Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Cooking in season with Eggplant!

Right now in Louisiana eggplant is in season.  Along with corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, blueberries, peaches, plums, and okra.  In my garden I am growing so many things thanks to my son's curiosity and love for gardening.  One of the more interesting things I have growing is Malabar Spinach.  It likes warm climates and is great in a stir fry.  So below is a video along with the recipe for a great Eggplant stir-fry with Malabar Spinach.  Please note, my son and I are impromptu cooks.  We often just put things together just to see how it will taste.  This is one of those times.  Remember to cook from the heart and don't be afraid to try new things!

Ingredients:
1 medium eggplant, chopped into small cubes
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped ( you can used canned diced w/o liquid if you must)
1 medium bell pepper cut into strips
3 green onion chopped
1 banana pepper chopped or hot pepper for those who love spicy
1/2 cup Malabar Spinach cut into strips,  (mustard greens or kale can substitute)
1 clove garlic
safflower oil

Sauce:
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground corriander
1/4 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp rosemary
dash of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup of soy sauce
3 tbs of water
1/4 tsp corn starch
(you can also add a 1/2 tsp of toasted sesame oil for more flavor)

Method:
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl or cup.  In about 2 tbs of oil sautee' eggplant until transparent.  Set aside.  Add another tablespoon of oil, then sautee' green onion, bell pepper, banana pepper. Add tomato and Malabar spinach and garlic.  Stir-fry until spinach or green has a slight limp.  Add eggplant back to pan and add sauce.  Continue to stir-fry and then cut fire to low, cover and allow the eggplant to absorb the flavors for another 5 minutes.

No comments: