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In my file box for many, many years, I had a recipe for pickled eggplant. I think it came from one of the teachers from the first school my children attended, but I’m not sure. When I was growing up, my mother used to purchase jars of pickled eggplant that she would squeeze the vinegar out of, add olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. We would sandwich the mixture on Italian bread for lunch and perhaps add a few slices of mild sopressata on top of the eggplant; it was different and delicious. With my recent globe of eggplant, I decided to give pickled eggplant a try. Did I mention this is a no cook recipe? Besides eggplant, you’ll need kosher salt, white wine vinegar, fresh garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and basil. I used fresh herbs from my garden.
The eggplant is peeled and sliced like French fries. You can either place in a bowl, or I prefer a colander. You need to layer the eggplant and sprinkled kosher salt over each layer. Next, a dinner plate goes on top and a weighted tea kettle (or a couple of heavy cans) go on the eggplant to drain out the water. This stands on the counter overnight. On the second day, the water is squeezed out. I saw a video online of an Italian nonna using a potato ricer for this purpose; I tried it and it worked beautifully. Rinse the bowl, if using, or get a large bowl to place the squeezed eggplant. Next, you’ll add white wine vinegar and season with fresh garlic cloves, fresh or dried oregano, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, crushed red pepper and fresh or dried basil. This recipe was given to me without measurements, so I guesstimated the amounts based on the pickled eggplant. I used one 16-ounce bottle of white wine vinegar, several large cloves of garlic, a teaspoon of freshly chopped oregano and basil, and 1/8-teaspoon crushed red pepper. Once done, I placed the eggplant in a one-quart mason jar and shook everything up. I let the flavors meld before trying. The pickled eggplant came out perfectly; it transported me back fifty plus years to when I was sitting at our kitchen table in Totowa, NJ eating this with Italian bread and nibbling on sopressata…yum! The peaches this summer have been sweet and juicy. What better way to try them than in a salad. I found a recipe by Lidey Heuck on The New York Times/NYT Cooking page for Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Basil. Both the peaches and arugula came from Dreyers. For the recipe you’ll also need pine nuts, extra-virgin olive oil, champagne or white wine vinegar, kosher salt, black pepper, two sliced ripe peaches, julienned fresh basil leaves and creamy goat cheese. Pine nuts are rather pricey, so I substituted toasted walnuts for crunch. The salad dressing is made of olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper that can made in a measuring cup which makes for easy pouring. The arugula is placed in a large bowl, make sure you have enough room for tossing, and dressed lightly to coat the greens. The sliced peaches, basil, goat cheese and nuts are added and the greens are tossed again. What a light and refreshing summer salad. The peaches were at their peak of ripeness, the champagne vinegar is more delicate and mellower than white wine vinegar and is best in raw applications. To make this a complete meal, you could add some protein to the salad such as grilled chicken or even shrimp. The last salad I prepared was a Roasted Zucchini Pasta Salad also by Kay Chun. For this recipe you’ll need two pound of zucchini, scallions, extra-virgin olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, a short pasta such as medium shells or fusilli, lemon juice, tahini, minced garlic, sunflower seeds, golden raisins, freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. Although I had to purchase a few ingredients for this recipe, I did overlook purchasing the tahini sauce. A quick internet inquiry led me to substitute sunflower butter instead. As it was quite hot last week, I used my barbecue roasting basket to cook the vegetables after they were chopped accordingly and tossed with the olive oil, salt and pepper. While they roasted, I made the dressing with lemon juice, tahini, extra-virgin olive oil, water, salt and pepper. I whisked the ingredients together while I waited for the veggies and pasta to finish cooking. I also held back some of the pasta water in case I needed to thin the dressing. Once the pasta was drained, you added the cooked vegetables, sunflower seeds, raisins and tossed. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper along with the cheese and parsley. I think it best to make the salad ahead so the flavors can marry. Keep refrigerated, but do remember to bring it to room temperature before serving. My, my, my, what a scrumptious pasta salad. The dressing was creamy and clung to the pasta and vegetables which added a lovely flavor. The vegetables were tender and had a nice chew against the pasta. My husband really enjoyed this pasta salad. It was a nice way to incorporate your starch, along with vegetables for a healthy, balanced meal.
Southern Broccoli Salad
By Kay Chun The New York Times/NYT Cooking Total Time: 15 minutes Servings: 8 to 10 Ingredients Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and pepper 8 ounces bacon (any type) 10 cups (1½ pounds) 1- to 1½-inch broccoli florets 1 cup mayonnaise ¼ cup finely chopped red onion 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 cup coarsely grated Cheddar ½ cup golden raisins ½ cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds Preparation
Pickled Eggplant
Source is unknown I’ve been holding onto this recipe for a number of years, so long that I can’t remember who shared the recipe with me. One of my fondest memories is when my mother would go to the pork store on 21st Avenue in Paterson, NJ for soppressata, an Italian cured meat. My mother would purchase Italian bread, fill it with pickled eggplant that was dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper then fill a chunk of Italian bread with the eggplant and slices of either sweet or hot soppressata. Sometimes, we would eat the eggplant as a salad along with the bread. Day 1 – peel eggplant and slice like French fries In a large glass, pottery bowl or colander, layer eggplant and season with kosher salt. Put a dinner plate on top and a weighted tea kettle or 28 ounce an of tomatoes to drain water. Let this stand on the counter overnight. Day 2 – Squeeze water tightly out of eggplant. Rince bowl, put eggplant back into bowl. Cover with wine vinegar. Add spices: fresh garlic cloves, oregano, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, basil . Put eggplant into jars and refrigerate. Note: This recipe was given to me with no ingredient amounts. The eggplant I used was rather large, however, after draining, the quantity reduced down to fill a two-quart jar. I used a 12-ounce bottle of white wine vinegar, a large sliced clove of garlic and eyed-balled the hers and spices. To serve, I remove and squeeze some of the vinegar out of the eggplant, then drizzle olive oil on before eating.
Arugula Salad with Peaches, Goat Cheese and Basil
By Lidey Heuck The New York Times/NYT Cooking Total Time: 10 Minutes Yield 4 Servings Ingredients ¼ cup pine nuts ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar ½teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper 4 to 5ounces baby arugula 2 ripe peaches, pitted and cut into ¼-inch slices (about 10 ounces) ½ cup julienned fresh basil leaves 2 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup), plus more to taste Preparation
Roasted Zucchini Pasta Salad
“Kick Off Summer with These 5 Breezy Make-Ahead Salads,” By Kay Chun The New York Times, May 18, 2023 Total Time: 50 minutes Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Servings: 6 to 8 Ingredients 2 pounds zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced ¼ inch thick (8 cups) 1 cup chopped scallions ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper 1-pound short pasta, such as medium shells or fusilli 3 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons tahini 1tablespoon minced garlic ½ cup roasted sunflower seeds ½ cup golden raisins ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan ½ cup chopped parsley Preparation
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