Eggplant and Broccoli for the Cupcakemaker

My lovely Filipina yogini friend has just revived her cupcake blog. It certainly provokes me into buying a proper cupcake pan instead of the aluminum tin that I reuse again and again (my bit of contribution to stop global warming....;p), which reminded me of the moment-of-truth conversation with a chef friend - Dan Ivarie. He gave me an estimate of how much I could spend on a well equiped home kitchen. Geeez..... let's just say I've got to throw in more Private Yoga teaching hours than what I'm currently clocking in. "They last a life time" Dan's words of wisdom dwell.....

So where was I? Hmmm....Right, Peewee (what an adorable name) was asking for some eggplant/ broccoli recipes. I'm a sucker for both. Unfortunately the man whom I co-habit with isn't too fond of eggplant; something to do with mimicking his brother's food preference while growing up. But I do sneak in the purple nightshade now and then. Especially since I was introduced to the awsome Eggplant Parmesan made by a friend in Seattle.

I think broccolis are best steamed or boiled. I like the crunchines and greenness that get retained when it's not overcooked. There are a few broccoli recipes that I like. To go with the eggplant parmesan, I think the Broccoli Crunch would do.

Eggplant Parmesan

This is relatively easy to make. You just got to be patient with salting and draining the eggplant slices.This draws the water out of the eggplants and makes them less bitter. It also means they absorb less oil if you're frying them, which is exactly what we are going to do. The recipe calls for pasta sauce. You can use any bottled pasta sauce you like. When I feel like going the extra mile, I would crush and juice some fresh tomatoes and cook with minced garlic, mushroom and mixed herbs as the sauce.

Ingredients:
(serve 4)
1 eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch coins
1 Tablespoon of salt for salting
1/2 pound ricotta cheese
6 ounces shredded Mozarella
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 egg, beaten
1/2 Cup fresh basil, chopped
4 C pasta sauce

1. Sprinkle and rub both sides of eggplant coins with salt. Let sit in a colander for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 180C.
3. In a bowl, mix together ricotta, mozarella and 1/4 of Parmesan. Whisk in beaten egg and chopped basil.
4. Rinse the eggplant coins in cold water to remove excess salt. Pat and dry on paper towel.
5. Fry and brown eggplant coins on both sides.
6. Pour 3 Cups of pasta sauce to the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange a single layer of eggplant coins on top. Top the eggplant layer with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layering with eggplant then cheese. You want the top most layer to be eggplant.
   
7. Pour remaining pasta sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the other 3/4 of Parmesan.
8. Bake 30 - 45 minutes until the sauce is bubbly.

Broccoli Crunch
The success of this dish relies on the broccoli. Make sure they are fresh. You don't want to overcook them; you want them to give a green pop in the mouth. Watch not to let them become mushy. Instead of using almond butter, tahini taste just as good, and cheaper too (even cheaper if you make it: just blend roasted white sesame seeds + oil).

Ingredients:
(serve 2)
2 Cup tiny broccoli florets
1 glove garlic, smashed and chopped with a pinch of salt

1/4 Cup almond butter
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon hot water

1 small crisp apple, quartered into bite-size (soak them in lemon water until ready to use)
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 C toasted walnut, coarsely chopped
1/6 C pan-fried shallot
Small handful of chive, chopped

1. Shallot: Pan fry shallot with oil and salt over medium heat. Stirring every few minutes. It takes about 15 minutes for the shallots to turn brown. Blot on paper towel and set aside.
2. Boil a pot of water with salt. When the water boils, put in broccoli florets and let cook for 10 seconds. Quickly remove and run them under cold water. Drain.
3. Whisk garlic, almond butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil in a small bowl. Add a tablespoon of hot water to thin it out. Whisk till creamy. Taste and adjust accordingly. You may add more water for a smoother consistency.
4. Toss together almond butter dressing with broccoli, apples, red onion, 3/4 of pan fried shallot and toasted walnuts.
5. Top with chopped chives and the remaining pan fried shallots.

*I used to throw away the broccoli stalks. What a waste! Simply peel the outside skin from the stalk and cook as you would with the rest of the broccoli. Or, I would keep them for future Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup

Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup

This is one of my favorite soup. Broccoli AND blue cheese. Can it get any better than that?

Ingredients:
(serve 2)
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 large potato, cubed (don't bother peeling)
500mL vegetable stock (I mixed 1 tablespoon of miso with 2 Cups of water)
1 head of broccoli, chopped
50gram Blue Cheese

1. Saute onion with a pinch of salt. Add cubed potatoes and stir for 2 minutes. Pour in the stock. Let it simmer.
   
2. When the potatoes are tender, add broccoli and cook until just tender (still bright green). Stir in 1/2 the cheese and transfer to a food processor. Blend to mix. Season with salt and pepper. Add the remaining Blue cheese.

* I like to add a swirl of cream to the soup, too.