From farm to table

As I mentioned before, I love farmers' markets. When I first moved to  New York from India, I excitedly planned a visit to the famed Union Square Greenmarket in my first week - only to be crushed to find nothing but a few apples, pears and cut flowers on sale. The month was April, and it dawned on me that the growing season was yet to get underway! Once it did, I delighted in the new tastes it threw up - delicately garlicky ramps, weirdly beautiful romanesco, or fiery manzano peppers, anyone?
The picture above is of some of my wares from this weekend's trip to the farmers' market - so naturally, I had to plan my lunch around the contents of this basket. Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables so it was no surprise that I gravitated towards it. Roasted, grilled, stuffed, braised... I can think of so many ways to enjoy it. For today, though, I settled on pan-fried eggplant with a lentil salad.

I used French green lentils, which hold their shape very well even when fully cooked - but brown ones would be fine too, or chickpeas (which are always great with eggplant). I cooked them with some of the green onions and cherry tomatoes, but you could leave those out, or use whatever vegetable you had on hand - onions, shallots, carrots, leeks, celery would all work well. While the lentils were cooking, I made the dressing, and sliced and salted the eggplant. There seems to be a permanent controversy about whether or not to salt eggplant before cooking, but I always do so. I find it absorbs less oil when cooking, which is always a good thing!
Just for a bit of fun, I built a stack with the eggplant and the lentils, on a bed of greens. I used three slices out of a medium-size eggplant, alternating them with the lentils and a bit of Greek-style yogurt. It made for a tasty, filling and healthy lunch, with all kinds of interesting layers! Fresh, peppery arugula; fried eggplant, crisp on the outside and silken inside; soft, earthy lentils with the crunch of walnuts; and cool mint and yogurt.

And finally, here are some of the fruits of my labor - my first tomato of the season, grown painstakingly from seed. I've been watching eagerly as it went from bud to flower to fruit, slowly fattening itself up on the vine, shiny and green at first, then blushing delicately, before turning into this ripe and juicy summer treat. The serrano pepper plants valiantly fought back a slug attack to produce these - and my curries have had more zing ever since!

Recipe:
Eggplant and lentil stack (Serves 1, but can be scaled up easily)
3 1/2" thick slices from a medium-sized eggplant, salted
2 handfuls french green lentils, rinsed (or other lentils of choice)
1 green onion, halved lengthwise and sliced
7-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbs walnuts, chopped and toasted
1 cup water or vegetable stock
Extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Greek-style yogurt and arugula leaves, to serve
Dressing: 1 1/2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tsp walnut oil, 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, 3-4 mint leaves, chopped fine, 1 tiny clove garlic, mashed to a paste with some salt
Drizzle a pan with olive oil, toss in the green onions, cherry tomatoes and lentils. Saute for a minute, then add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Simmer until the lentils are soft and the liquid is absorbed.
While the lentils are cooking, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. Season to taste, add the warm lentils and the walnuts and toss well. Leave for a few minutes to absorb the dressing, while you pan-fry the eggplant slices in a little olive oil, about 2 minutes on each side.
To serve, pile some arugula (or any other salad green of choice) on a plate. Place a slice of eggplant in the center, top with some of the lentils and a dollop of yogurt. Build a stack with the rest of the eggplant and lentils, scattering the remaining lentils around the plate. Top with a dollop of yogurt and a sprig of mint, and some of the sliced green onion tops, if using.

The taste of summer

August is whizzing by and to this child of the tropics, that can only mean one thing: summer is ending very soon - and with it, the wonderful variety in produce. I simply love the flavours of summer. Growing up as a child in India, that used to mean holidays from school featuring countless treats cooked up by my mother, and a plethora of tropical fruit - juicy mangoes, silken sapodilla, cool mangosteen. Here in the US, I no longer have access to those delights, but I thoroughly enjoy shopping at farmers' markets to make the most of summer's bounty.

A friend who visited yesterday brought me some just-picked cherry tomatoes from her garden. Though I had initially planned on a saintly(!) salad for my lunch today, those tomatoes were so delicious that I felt they deserved a better showcase. The basil in my garden called out to me, and I decided that it would have to be a tomato-basil tart. There is something about the combination of tomatoes and basil that makes my tastebuds sing a summer song!

   

I roasted the cherry tomatoes to concentrate their flavour, with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and some of the fresh mint that was given to me with them. While they were roasting, I made the pastry for the base of the tart. I used Delia Smith's Quick and Easy Flaky Pastry, made with wholewheat pastry flour instead of regular all-purpose. In the past, I have made a sixth of the recipe (strange fraction, I know) and it turned out just right for one person; this time, I made the full recipe and froze the rest in individual portions. That way I get to make more tarts like this one before summer runs out!

The resulting tart had just the right combination of flavours and textures - crisp flaky pastry, fresh basil, sweet caramelized tomatoes and tangy goat cheese. I made a simple salad of baby arugula and shaved parmesan cheese on the side, and I just couldn't resist pouring myself a glass of chardonnay to go with it. A perfect lunch bursting with the flavours of summer!

Oh, and there is a sweet surprise at the end - this bite-size honey almond galette, made with the scraps of leftover pastry, sliced almonds and a drizzle of honey, cooked in the oven while I was devouring the tomato tart!

Recipes:
Tomato, basil and goat's cheese tart (Serves 1, but can easily be scaled up)
1/6 recipe of Delia's Quick and Easy Flaky pastry, or a 6" circle of ready-rolled puff pastry
Two large fistfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
7-8 large basil leaves
1 oz. fresh goats' cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350F, 180C. Toss the cherry tomatoes with a spoonful of olive oil, some salt and freshly cracked black pepper. I threw in some finely minced garlic and some chopped mint in there as well, but you could leave that out, or use any other herb of choice, or some balsamic vinegar. Spread on a baking sheet and roast till shrunken and caramelized around the edges, around 30 minutes. This can be done ahead - roast up a batch of cherry tomatoes when you have the time, store in the fridge and use in recipes as needed.
Turn up the oven to 400F, 220C. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out to 1/8" thickness. Use a plate or bowl, approximately 6" in diameter, to cut around so that you have a neat circle. Transfer the pastry round to a baking sheet, pop in the oven and bake for 5-6 minutes.
Top the pastry circle with the basil leaves, leaving a 1/4" border around the edge. Then arrange the cherry tomatoes on top of the basil leaves and crumble the goat's cheese over. Top with a basil leaf dipped in olive oil, and return to the oven for 8-9 minutes. Use a timer - or you will end up with burnt pastry!
Enjoy warm or cold.
For the sweet treat, re-roll the scraps of pastry left from cutting the circle out into a circle 1/8" thick. Top with a tablespoon of sliced almonds, leaving a small border all around. Sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg and then drizzle a teaspoonful of honey over the nuts. Working quickly, fold the edges around the nuts to make a small bowl so that the honey doesn't run out. Bake while you are eating the tart, around 7-8 minutes. Cool a bit before eating as the caramelized honey can be very hot and burn the tongue.

About me

I am Maya, an Indian living in the US. I am an architect by profession, and I like to think this makes me more creative in the kitchen as well ;) Food is almost an obsession with me - I love cooking, eating, sampling new cuisines and browsing in ethnic markets for exotic ingredients. I am vegetarian by choice, and this is my first real attempt at sharing my culinary experiments with the world at large. Welcome to my kitchen; I hope you enjoy your visit!