Miso-glazed Eggplant

Easy, pretty, delicious!  There's not much more I could want from an eggplant dish.  Thanks to Joy for posting this recipe.

Miso Glazed Eggplant
serves 2

5 small Japanese eggplants
Canola oil
1/4 cup white miso
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoon rice wine
Toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cut off the top of each eggplant and slice in half, lengthwise.  Carefully cut crosshatches into the flesh of the eggplants, but do not cut all the way through.  Place the eggplants skin side down on a baking sheet and brush the tops with some oil.  Bake for about 8 minutes, until the flesh starts to become tender.  Remove the eggplant from the oven and set your oven to broil.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine the miso, sugar, mirin, and rice wine.  Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the sauce begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Top each eggplant liberally with the miso glaze.  Place under the broiler until browned and bubbly, just a few minutes.  

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Eggplant Parmigiana

I saw baby eggplants at Stew Leonard's and decided right there and then that we'd have eggplant parm this week.  There are lots of recipes with various methods and ingredients, but this one stood out.  I didn't have to salt the eggplants before, I got to use my indoor grill plate, and it was baked instead of fried.  Winner!

If I only learned one thing today this would be it: Don't use olive oil for indoor grilling.  The smoke point is pretty low and it set off the smoke alarms.  At least I know they work!

I served this with linguine and grilled asparagus (the actual culprit of the smokiness).  Thanks to No Special Effects for posting this recipe!

Eggplant Parmigiana

• one large, fat eggplant
• olive oil
• a handful (100g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup marinara sauce
• a few sprigs of fresh oregano, leaves chopped
• a handful of dried breadcrumbs

Preheat a grill on high until very hot (can't bear to keep your hand hovering over it for 10 seconds). Remove the stem from the eggplant and slice into 1/2-inch thick slices. Brush each slice on both sides very lightly (I stretched just a teaspoon of olive oil for the whole eggplant) with olive oil. Grill the slices until lightly charred, about a minute or so for each side. Set them aside on a tray.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). In a small ovenproof dish, spread a thin layer of marinara, followed by a thin sprinkling of Parmesan, then one layer of eggplant slices. Repeat building these layers (I was able to make 3 layers), then finish with a little marinara and a good sprinkle of Parmesan. In a small bowl, toss together the breadcrumbs, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and the chopped oregano until combined and sprinkle over the top of the dish. Bake for 30 minutes until golden and crispy on top.

Korean Side Dishes- Spinach and Spicy Cucumber Salad

I love eating Korean food, but since there aren't that many Korean restaurants in the Northeast I've had to make it myself.  It's not as good as what we get in Garden Grove, but it's good enough anytime we need a fix.

Two of my favorite sides are seasoned spinach and spicy cucumber salad.  The spinach works well in bibimbap, and the spicy cucumber salad is more like a cucumber kimchi.  One of my friends got me a Progressive grater set to help me slice the cucumbers and I am forever grateful!  If she lived closer I'd make her Korean food anytime she wanted it. 

Thanks to Jenny Kwak, author of Dok Suni, for the recipe!  Many more to come.

Seasoned Spinach

1 pound fresh spinach

1 tsp Coarse salt

sauce:

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sesame salt

1 tsp crushed garlic

½ tsp minced scallion

1 ½ tsps red pepper sauce

1 ½ tsps vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

1. Prepare spinach by cutting off the roots and separating the leaves
2. In boiling water, dissolve 1 tsp of salt and blanch the spinach for no more than 1 minute.  Turn the spinach over once in the boiling water and strain immediately.  Rinse thoroughly with water.  Keep aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir together all the ingredients for seasoning the spinach.  Then add the spinach and toss with your hands in a massaging motion.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

1 ½ pounds Kirby or Korean Cucumbers

2 tbsps coarse salt

1 ½ tbsps red pepper flakes

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame salt

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp brown sugar

1. Slice cucumber into thin rounds.  Use a food slicer to make it easier.  In a mixing bowl, evenly sprinkle the coarse salt on the cucumber.  Allow it to sit for 20 minutes.  The salt not only helps to season the cucumber but also to absorb the water from the cucumber.
2. Strain the cucumber.  (use a wire strainer, putting a heavy object on the cucumber to press out excessive water.)  After the cucumber has been strained, keep it aside in a mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the red pepper flakes, rice vinegar, sesame salt, garlic, sesame oil, and sugar.  Then combine the dressing with the cucumber and toss, using your hands to mix in the seasonings evenly.  Serive it whenever you like, but keep it chilled.