[Photographs: Burnt Lumpia] The alternative name for tortang talong as "tortured eggplant" (real translation: "eggplant omelet") intrigued me. How is it tortured? Marvin of Burnt Lumpia outlines its creation: It starts with a full-body charring, then the skin is peeled off, the flesh is "mooshed and flattened," and then it's dunked into a egg bath, topped with ground meat, and pan fried to a crisp. Sounds delicious—the eggplant gives itself up for a good cause. Related Blogwatch: Duck Adobo Confit Dinner Tonight: Adobong Na Manok Dinner Tonight: Chicken Adobo Grilling: Filipino Barbecue...
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Melitzanosalata, though it may sound like a rare form of civilization threatening virus, is actually one of the best Greek eggplant spreads I have ever eaten. Most eggplant spreads I've had tend to be slimy—choking them down triggers the gag reflex due to the fact that I imagine this is what the leftover guts of a Gremlin melted in the sun might taste like. The Melitzanosalata at Taxim, Chicago’s new gourmet Greek spot (by gourmet I mean they don’t serve 1,000 covers a night nor get most of their ingredients delivered via multiple Sysco Tractor Trailers), a charcoal-grilled eggplant purée larded with tahini and studded with crunchy and creamy toasted pine nuts, is more like the kind of velvety purée...
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Editor's note: On Thursdays, Babbo pastry chef Gina DePalma checks in with Seriously Italian. After a stint in Rome, she's back in the States, channeling her inner Italian spirit via recipes and intel on delicious Italian eats. Take it away, Gina! Photo from effe8 on Flickr I couldn’t help it. They were calling to me: black, shiny, bulgingly beautiful eggplants, piled high at the market. Magnifica! The skin was so smooth and glossy, I could have reapplied my lip gloss in its reflection. Sometimes a vegetable beckons in unexpected ways, compelling and beguiling. I lost my head and loaded up. Mom rolled her eyes when I got home. “That’s a lot of eggplant.” She was right; I went overboard, and...
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August is the beginning of eggplant season. Here are a few recipes we think are worth trying this eggplant season.
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The story on lonely, neglected farmers' markets has already piqued Ed's interest, but here's the rest of what the Gray Lady is digesting today. You say buffalo, I say bison: The icon of the American West is enjoying a resurgence among diners. Treehuggers and nutritionists rejoice. Keep on Puckin': Despite frozen food lines, Home Shopping Network huckstering, and other numerous ventures, Wolfgang Puck and his steakhouse, Cut, manage to impress Frank Bruni. Eaux de vie, loud and clear: An Oregon producer—Clear Creek Distillery—is turning out colorless fruit brandies that Eric Asimov describes as "an entire orchard of fruit ... packed into a single glass."Kosher coin-ops: Vending machines that dispense glatt kosher products. 0y v3y!Cold eggplant salad? Melissa Clark prepares this...
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Melissa Kronenthal of the always-excellent Traveler's Lunchbox, one of my all-time favorite food blogs, winds up a long piece considering how her attitude to traveling and eating has changed over the years after a trip to Morroco with a recipe for eggplant stewed in honey and spices. She says, "I love eggplant in all its forms, but this is one of the best ways I've ever eaten it - meltingly soft, sweet, sour and spicy-hot."...
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