Vegan Yum Yum (19 page)

Eggplant and Basil Stuffed Tomatoes

Makes 6 servings as an appetizer or side

step 1
With the tip of a small paring knife, cut a cone out of the top of the tomatoes, removing the stem. Carefully remove a bit more of the inside until you see the seeds. Using a knife, spoon, or your fingers remove the seeds until you have an empty cavity. Drain them upside down on a paper towel until they're ready to stuff.

step 2
Preheat the oven to 400 ºF.

step 3
Toss the eggplant, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a large bowl.

step 4
Heat a large skillet or wok to high heat. Add the eggplant and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is very soft, no longer cubelike, and browned. It should be sort of sticky and mushy and much reduced in volume, which can take 10 minutes or longer.

step 5
Toast the bread, cube it, and then add it to the eggplant along with the basil. Toss until well combined and turn off the heat.

Ingredients

6 ripe tomatoes, cored and drained
(see instructions)

8 cups eggplant
(2 medium eggplants)
, unpeeled and cubed about the size of playing dice

1 teaspoon salt

Black pepper, to taste

cup olive oil
(use up to 2 more tablespoons if needed)

4 slices bread, toasted and cubed
(white or your favorite)

½ cup basil, chiffonade
(stack leaves, roll, and slice into thin strips)

2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar for balsamic reduction, if desired
(see instructions on next page)

step 6
Place the tomatoes in a baking dish that has been lightly coated with oil. Fill them completely full of stuffing, so that it's overflowing out of the tomatoes. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the stuffing is browned on top and the tomatoes are tender. Drizzle with balsamic reduction if desired. Serve.

How to Make a Balsamic Reduction:

step 1
Heat ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Don't stand right over the pan, because once it heats up, it will release vinegar fumes that are not fun to inhale.

step 2
Simmer this over medium heat until it has the consistency of syrup. (It takes me about 5 minutes to go from stone-cold pan to syrupy reduction.) You'll want to reduce it by half, so in the end you'll have only 2 tablespoons.

step 3
Use a rubber spatula to stir the vinegar. This will help you stir it once it starts to thicken, and you'll be able to see it getting syrupy because it'll start to coat the spatula. Don't overcook it, keeping in mind that it will thicken a little more once it has cooled down.

step 4
If you think it might be done, or close to done, take it off the heat immediately, place a little on a spoon, blow on it to cool it well, and taste it. It should be syrupy, sweet, tangy, and a little caramelized. You can always put it back on the heat to cook it more, but you can't really fix it if you overcook it. You can tell you're overcooking it if it starts to bubble up like sugar (really big, excited bubbles with an increase in volume). That's not what you want!

step 5
If it doesn't taste burned, but becomes too thick after it cools, try adding a little bit of water. That should loosen it up and get you back in business.

Miniature Napoleons with Eggplant Crème

W
hen I lay awake at night, trying to sleep, I create recipes in my head. I usually start with a single ingredient and turn it over in my mind until something clicks. One night, I was contemplating the culinary fate of the two eggplants in my fridge and ruminating about how difficult eggplants can be in general. Undercooked eggplants usually have a “green” and a tough texture. When eggplant is good, it's so darn good, and when it's not, I personally find it gross. One of my memories from college is when my geology professor turned to me and remarked that you can judge the quality of a restaurant by the quality of its eggplant dishes. (Yes, I managed to talk food even with a geology professor.) Whether or not that's true, it speaks to what might be a common sentiment: eggplant can be a real pain!

So there I was, thinking about eggplants, and it hit me: eggplant mousse! (You'll notice I'm not calling it “mousse” in the recipe. After talking about the idea with several friends and seeing them wince at the term “eggplant mousse,” I decided that it wasn't testing well and I'd have to change the name.) But just imagine eggplant, cubed and stir-fried until soft and golden, then blended with cashews and herbs until a rich, creamy, yet light spread forms. It's exquisite! And a lot tastier than “eggplant mousse” makes it sound.

Feeling the need to make something on the approachable side of fancy, as well as my ever-present obsession with teeny, tiny food, I decided to make napoleons that would pair well with the cremini mushroom (baby portobello) caps I had. You can easily make these on a larger scale with full-sized portobello mushrooms, but the tininess of the napoleons is a real draw for me. But I digress. To the recipe!

If you roast up more veggies than you need, you'll have an easier time matching diameters, and you'll have leftovers for a really tasty grilled veggie sandwich the next day. Did I mention the eggplant makes a great sandwich spread and filling for ravioli?

Miniature Napoleons with Eggplant Crème

Makes 12 miniature napoleons with leftover crème

step 1
Preheat the oven to 300 ºF.

step 2
Place the sliced tomatoes and zucchini on a baking sheet; I use a baking mat, similar to a Silpat, but foil or parchment will work too.

step 3
Spray the vegetables with oil to coat (or brush with oil if you don't have the spray stuff). Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried Italian herbs. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the veggies look dehydrated and smaller.

step 4
Place the mushrooms on the same baking sheet, upside down. Fill the centers with a little tamari, no more than ½ to 1 teaspoon. They'll look like this:

Ingredients

Special Equipment Needed:

Piping bag
(the type used for cake decorating)
or a 1-quart plastic bag

Roasted Vegetables:

3 to 4 plum tomatoes, sliced thick
(at least 12 slices, between ¼ inch and ½ inch)

1 zucchini, sliced thick
(at least 12 slices)

Cooking oil spray

Salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Dried Italian herbs
(your choice; I use a mix of marjoram, basil, oregano, and rosemary)

12 cremini mushroom caps, de-stemmed and brushed clean

Tamari or soy sauce, to taste

Eggplant Crème:

2 eggplants

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more if needed

½ teaspoon salt

cup raw, unsalted cashews

1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
(your choice; I like basil, marjoram, oregano, and rosemary)

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
(optional)

Garnish:

Roasted tomato

Fresh basil
(at least one leaf per napoleon)

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 to 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar