Lamb-Stuffed Eggplants

As autumn arrives full-force here in Boston, I'm left with lots of fresh produce AND a desire for heartier dishes. I've had lots of trouble with most of my garden this year, but eggplants and parsley are pretty much the two things I have plenty of (what a good Armenian girl I am!). It seemed like the perfect time to get cooking with them.

I've been growing Fairytale eggplant this year, which are adorable purple and white speckled fruits about the size of my thumb (below). They cook up very tender and have way fewer seeds than traditional eggplants. They're also the perfect size for cooking in smaller amounts or, in this case, making individual portions. I love them so much, I've pretty much decided that I will always grow these. If you can't find fairytale eggplants, try any long and thin eggplants (you can cut them in half to form more individual-sized portions).

Lamb-Stuffed Eggplants

10-12 fairytale eggplants
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground lamb
cayenne pepper
cinnamon
nutmeg
about 15 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 Tbsp minced fresh mint
3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
zest of half a lemon
salt and pepper

Cut each eggplant in half and scoop out the insides, leaving about a 1/4 inch wall. Place scooped-out eggplants in a bowl of salted water to prevent browning. Chop up the insides of the eggplant, discarding any areas that are mostly seeds, and set aside.

In a large pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Add lamb and chopped eggplant, and cook until lamb is well browned, breaking up any big pieces as you go. Remove from heat and drain off excess fat. Add cayenne, cinnamon, and nutmeg to taste (go easy on the nutmeg). Stir in tomatoes, mint, parsley, and lemon zest. Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Remove eggplant halves, one by one, from water, and fill the cavity in the center with lamb mixture. If you press the mixture in with a spoon, you can mound it up a bit. Place on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining eggplant. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until eggplants are easily pierced with a fork.

Pomegranate Baba Ganoush

I'm Armenian and I love eggplant, and yet, it has taken me this long to make baba ganoush. I feel like a slacker. But don't worry, I've definitely made more than my fair share of the dip in the past few weeks to make up for it.

Baba ganoush is a Middle Eastern dip or salad which, at its most basic, consists of mashed eggplant and spices. It's an easy enough recipe that only takes a few minutes to put together (minus the roasting time, of course). It's simple, and yet, no one can decide on one recipe. My Armenian cookbook has four different versions (of course, that cookbook typically has four different versions of every dish, so this isn't saying all that much). I've played around with the recipe enough that I think I've found my version of baba ganoush. How do you like to make baba ganoush?

Oh, and seeing at pomegranate season has officially begun (I recently picked up a HUGE pomegranate from Pom Wonderful at the supermarket and couldn't wait to start peeling), and that means it's time for me to start throwing pomegranate arils into anything and everything I make. So into my baba ganoush went a handful of arils, along with some on the top for garnish, and it was love at first bite. The body of the dip is garlicky and salty with an unctuous creaminess, and the pomegranate adds little bursts of sweet freshness that makes this dip a little different (it's the same concept as my pomegranate guacamole).

Pomegranate Baba Ganoush
1 large eggplant (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
arils of 1 pomegranate, divided
3/4 cup parsley, finely chopped, plus a few whole leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°. Prick the eggplant with a fork, then set on a rimmed baking pan with 1/2 cup water. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the eggplant is soft all the way through. Add more water to the pan as needed; the steam will help the eggplant cook.

Let eggplant cool until it can be handled, then peel off the skin. Combine the eggplant, tahini, 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and garlic in a blender (or a large bowl if you are using an immersion blender). Blend until smooth and combined. Stir in 3/4 of the pomegranate arils and chopped parsley. Add more salt and cayenne pepper to taste.

To serve, arrange baba ganoush in bowl, drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, and scatter remaining pomegranate arils and parsley leaves on top. Serve with sliced vegetables, pita chips, or just a fork.

Taking Advantage of Green Garden Tomatoes

I'm headed out of town later this week for a conference (in Austin!), and as I checked out my garden this weekend, I got a little worried about my tomatoes. The plants are filled with green fruits, but they are also showing developing signs of late blight, the fungus that is wreaking havoc on crops throughout New England, thanks to the crazy wet weather we've had this summer. I wanted to make sure that I got to use at least some of my tomatoes, because who knows what they'll look like when I get back from my trip.

So I harvested a few of the tomatoes (probably only 1/20th of what's out there, though), as well as some Japanese eggplants ("Are they supposed to look like that?" my brother asked. Yes, yes they are.), basil, parsley, and scallions. I combined a few different recipes that I found online to form what I think is one damn good fried tomato. The combination of flour, buttermilk, and panko breadcrumbs created a tender, crispy crust while keeping the tomato and eggplant fresh. Another plus? It didn't soak up a lot of oil during frying, so it was light and not greasy.

Fried Green Tomatoes (and Eggplant) with Buttermilk Dressing
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, divided
juice of 3 limes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
2 sprigs of basil, minced
2 sprigs of parsley, minced
1 scallion, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 large green tomatoes
1 large or 2 small Japanese eggplants
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning mix
Vegetable oil for frying

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup buttermilk, lime juice, olive oil, honey. basil, parsley, scallion, and salt and whisk together. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Slice tomatoes and eggplant into 1/3-inch thick slices. Arrange three bowls for the coating process - one for the flour, one for 1 cup of buttermilk, and one for the panko and Cajun seasoning (mix the seasoning into the panko to evenly distribute). Dredge slices in flour (shaking off extra flour), dip in buttermilk, then coat with panko. Coat all slices before beginning to fry.

In a large pan, heat about 1/2 an inch of vegetable oil over medium-low heat until it just begins to bubble. Cook tomatoes and eggplant in batches until golden brown on both sides. Do not crowd the pan. Drain on papertowels before serving. If needed, you can keep the cooked tomatoes and eggplant in the oven on the lowest setting (about 200°) until all the batches are done. Serve with dressing.

Monochromatic Pizza

So what do you do with monochromatic veggies? Make monochromatic pizza!


It was refreshing to have pizza that wasn't heavy or too salty. The vegetables were the star (although the herb dough from Trader Joe's was awesome too), and they tasted fresh and bright.

The trick is to slice all the veggies very thin. As the pizza cooked, it looked like there was too much water, but by the time it was done, the water had mostly evaporated/soaked back in, leaving juicy veggies and a crisp crust.

1 Trader Joe's herb pizza dough
1 medium (or 2 small) eggplant
1 purple pepper
1/3 red onion
2 plum tomatoes
6 Kalamata olives, chopped
olive oil
about 1 cup shredded mozzarella

Stretch dough out on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray with olive oil. Layer eggplant, pepper, onion, tomato and olives evenly over the dough. Spray lightly with olive oil again, then top with mozzarella. Bake at 450 for 15-18 minutes.

Monochromatic Farmers Market

Can you tell what my favorite color is?

I know that veggies with deeper colors have more nutrients, so I can just pretend I bought them to be healthy. But really, I just loved the jewel tones.

La Spina, Davis Square

La Spina ("the thorn") is a new Italian restaurant in Davis Square, Somerville, nestled behind the Rosebud Diner (right where a thorn should be). We arrived at 8 on a Saturday night to find the place almost empty... not the best impression. The food, however, was fantastic. Everything was fresh... you could actually tell what all the ingredients were.



Our waiter was fun and quirky, and as soon as he told us that one of the specials was panzanella, I jumped on it. I first had panzanella in the little town of Murlo in Italy, and I've been hooked ever since. It's a great way to use leftover bread in a fresh salad. This version was very tasty, but I was a little disappointed in the variety of the ingredients - tomatoes, basil, and olives. I like to make panzanella a little more salad-like, with cucumbers and red onion. There was also a little too much dressing, leaving the fresh tomatoes overwhelmed by too much oil and vinegar.



I wasn't terribly hungry, so I went for a second appetizer for my meal. I had heard that the eggplant involtini was even better than that of another nearby Italian restaurant, Sagra, so I had to give it a try. I liked this version very much, as it was less oily than Sagra's. The ricotta filling was more dense, but smooth, and was just slightly sweet. The eggplant was soft and broke apart easily under my fork. I would definitely order this again.

How I Met My Eggplant

I was never a fan of vegetables as a kid. They were usually overcooked and bland, and they weren't something I wanted to waste my time on. One veggie, though, always had a place on my plate - eggplant. And this was primarily because it was always covered in cheese.

My mother's eggplant recipe is easy - so easy, it shouldn't even be called a recipe. Simply slice an eggplant into 1/8-inch thick rounds and soak in salted water to draw out the bitterness. Once the water turns brown (yum!), drain and lay the slices on an oiled baking sheet (I use an oil mister, then spray the tops of the slices too).





Top with grated Parmesan cheese (it wasn't until I had already bought the Parm that I realized my mother uses mozzarella, which is even tastier) and bake at 400 degrees until the cheese bubbles and browns. Try not to burn your fingers as you greedily peel the slices off the pan.



And of course, a girl can't live on eggplant and cheese alone (wait a minute...). I also made some chicken, quickly marinated in some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped garlic and oregano flakes. All I can say is "Wow". The balsamic gave it a lovely brown tone that concerned me while it cooked... it looked burned. Luckily, it was tasty and very juicy.