I could hardly get that huge watermelon out of today’s box. And was so happy to have it. I had a dinner party this weekend and juiced the watermelon from last week. I say “juiced” but I really mean I chopped up the flesh, removing the seeds, and then pureed them in a blender. Then strained out the solids and refrigerated the remaining juice. Now we had the basis for some amazing watermelon mojitos (a little lime juice, a little rum, a little mint-infused simple syrup). The kids could have mocktails and the grownups could have cocktails and that entire watermelon was consumed.
Which made me a little sad. I was ready for more watermelon!
It was also nice to see three beautiful eggplants – three different varieties, all gorgeous purple.
I confess to not being up on my eggplant varieties. I know the long thin one is a Japanese eggplant, but the others? Maybe the striped one is a Sicilian eggplant? And I think the little one is a Fairy Tale eggplant?
They’re almost too pretty to eat and the good news is that they can sit on your counter for a day or two (as long as it’s cool) and just be decorative. Refrigerating eggplant is always a gamble because they start to pit and turn brown pretty quickly. So as I said at https://grassfedcow.com/ingredient/eggplant/, eggplant in the box should mean eggplant on the menu right away.
When we get big dark skinned Italian eggplants, my default (when I’m short on time) is to just roast them for babaganoush. But these smaller eggplants call for different treatment. I think you could steam all of them together (if they were cut into similar size pieces) and make this Chinese-style steamed eggplant we published five years ago.
But I’ve got an 8-ounce container of Mary Rigdon’s Decimal Place feta in my refrigerator and I think this sautéed eggplant is on the menu for tomorrow night.
Moroccan Eggplant
I also like this idea – don’t remember where it came from – that combines eggplant with peaches. Yum. Don’t let the long ingredient list stop you from trying – it’s mostly for the vinaigrette.
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 cloves garlic, minced
About 1 pound or so of eggplant
2 peaches
8 ounces halloumi
3 tablespoons roughly chopped almonds
Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, honey, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, salt and cayenne until well combined. Stir in cilantro and garlic. Set aside.
Trim eggplant and slice lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick planks. Halve and pit peaches; slice each half into 3 wedges. Slice cheese into four 1/2-inch-thick planks. Brush eggplant, fruit and cheese generously with dressing. Grill eggplant and fruit on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until eggplant is cooked through and fruit has grill marks. Grill cheese 2 minutes per side. Arrange eggplant, fruit and cheese on a platter. Garnish with almonds and cilantro. Cube cheese before serving.