Late Summer Stir Fry

So I said I didn't really like eggplant. Except in certain preparations. Here's one that gives the slender Japanese version its due. This barbecue-ish sauce is so great with sweet late summer vegetables. Sub in whatever you have on hand.

Marinade

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chile garlic sauce
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
1/3 cup mirin
4-5 tablespoons brown sugar

Combine the ingredients above in a sauce pan over medium low heat and whisk until the sugar dissolves.

Stir Fry
1 1/2 cups string beans, trimmed and chopped into 1 inch-long pieces
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin strips
2 japanese eggplants, chopped into similar shapes as the beans
1/2 small bell pepper, sliced
4 ounces tempeh, sliced thinly

Pour the marinade over the stir fry vegetables and tempeh. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. Then cook all in a wok, or large saute pan, over high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce cooks down a bit and the vegetables are beginning to char.

Serve over rice. Drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons sesame oil (total, for all servings combined) just before serving. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 3-4.

Linguine with Corn, Sage, and Morels

I saw this recipe the other day and was reminded of the most delicious meal I ate in the summer of 09 (also known as OMG Summer): a corn risotto with truffle oil from Everyday People Cafe. That was one of those meals where you just taste. Taste. Turn it all off and just taste.

So I set out to recreate that fungal delicious-town. (Fungal, probably not a good word to use in food writing? If it's gross to you, just concentrate on the first part fun!gal). And yeah, it was just as delicious with the sweetest end-of-summer corn and morels a loved one gently picked and dried for me this spring. Morels are expensive, I know. Any other strong-tasting wild mushrooms would work here too. And the sage ties it all together.

1/2 pound linguine
about 6 dried morel mushrooms, hydrated in warm water for about 15 minutes
4 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from about 6 ears of corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
10 sage leaves, sliced thinly crosswise into ribbons
2 tablespoons butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Puree half of the corn in a food processor. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Squeeze the moisture from the now-softened morels, then finely chop them.

Boil the pasta until al dente.

Over medium heat, melt the butter in a heavy, wide-bottom pot. Add the garlic, sage, and morels and cook for about 5 minutes, until very fragrant. Add the corn (both the pureed half and the kernels) and continue cooking for another several minutes, until the corn is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the parmesan cheese.

With tongs, scoop the pasta directly from the water and into the corn sauce. Add more pasta water if you desire a thinner sauce. Stir until the pasta is nicely coated with the sauce.

Serves 4.

Pepper Medley Hot Sauce

I made this hot sauce, and for whatever reason (and despite the 4 hot peppers I used here), I did not expect it to be very spicy. So as soon as it finished blending, I ate a spoonful with complete lack of caution. And, WOW, yeah, it was spicy. Not like crazy insane-esophagus-destroying spicy, but like actual hot-sauce-level spicy. Very nicey!

These were the medley of peppers I had on hand, but you could use any variety you like. The red bell pepper adds some nice sweetness, but I've also seen sauces made with tomatoes or carrots. You could consider, as well, subbing lime juice for the vinegar, adding in other add-ins. Etc. Very versatile, very easy, very tasty.

1 red chile pepper
1 green chile pepper
1 Bulgarian carrot chile pepper
1 hungarian hot wax pepper
1 medium onion
2 small bell peppers (I used one red, one orange)
1/4 cup white vinegar
salt to taste (though I didn't add any; it was so flavorful already)
1/4 cup water

Roughly chop all the vegetables. Place them in the blender with the vinegar and blend until a smooth sauce is formed. Taste and season if you wish; add some water if the sauce is too thick. Reblend. Pour. Enjoy.

Corn-Leek Fritters with Roasted Tomatoes

You know that expression, if it grows together, it goes together? Well, I ran with that and composed these fritters from the reapings of one Pennsylvanian week.

The result: this meal is a savory explosion. Seriously. Also, very crunchy thanks to the rice flour.

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup water
a squeeze of lemon juice
about 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
3 slender leeks, chopped small
2 scallions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 hungarian hot wax (or jalapeño or other hot-ish) pepper, finely chopped
grapeseed oil for frying

Whisk together the dry ingredients. Stir the remaining ingredients (except the oil) into the dry ingredients until well-combined.

Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium high. Add enough grapeseed oil to coat the bottom. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of the batter into the oil and cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides.

1 pound tomatoes
olive oil
salt+pepper

Preheat your oven to 375° F.

Cut the tomatoes into golf ball (about?) sized pieces. Place them in a non-stick baking pan cut side down (as applicable). Paint with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 45 minutes or so, until shriveled and deep red.

Serve fritters over the roasted tomatoes.

[adapted from the corn fritter recipe in Charmaine Solomon's Complete Vegetarian Cookbook]

Cold Curried Carrot Soup

There's something a bit unfair about August's bounty. At least with regard to soup. Because tomato soup with August's deep red fruit would be so much better than soup with February's grainy sadnesses. And chowder with August's fresh kernels from the cob would be one billion times better than chowder with the crystally, withered kernels you pull from the back of your freezer in winter.

But in this heat, I don't want to eat soup.

Cold soups are, obviously, where I'm going with this. And this alliterative option was terrific. I was cooking for two, so double the recipe if you want leftovers. (And no, this is not a recipe from that book!)

1 quite small onion, chopped
2 cups sliced carrots
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
3/4 cup coconut milk
1-2 teaspoons fresh squeeze lime juice

Sweat the onion and carrots in the butter, with the curry powder and salt to taste, over medium-low heat until the onions are softened.

Add the vegetable broth and simmer, covered until the carrots are very soft (about 20 minutes). Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice.

Puree and chill for at least six hours before serving. Garnish with a little cilantro.

[adapted from]

Tempeh Sandwiches with Tomato-Melon-Onion Chutney

I've been making a lot of dips lately. Here's one! It's tangy and a bit spicy. A great way to use up some tomatoes. And really nice against the earthy tempeh.

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
zest of one lemon
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped
1 pound cantaloupe or other (not water)melon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped

1 baguette
8 ounces tempeh
olive oil
cilantro

Bring the vinegars to a boil with the dry spices and the lemon zest. Add the tomato, melon, and onion and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to your desired consistency (should be thickened, with the tomatoes broken down, but not dry). The cooking should take an hour and a half or so.

Cut the tempeh to a size appropriate for your bread. Then, in a large saute pan over medium-high, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Fry the tempeh until browned on all sides.

Lightly toast your baguette, then spread with a good amount of the chutney, garnish with cilantro, and set the tempeh in place. You can see I needed toothpicks to hold these together--deliciously fally aparty!

Zucchini Bread

Another way to put zucchini to (good!) use.

This is a fairly basic zucchini bread recipe but, taking a lesson from Maggie, I used lots of bright lemon zest to keep this quickbread out of the Christmas flavor zone. I passed on cloves-as-spicing, though I did use a little ground ginger (btw, I didn't have any on hand, but I think fresh ginger would be awesome here), and a good amount of cinnamon. The cayenne pepper registers only as a background note, but one that I found very enjoyable -- it's just present enough that you know it's there if you know it's there, if you know what I mean.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup grapeseed oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
zest of two small lemons
3 cups coarsely grated zucchini (about 3 medium, or one giant as was my case)
1 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350° F and line two loaf pans with parchment paper (or butter/flour them).

Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, ginger, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugars, oil, eggs, and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the lemon zest, grated zucchini, and walnuts if using.

Pour the batter into the loaf pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 40-45 minutes).

This recipe makes two loaves.