Three Things

Crispy Eggplant with Basil, Leftover Inspo, a Gripping Audiobook

Greetings eaters and readers! We have returned from vacation, well-rested, well-fed, and, well, back to the grind. Here are Three Things I think you’d like to know this week.

1. Crispy Eggplant with Romesco and Basil

My children would disagree with this statement but you’re looking at one of the best things I ate last week on vacation that did not include corn or tomatoes. It’s crispy fried eggplant with Romesco sauce and shredded basil and even though I couldn’t get the girls on board, I locked in Andy whose most enthusiastic endorsement of eggplant in the past had been “I mean, I’d eat it if someone served it to me.” I don’t know if it was the eggplant (local, skinny, Japanese) or the technique (coating in corn starch and, uh, frying), but the result was the most crisp-tender eggplant I’ve ever made. I served it on Romesco sauce, which I’ve recently discovered as a great recipe to have in the arsenal (indulgent-feeling while being gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan) but Andy noted that the eggplant was tasty enough to stand on its own without the sauce. I might try the eggplant for dinner tonight with just plain yogurt over rice and maybe cashews and cilantro.

Romesco Sauce
Romesco is a Spanish sauce that traditionally includes charred tomatoes, red peppers, almonds, garlic and bread as a thickener. This is a shortcut pepper-forward version. P.S. This recipe also lives on Dinner: A Love Story.

1 (12-ounce) jar roasted sweet red peppers, completely drained
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup blanched sliced almonds
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Process all the ingredients in a blender until smooth and emulsified. You want it to be slightly thick so it’s spreadable on a plate.

Crispy Eggplant with Basil
3 skinny Japanese eggplant, cut into chunks as shown
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon paprika
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
3 basil leaves, sliced into ribbons

Spread out eggplant in a strainer as much as possible and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 15 minutes. (This helps sweat out a little bitterness.) Rinse with cold water. Add cornstarch, paprika, and more salt and pepper to a zip-top bag. Add eggplant (it’s ok if eggplant is still slightly wet) and shake gently so all pieces are slightly coated.

Add oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Using a slotted spoon, scoop eggplant out of bag and on to skillet, making sure not to crowd the pan. (Do it in batches if your skillet is small.) Try to arrange the pieces so that they are flesh-side down. Let sit about 2 to 3 minutes, then toss again, allowing other sides to get crispy. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once all eggplant is fried and crispy, add on top of Romesco (if using) and top with basil.

2. When leftovers beat the original

I had such grand plans for my risotto last week. The idea was to make corn-and-tomato risotto, using fresh corn stock (naked cobs simmered with an onion and bay leaf for one hour) and pureed heirloom tomatoes. Add a little butter and basil in there and it seems like a surefire winner, right? Well I’m not going to say it was bad — it most certainly was not. But it failed the I-Want-To-Tell-Everybody-About-This test which, you’ll be pleased to know, is how I determine what makes the cut for this newsletter. I’ll tell you what did pass the test, though: Taking leftover risotto and frying it in olive oil over medium-high heat. I kind of pressed it down like a misshapen pancake, and broke it into parts, letting it stay clumpy, which made things easier to flip. But the whole thing took about 4 minutes and the crispy result added such an addictive texture to my boring old salad that now I plan to make risotto with the express purpose of using its leftovers.

P.S. I now feel the need to bring up my favorite Calvin Trillin quote: “The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers.The original meal has never been found.”

3. How to make the road trip go faster

Anyone who knows my mantra (“Why have fun when you can be safe”) would laugh to hear me recommend Campfire Stories, the audio series from Steven Rinella, host of the hugely popular Netflix series MeatEater. It’s a collection of stories from people who have survived near-death experiences in the wilderness, and though it’s gripping and scary and hard to stomach at times, I think what made it manageable was knowing that they all ended up ok. And it made our 13-hour road trip home from vacation go just a little bit quicker.

P.S. The official stack

Most of these books have been mentioned in the past few weeks, but I wanted to put them all in one place as the official vacation reading haul. I could only show the spine of Empire of Pain because the family copy has been beaten and battered, left overnight outside exposed to the South Carolina sun, and we all fought over who got to read it next. I was third in line (currently reading it) and while I waited, I tore through Klara and the Sun, which was equal parts creepy and fantastical, just what you’d expect from Never Let Me Go Author Ishiguro. Not shown: Emperor of All Maladies. (Thanks again for all the suggestions.)

One last thing: My book, The Weekday Vegetarians, is going to be published in three short weeks and just made the “Short List: What’s New, Novel and Nice” in Parents Magazine. Hooray! You can pre-order here.

Have a great week.

Jenny