Sometimes keeping it simple works ...

So two weeks ago or so - I ended up at the farmers market that sets up every week next to my office. The pickings were diverse and I started out with the following tomatoes (don't the look absolutely delicious?)





I stared at them, and frankly scoured the internet to possible new recipes to try or twist up - but I kept coming back to the how good they looked as is. All the recipes I found were either too convoluted, or frankly - too much work given the hotness of the weather the last two weeks. And so I asked my stomach what it really enjoyed with tomatoes and of course I ended up making things I like eating over three days. Relatively simple, delicious and won't work up a sweat by cranking on the burner or oven.

First up was a splendid caprese salad, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, lots of basil and a balsamic vinaigrette drizzled over top with a bit of extra virgin olive oil to top it. I solely used the heirlooms ...



Next up was, of course bruschetta. Dived roma's, heirlooms, basil, salt, pepper and of course a bit of the balsamic vinaigrette served atop toasted (w/extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper) crusty bread ...



And lastly - my epitome of summer salads. Spicy tomato, avocado, roasted corn salad. I used a sampling of all the tomatoes I bought including heirlooms, roma, cherry, grape, yellow and field tomatoes with large chunks of avocado, lots of jalapenos, roasted corn, ample cilantro and a tangy lemon, cider vinegar dressing.



Simple, but I thoroughly enjoyed every bite over three nights ...

asianized enchiladas

remember when i said i wasn't that hot for mexican or latin american food some time ago? the stuff's grown on me. i like it a lot now. i think the combination of rice and beans is almost genius. my long weekend in PR last week solidified that cheese melted over meat topped with salsa is damn good.

be con's challenge of something rolled made me wrack my brain for something latin amercan. enchiladas seemed easy enough and definitely good enough that i could have it for leftover during the week. my spin was to use japanese eggplant for the filling. weird combo, i know but when i was at the asian market they looked so appetizing, i couldn't resist buying them.

i was quite happy with the end result. it was different. i didn't pay much attention to what i used and how much so. sorry! i chopped up the eggplant into bite size pieces. sauteed with chopped onions until soft. i used taco mix and dumped a can of green chili peppers for the added spice. alright, filling done. i had flour tortilla hanging out so i wrapped up the eggplant filling and lined them in a casserole dish, poured enchilada sauce over it and topped with cheese. baked in the oven at 350 til cheese is melted. done. i paired my asian enchilada with avocado. yuuuuuuum.

til next time,
Angry Asian

individual moussaka

greek food is hit or miss for me. i am particularly partial to moussaka because it reminds me of lasagna. i kept it real simple, made it in individual ramekins and topped with a bechamele sauce.



Moussaka

thinly slice up an eggplant (i used a chinese eggplant)
1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1/2 cup of milk (i used buttermilk because that's what i had)
tomato/spaghettie sauce (i had some leftover with meat)



for the bechamele sauce, i melted the butter in a sauce pan, added the flour and stirred till incorporated. add the milk (or buttermilk) and stir till thickened. salt and pepper to taste.

assemble in layers, first with the eggplant, the tomato sauce and then another layer of eggplant. top it all off with the bechamele sauce. if i had had bread crumbs available, i would've added that to the top but i didn't, so i sprinkled some oats. bake in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes.



watch that growing ass and stay warm!

I wish it were warmer ...

It's been snowing, it won't stop snowing up here in Boston, it's awful! This doesn't warm you up, but it at least reminds you of sitting on outside on a warm day and enjoying a refreshing [deconstructed] salad.

Lump crab napoleon with pesto vinaigrette and herb goat cheese:

- handful of grape tomatoes (or vine ripe/heirloom if you can find some)
- basil, lots of basil
- lump crab (maryland blue crab is best, again if you can find some)
- your favorite herb goat cheese
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- extra virgin olive oil
- white vinegar
- 1 tbsp maille mustard
- parmesan cheese
- salt & pepper
- honey

Coarsely chop a handful of grape tomatoes with 3 basil leaves, add a bit of salt, put into a round form and pop into the fridge while preparing the rest. Add about 20-25 basil leaves into a blender, add in olive oil, vinegar, honey, 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, mustard and about 3 grape tomatoes. Blend well. Remove the tomato form from fridge, place onto a plate, top with lump crap and sliced avocado. Add as much pesto vinaigrette surrounding the tomatoes as you prefer, crumble goat cheese.

Start the day off right!

Who doesn't love breakfast?

This month's challenge, I wanted to make a complete breakfast of delicious things I've tried in the past or things I've seen recently that I wanted to put a twist on. On the breakfast/brunch menu:

- Potato galette (not pastry kind)
- Spicy roasted pepper & prosciutto piperade omelette
- Peas and bacon
- Roasted garlic tomatoes

Potato galette:
- [Very] thinly sliced white/yukon gold potato
- Cheddar cheese
- Light cream
- Salt & pepper

In a bake proof frying pan (or bake-ware you can skip the fry part), line the pan with one layer of the potatoes. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Top with another layer of potatoes and repeat. Complete with three layers. Place on stove top and fry on medium heat for about 7-8 mins, this will set the galette. Pour 1/3 cup light creme over top and add a bit more cheddar cheese. Place into 375 oven for 15 mins.



Spicy roasted pepper & prosciutto piperade omelette:
- Thinly sliced onions
- Thinly sliced mushrooms
- Prosciutto
- Roasted red pepper (coarsely chopped)
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 clove garlic

A piperade is a sautee mixture of peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. I omitted the tomatoes in my recipe since I was going to be pairing roasted tomatoes. Crack three eggs and whisk with pepper and finely chopped jalapeno & garlic. Quickly saute onions, mushrooms in some olive oil, add in roasted red peppers as onions are almost complete. Add in beaten egg mixture (set burner to med-low). Allow omelette to set for a few minutes and then layer the slices of prosciutto on top of the omelette. Place the pan under a broiler for 3-4 mins.

Peas and bacon:
- 3 slices of bacon
- 1/2 cup sliced onion
- 1 package of frozen (or fresh) peas

Cut bacon into small pieces, and saute until brown. Add in onions and then peas.



Garlic roasted tomatoes:
- Sliced tomatoes
- Crush garlic
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive oil

place sliced tomatoes in a bake-safe dish, top with salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. Bake for 15 mins at 375.