all you really need is some eggplant and marinara sauce in a jar. Any other ingredients are left up to you.

The last time I made this dish, I had bought some fresh Japanese eggplant (the long and skinny kind) at a local farmer’s market. But if you can’t find those, look for some beautiful, shiny eggplants at your local supermarkets.

If you can, get the male fruit. It has fewer seeds and the skin is slightly less bitter. How can you tell if the eggplant is male or female? Look at the blossom end opposite the stem end. If the marking is elongated, it’s female. If it’s small and rounded, it’s male.

For the marinara sauce, I’d gotten some 24-ounce jars of Safeway Select Sundried Tomato and Olive pasta sauce. You can make your own if you like, or substitute any other brand or style. Get whatever’s on sale.

Ingredients

·         ROTINI PASTA, about ½ cup uncooked

·         OLIVE OIL, 2 tablespoons

·         SAUSAGE, 2 in casings, cut into ¾-inch rounds

·         ONIONS, 2 small, wedged into eighths

·         MUSHROOMS, 8 ounces, cut in half

·         GRAPE TOMATOES, about ¾ cup, halved lengthwise

·         BUTTER, 2 tablespoons

·         MARINARA or SPAGHETTI SAUCE, about 1½ cups

·         GARLIC, 2 cloves finely minced

·         EGGPLANT, Japanese, 4 medium, cut into 1-inch chunks

·         GARLIC SALT and PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste

Directions

1.       Boil a pot of water; add garlic salt to flavor, then cook the rotini pasta until just al dente. Set aside.

2.       Brown the sausage slightly in the olive oil, set aside.

3.       Sweat the onions in the sausage oil slightly, set aside.

4.       Sauté the mushrooms slightly, set aside.

5.       Melt the butter in the pan and add the tomatoes, sauté slightly, and set aside.

6.       Put the sausage, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes (plus the melted butter from the pan) in a large pot over medium-high heat.

7.       Stir to combine, and add the marinara sauce and garlic.

8.       Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for about 15 minutes covered.

9.       Add in the eggplant, cover, and increase the heat to medium for another 15 minutes, stirring often.

10.   Add in the pasta, stirring to combine all the ingredients well.

11.   Serve with garlic bread and steamed white rice.

Chicken with Winter Melon

Togan, or Japanese winter melon (sometimes referred to as "squash"), is excellent when cooked with poultry or meat in a teriyaki-flavored broth. You can find the recipe for teriyaki sauce in an earlier post on this website.

The resultant dish goes well with steamed white rice and sides of tsukemono or takuan (recipe also on this website). It’s a good, slurpy meal on a cold winter’s day.

Ingredients

·         JAPANESE WINTER MELON, 2 medium (10”), or 3 small

·         CHICKEN THIGHS, 4 boneless, skinless

·         ONIONS, 1 medium or 2 small

·         WHITE WINE, ¼ cup

·         TERIYAKI SAUCE (recipe elsewhere in this blog), ¾ cup

·         WATER, ¼ cup

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         BLACK PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste

Directions

1.       Peel the melon with a vegetable peeler, cut in half lengthwise, then into ¾-inch half-moons. If the seeds are a bit on the tough side, remove the seeds with a spoon first.

2.       Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch strips.

3.       French-cut the onions.

4.       In a large pot, sauté the chicken until the surface is lightly browned. Remove and reserve.

5.       Deglaze the pot with the white wine.

6.       Add in the onions and sauté until slightly tender.

7.       Replace the chicken in the pot.

8.       Add in the teriyaki sauce and water, and bring to a boil.

9.       Add in the winter melon.

10.   Add salt and pepper to taste.

11.   Stir all the ingredients, lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the melon is tender but not limp and mushy.

12.   Serve alongside or over steamed rice.

Almond Float

One of the popular desserts found at family potlucks and gatherings in Hawaii, and in many chop suey houses, is almond float. And despite its name, you will NOT find almond nuts floating around in the dessert.

This is one of the easiest desserts (not to mention tastiest) that you can make and serve. It’s so easy, even a child can do it, although you may want to use a can opener for the kid.

The recipe calls for canned fruit cocktail but you can use fresh fruit if you so desire. The dessert can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until it’s time to eat. This recipe makes enough almond float dessert for 4 to 6 people.

Ingredients

·         UNFLAVORED GELATIN (Knox), 1 tablespoon

·         COLD WATER, 2/3 cup

·         SUGAR, 2 tablespoons

·         BOILING WATER, 2/3 cup

·         EVAPORATED MILK, 2/3 cup

·         ALMOND EXTRACT, 1½ teaspoons

·         FRUIT COCKTAIL, 1 can (15 ounced) with syrup

·         LITCHEE, 1 can (15 ounces) with syrup

Directions

1.       Pour the gelatin into the cold water and soften for a few minutes.

2.       Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water.

3.       Stir the evaporated milk into the sugar water.

4.       Add in the softened gelatin mixture and stir in the almond extract.

5.       Pour the gelatin into a baking pan and chill until firm.

6.       When the gelatin is set, this is your “almond float.” Cut the almond float into 1-inch cubes and served with the canned fruit and its syrup.

Maple-Dijon Salmon

Maple syrup and Dijon mustard go together well, and this baked salmon is a perfect medium to show off the combination of rustic sweet and winey sourness.

Plus, it’s so easy to make. The important thing is not to overcook the salmon and allow it to become dry in the oven.

Ingredients

·         SALMON FILET, 1, skin removed

·         MAPLE SYRUP, 4 tablespoons

·         DIJON MUSTARD, 4 tablespoons

·         GREEN ONIONS, ¼ cup, chopped thinly

·         ROSEMARY, ½ teaspoon

·         THYME, ½ teaspoon

·         SALT and PEPPER to taste

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 375.

2.       Cut salmon into approximately 3x3-inch pieces.

3.       Place salmon on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

4.       In a bowl, mix together the Dijon mustard, maple syrup, green onions, and herbs to make a glaze.

5.       Season to taste.

6.       Spoon half of the sauce over salmon and place in oven.

7.       Bake for 10 minutes or until filets are just cooked through and flake easily.

8.       Use the remaining sauce to spoon over the cooked salmon.

Poulet au Paprika

Poulet au Paprika (Paprika Chicken) is a very easy dish to make. I got my original recipe from the famous cookbook, The Joy of Cooking.

I’ve messed around with the recipe a little over the years, most recently adding in the fennel ingredient after watching Laura Calder’s “French Food at Home” on the Cooking Channel. In fact, I’ve also appropriated the dish’s fancy French name. Hey! Gotta at least sound good, right?

If you can’t find fennel, leave it out. I did okay without it for years. Laura Calder uses crème fraiche, but I can’t find that anywhere, so I use sour cream instead. Which is not so bad … it reminds me of stroganoff.

Ingredients

·         CHICKEN, 6 to 8 pieces, skin-on, bone-in

·         OLIVE OIL, 1 tablespoon

·         BUTTER, 2 tablespoons

·         ONION, 1 large, sliced

·         GARLIC, 1 clove, minced

·         RED PEPPER, 1, sliced

·         FENNEL (Optional), ½ bulb, sliced

·         PAPRIKA, 1 tablespoon

·         SOUR CREAM, ¼ to ½ cup

·         WHITE WINE, ½ cup

·         TOMATO, 1 large, seeded and cut into chunks

·         BAY LEAF, 1

·         SALT AND PEPPER to taste 

Directions

1.       Brown the chicken pieces, skin-side first, in olive oil and butter. Remove and set aside.

2.       Sauté the onion, red pepper and fennel until tender.

3.       Add the white wine to the pan; combine with the vegetables.

4.       Combine the paprika and sour cream, add into the pan and stir in.

5.       Return the chicken to the pan, add the bay leaf.

6.       Add salt and pepper to taste.

7.       Simmer covered on low heat for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.

8.       Take the pan off the heat and add the tomatoes. Stir, cover and let stand for 3 minutes.

9.       Serve with rice.

Diana’s Savory Flank Steak

This is a relatively easy dish to make, and will satisfy even the most particular person. It’s not called “savory” for no reason.

Flank steak used to be a very inexpensive cut of beef, but since more people have been utilizing it (guess they learned how to cook it and how delicious it is), the price has risen over the years.

Ingredients (Steak + Marinade)

·         FLANK STEAK, 1

·         RED WINE, Gallo burgundy, 1 cup

·         SOY SAUCE, 2 teaspoons

·         WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE, 1 teaspoon

·         SEASONED SALT, 2 teaspoons

·         GARLIC POWDER, ¼ teaspoon

Ingredients (Sauce)

·         MUSHROOMS, ½ pound sliced

·         CORNSTARCH, 2 teaspoons

·         WATER, ½ cup

·         WINE VINEGAR, 1 tablespoon

·         BUTTER (or margarine), 3 tablespoons

Directions

1.       Combine all the steak marinade ingredients for the steak into a marinade.

2.       Marinate the steak, covered, overnight.

3.       Bring to room temperature and broil for 4 minutes or until medium rare.

4.       Let stand for at least 10 minutes, reserving the pan juices.

5.       Sauté the mushrooms.

6.       Combine the cornstarch, water, and wine vinegar into a slurry.

7.       Bring the pan juices to a boil and reduce by half.

8.       Add in the mushrooms and the wine slurry.

9.       Thicken the sauce with the butter.

10.   Slice the steak into thin strips on an angle, against the grain, arrange on a serving plate and dress with the sauce.

White Bean Soup

Sometimes you’re just in the mood for a hearty bean soup, and this version – inspired by the Senate’s Navy Bean Soup – will hit the spot.

It’s basically just chop and boil, although it does take a few hours plus a preliminary overnight soaking. But, that soaking is important as it removes the oligosaccharides that can cause … er, bean gas. So whatever you do, once you soak the beans, don’t save the soaking water. Don’t drink it or cook with it or you’ll be sorryyyyyyy.

This soup is great with garlic toast.

Ingredients

·         NORTHERN WHITE BEANS, 1 pound dried

·         HAM HOCKS, 4 small, smoked

·         (Alternate) HAM BONE, 1 meaty bone

·         CARROT, 1 large

·         CELERY, 2 stalks

·         MASHED POTATOES, 1 cup

·         ONION, 1 large or 2 small, chopped

·         BUTTER. 2 tablespoons

·         GARLIC SALT to taste

·         BLACK PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste

Directions

1.       Soak the dried beans in a large pot of water overnight.

2.       Drain and rinse the beans, add to 3 quarts of boiling water in a large pot.

3.       Add the ham hocks.

4.       Cut the carrot and celery into 3-inch lengths and toss into the pot.

5.       Bring back to boil, cut back heat to low and simmer for 3 hours.

6.       Take out the ham hocks and set aside to cool.

7.       Take out the vegetables, reserving the carrots and tossing the celery.

8.       Chop the carrots into a small dice and return to the pot.

9.       Remove the meat from the ham hock bones, chop into small bits and return to the pot.

10.   Add the mashed potatoes to the pot, blending well.

11.   Sauté the chopped onions in the butter and add to the pot.

12.   Simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

Breakfast Dog

I often have this when I’m feeling lazy.

Just boil a hot dog and put it in a hot dog bun. Scramble some eggs and pile it on top. Then dress with salsa, or as pictured, with some creamy salsa verde dip (my recipe elsewhere in this blog).

Or, top it with anything else you want. Just make sure you get nice, plump hotdogs for this one.

Okay now. If you mess this one up, you’re beyond saving.

Tomato-ey Baked Chicken

It looks like a hunk and a glob of something the cat brought in, but deep within that pile of gooey stuff are a couple of the softest and moistest darned chicken thighs you’ve ever eaten in your life.

“Tomato-ey Chicken” was one of those dishes born when I was in college, scrounging around the freezer and cupboard, then throwing together whatever I found. I’ve since formalized the recipe into what it is today – yummy, cheesy, tomato-ey baked chicken.

Ingredients

·         CHICKEN THIGHS, 6

·         FLOUR, about ½ cup

·         OLIVE OIL, about ¼ cup

·         STEWED TOMATOES, 1 large can, drained

·         MAUI ONIONS, 2 medium, cut into wedges

·         MUSHROOMS, sliced, 1 small can, or 8 ounces fresh

·         GARLIC SALT, to taste

·         ITALIAN HERB MIX, commercial, 1 tablespoon

·         MOZZARELLA CHEESE, grated, 4 ounces

Directions

1.       Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2.       Trim off excess fat and skin from the chicken pieces.

3.       Dredge the chicken in flour.

4.       Brown the chicken in hot olive oil, remove and arrange in a glass baking pan, skin side up.

5.       Arrange the stewed tomatoes on top of the chicken.

6.       Distribute the wedged onions on and around the chicken.

7.       Add the mushrooms.

8.       Sprinkle lightly with garlic salt and the Italian herb mix.

9.       Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

10.   Remove the foil, sprinkle with the Mozzarella cheese, turn the oven to “broil,” and broil for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is toasty brown and bubbling.

Feel free to substitute ingredients.

Creamy Salsa Verde Dip

This is a quick and easy chip dip. You can also use it for raw veggies, or perhaps as a marinade or dressing as well. It has only three ingredients, all of which are readily available. I love it on scrambled eggs in the morning.

In fact, you probably already have sour cream and mayonnaise, and will just have to get some green salsa (salsa verde) to complete the ingredient list. I use Herdez Salsa Verde (reviewed earlier in this blog).

Ingredients

• HERDEZ SALSA VERDE, 1½ cups (or 3 measures)
• SOUR CREAM, 1 cup (or 2 measures)
• MAYONNAISE, ½ cup (or 1 measure)

A “measure” can be any amount; just add the ingredients in the right proportions (just remember 3-2-1), mix until nicely blended, and refrigerate. If you like salsa verde, you’ll love this dip.

NOTE: You can use Herdez salsa verde right out of the jar, but your dip may be too liquidy. What I usually do is strain half of the salsa, saving the liquid for use at another time (it’s like a mild green Tabasco sauce).