A favorite of ours to preserve, but is good fresh too. Adapted from Preserving by Oded Schwarz
1 eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 t salt
1 T oil
1 t sesame seed
1 bulb garlic, peeled
1 small onion, minced
1 hot pepper, seeded and minced
1 c cider vinegar
1 T brown sugar
1t paprika
Toss the eggplant with salt and set aside. Drain, rinse, pat dry
Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and add the sesame seeds over high heat, cook until the seeds begin to pop.
Add the eggplant, garlic, peppers, and onion and cook, stirring regularly. Add the vinegar and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes until the eggplant is soft. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook until thickened. Add a few mint leaves if desired. Allow to cool before serving. Will keep for a while in the refrigerator, and improves with age. Goes great with lamb!
Harissa
A middle eastern spread of red peppers - it's an excellent spread on pita bread, or a accompaniment to roast meat
- 3 large red bell peppers
- 2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 red jalapeños or Fresno chiles, stemmed, seeded, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for seasoning
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Roast peppers in broiler or directly over gas flame, turning occasionally, until charred all over. Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and let stand 15 minutes. Stem, peel, and seed peppers; coarsely chop.
- Place peppers, next 4 ingredients, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a food processor. Purée until very smooth. With machine running, gradually add oil. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
Tomatillo Corn Salsa
Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Corn
Serrano and hungarian peppers
red onion
Husk and wash the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos and corn in water for 5 minutes. Let cool. Chop onions and tomatoes. Put tomatillos and peppers into a food processor. Pulse until a nice chunky consistency is made. Take corn off of the cob. Add all ingredients to a bowl and ENJOY! NOM!
Fresh Salsa
Tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Sweet Onions
Hot Peppers
Cilantro, chopped
Lime Juice
Salt to taste
Dice all of the vegetables into very small pieces. Toss the chopped onion and hot peppers with a dash of salt and the juice from one lime. Let sit for up to 30 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Serve with tortilla chips or any Mexican cooking dish. We love it with beans and rice.
Warm Greens Salad
Spinach (or other greens)
Tomatoes
Grain of some sort
Onion
Peppers
Hot peppers (if you like)
Whatever else you want to add....
CHEESE.
Cook your grain of choice. Saute onions, peppers, tomatoes and any other veggies you are adding.
Prepare a pile of spinach (or other greens) on your plate. Add sauteed vegetables. Then add cheese of your choosing— we’re really into feta, but really anything will do.
Optional: prepare a simple dressing to go on top. Or just enjoy with salt and pepper and other fresh herbs- thyme, oregano, sage... it’s so versatile and delicious!