I can't post pictures - happens too often with Blogger and it is soooo irritating! I took some cool ones (I think) of family, friends, and food while in EH... Damn! I've been messing around with that all day instead of writing a new post. (That and unpacking, doing laundry, and running errands...) But here I am, arrived home yesterday, safe and sound, absolutely no problem maneuvering through La Guardia. In fact, the only nerve-wracking part of the trip was our cab-ride here from the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, in a barely held-together minivan driven by a kinda crazy Russian, gesticulating at other drivers while yelling stewpid! stewpid! I was very glad to be in the house, drinking a cold glass of water, looking out over the pool, and experiencing that most wonderful of feelings - home, home, it is good to be home. Home!
Last night, an over-easy egg, piece of toast, half-glass of wine, a peach that had seen better days, and into bed. Just like that. Today, after a run to the store, I made egg salad with anchovies (inspired by my brother-in-law Tom, who made the same for us in EH, although here is eating a mound o'guacamole at the beach, mmm...) to have on hand for a quick sandwich or salad with tomatoes. And for dinner tonight, grilled eggplant and polenta, topped with a tomato-anchovy sauce. (Recipes posted in
comments, below.) Light but filling. Hit the spot. After all my not! moderate indulgences in EH, it's time for this girl to depuff, to pare things down, to get back to (delicious!) fruit and veggies. Bit more water, bit (!) less wine. Are you, like I, absolutely starving on the first day back from vacation? As I try to cut back, my body is like some spoiled brat screaming, noooooo! I don't want to! Sigh...
posted by Stephanie @ 9:07 PM
2 Comments:
Grilled Eggplant and Polenta
Stephanie Levy
Serves 4
Polenta:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ small onion, chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
3 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1 c. coarse-ground polenta
1 Tbsp. butter
olive oil for brushing
optional: corn sliced off one cob of fresh sweet corn
Tomato Sauce:
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 pint good, ripe cherry tomatoes, processed until just chunky in a food processor
3-4 anchovy filets, drained and mashed *
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
Eggplant:
1 large eggplant, peeled, sliced ¼”-thick, salted, and set in a colander to drain for 1 hour
olive oil for brushing
Prepare the polenta by heating the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute the onion until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in the polenta, turn heat to low, and simmer slowly until polenta is very thick, about 15 minutes. Stir in the butter and fresh corn, if using, and pour polenta into a greased 9x9 pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce by heating the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and anchovy filets. Turn heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the capers and set aside.
Prepare to grill the polenta and eggplant by preheating the grill. Rinse the salted and drained eggplant slices with water, squeeze the moisture out of each slice, and lay the slices out on a baking sheet. Brush each side lightly with olive oil. Slice the polenta into approximately 3x3-inch squares and transfer to a second baking sheet. Brush each side with olive oil. Grill the eggplant slices first, over medium heat, 5 minutes per side, until very tender and browned. Transfer to a platter and top with tomato sauce. Place in a warm oven while you grill the polenta slices, also over medium heat, until starting to brown a bit, about 6 minutes per side. Serve a few polenta slices topped with eggplant and tomato sauce.
* Use remaining anchovy filets to make Egg Salad with Anchovies or Caesar Salad dressing
Egg Salad with Anchovies
Stephanie Levy
Serves 4
6 whole eggs
2-3 anchovy filets, packed flat in olive oil, drained and chopped *
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 Tbsp. mayo
few grinds of freshly ground black pepper
Hard-cook eggs by placing them in a medium saucepan, covering them with cold water, and placing the pan over high heat. Partially cover the pan and heat until just boiling. Fully cover the pan, remove from heat, and let the eggs sit, in the hot water, for exactly 10 minutes. After ten minutes, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice water to stop their cooking and cool them for handling. When cooled, crack and peel. Cut each egg in half and reserve 4 of the six yolks. * Coarsely chop the whites and put into a medium bowl. In a small bowl, using a fork, mash the chopped anchovies. Add the four reserved yolks and mash them into the anchovies. Stir in the lemon juice, mayo, and few grind of pepper. Fold into the chopped egg whites. Serve on soft bread for sandwiches, as a filling for ripe tomatoes, or on home-made pumpernickel toasts as an appetizer (garnished with a sliver of radish).
* Use the remainder to make Grilled Eggplant and Polenta, or blend into a basic vinaigrette, with the two remaining egg yolks, above, to make a delicious Caesar dressing.
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