failed fusion...

Radishes and chocolate. Sounded a little good.

RECIPE: Spiced Ginger Eggplant over Potatoes

Adapted from Food & Wine's Spice-Braised Ginger Eggplant with Mint Yogurt to involve a little less work.

Spiced Ginger Eggplant over Potatoes
45 minutes, serves 4

1 medium eggplant

10 baby potatoes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 jalepeno pepper

1 ginger

salt 

2 tablespoons olive oil

sort of optional:

cumin

2 sprigs of mint

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg F.
2. Boil baby potatoes in large pot until just tender, then remove and slice into rounds about 1/2 inch think.
3. Slice eggplant into equal-thickness rounds.
4. In skillet over medium heat, add olive oil then finely diced garlic and let brown for about 5 minutes. Then add eggplant rounds carefully, letting sizzle until lightly golden on that side. Turn and let other side evenly cook.
5. In casserole dish (I just used a nonstick pie pan.), combine diced tomatoes, diced onions and unseeded jalepeno, 1/4 cup of water, and cumin, salt, chopped mint leaves, and salt to taste.
6. Layer sliced potatoes and eggplant in sauce, using a spoon to pour some of the sauce on top as well.
7. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and let bake in oven for 20-30 minutes.

RECIPE: Apple and Radish Mint Salad

I bought these adorable baby radishes at the Harvard Farmer's Market today (sadly the second-to-last farmer's market of the season), and I knew I wanted to use them in a way that retained their beautiful visual appeal and the satisfying crunch of a tender radish.

Tell me these aren't adorable. You're lying.

So -- a salad! A friend of mine from Hong Kong told me this summer that "white people add fruit to everything to try and make it taste better" while specifically referring to salad. She wasn't surprised when I told her I add fruit to my salad all the time. I am not ashamed. This was a really great dish, and had a great mix of textures between the radish and almonds, and the apples and lime combine for a slightly sweet, tangy flavor finished with the zing of the mint.

Apple and Radish Mint Salad
10 minutes till happiness, serves 1

1 handful of baby radishes, both ends removed

1/2 apple

1 tablespoon sliced raw almonds

1/4 lime

salt

1 sprig of fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon olive oil (optional)

1. Slice the radish into thin rounds and dice the apples into the desired texture and place in bowl.
2. Add tablespoon of raw almonds and finely chopped mint.
3. Add olive oil, squeeze lime juice, and salt lightly to taste. Toss to mix evenly.

RECIPE: Paella Economica

Another summer recipe...oh, the days when I had time to cook.

Easy Paella
40 minutes to an hour, serves 2-3

2 cloves garlic

1/3 onion

1 tomato
1/2 bushel asparagus
2 bell peppers
1 chili pepper
1 can fish (with oil), ex. smoked herring
1.5 cup dry brown rice
water
salt & pepper

optional
celery
canned artichoke hearts
white wine
paprika & saffron/rosemary
lemon

Dice all the veggies. Saute garlic, onion, and celery in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. When the onions start to become translucent, add asparagus, peppers and the diced tomato. Season with paprika, herbs, salt and pepper. Let sizzle lightly for about 5 minutes.
In a separate saucepan, boil water, all the fish juice from the can, and a splash of white wine. The amount of water depends on the amount of rice you're cooking -- follow the directions on the box. If the rice box says 3 cups of water to 1.5 cups of rice, make about 3 cups of this liquid mixture.
Add 2 spoonfuls of unsalted tomato sauce to the vegetable mixture. If you're unsure about tomato sauce generally or if you added a particularly large, juicy tomato, add less.
Add rice to vegetable mixture, mixing to coat evenly. Pour liquid mixture onto rice until it covers the contents of the skillet by about a quarter of an inch. Keep extra liquid on hand.
Cover and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, until rice is almost cooked. If rice looks dry or is crackling at any time, add more liquid.
Add canned fish. (No need to mix, that can happen when serving.) Add artichoke hearts as well if you have them. Continue to simmer until you can't wait any longer or rice is fully cooked. Serve with a quartered lemon.