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Pan-Fried Aubergine Salad

2 Feb

Aubergine, or eggplant, is a popular item in the Middle East. Alone, it has a bland flavor, however, it is the perfect base to add flavor and spice. This recipe results in a salad that is not the typical baba ghannouj, particularly since it is not pureed.  The cubanelle peppers add a lil kick of spice, although you can also add crushed red pepper for additional heat.

PAN-FRIED AUBERGINE SALAD

1 Medium sized Aubergine (or eggplant)
1 tbsp Salt
2 Cubanelle Peppers, diced
1 tbsp Chopped Parsley
2 Cloves of Garlic
½ tsp Ground cumin
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
Salt to taste

(1) Cut the aubergine in half and into long thin slices. Toss with 1 tbsp salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Pat each slice dry with paper towel to remove excess salt.
(2) Heat a few tsp of olive oil in a small frying pan. Once heated, add aubergine slices, a few at a time being careful to not crowd the pan. Brown each side of aubergine until tender and remove.
(3) Repeat until all of the aubergine has been browned, adding additional oil as necessary. Pat excess oil with a paper towel.
(4) Once cooled, cut aubergine into small pieces.
(5) Press the garlic into a small bowl. Add cumin and mix to create a pulp.
(6) Heat a very small amount of olive oil in the same frying pan. Add the garlic pulp and stir quickly. Be careful to not burn the garlic, as it will cook quickly.
(7) Toss diced aubergine, cubanelle pepper, and parsley with the garlic pulp.
(8) Add lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve warm or cool.

Tabbouli

28 Jan

Nothing frustrates me more than seeing tabbouli being sold at grocery stores where the ratio of wheat germ to parsley is off. Tabbouli is suppossed to be green with wheat germ specks throughout, not the other way around.  Below is my version of tabbouli that can be catered to your own personal tastes by fiddling with the amounts of lemon juice, salt and olive oil.

Tabbouli
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

1 Head of curly parsley
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 English Cucumber
1/2 Red onion
1/4 cup wheat germ (also called bulgur)
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1. Place dry wheat germ into a coffee mug. Cover the wheat germ entirely with boiling water. The wheat germ will absorb the water and expand while you prepare the other ingredients. Set aside.
2. In small batches, chop the parsley into very small pieces. If you are not good with a knife, use a food processor or chopper. Be careful to only use the pulse function, otherwise the parsley will turn to liquid in the processor.
3. Dice the tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion in to very small pieces.
4. Remove excess water from wheat germ. Be careful, often there is trapped heat in the wheat germ.
5. In a large bowl, combine chopped parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and wheat germ.
6. Take turns adding a little bit of olive oil, salt and lemon juice to the bowl. You can always add more to taste. Add a small amount of fresh ground black pepper prior to serving.

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