Roasted Eggplant Soup (V)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!!!


Cooking skills focus: Knife skills, roasting, balancing flavors

Ingredients:
1 onion, cut into large rough chunks
1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled
1 T cooking oil
salt and pepper TT

3 eggplants, cut into large dice (3/4" on a side)
1 onion, cut into large dice
1/2 head garlic, cloves peeled
3 T olive oil
salt and pepper TT

5 C water
(available vegetable trimmings)
1/2# tomatoes, cut into large rough chunks

1 Fuji apple, diced roughly
1 1/2# roma tomatoes, diced roughly
3 T olive oil

3/4# baby red potatoes, cut in quarters
2 T Harissa powder
salt and pepper TT

1/3 bu parsley, chopped finely
1 grapefruit, juiced

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss together the first onion, the first 1/2 head of garlic cloves, the 1 T cooking oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, then set aside.
3. Meanwhile, toss together the eggplants, second onion and 1/2 head garlic with the 3 T olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, then set aside.
4. While that's roasting, start simmering the water in a large pot over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, vegetable trimmings, and roasted onion and garlic and bring to a low boil over medium-high heat for 30 minutes. Strain when done.
5. In a food processor, puree the eggplant with the onion and garlic, and the Fuji apple, tomatoes and last 3 T olive oil. Thin out with stock if necessary. Add to the strained stock, then add the potatoes. Season the soup to taste with harissa powder, salt and pepper at this point. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat and cook until the potatoes are done. Add the grapefruit juice and parsley and taste for seasoning again. Serve.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Roasted Potatoes & Eggplant Salsa

Thank you Maria, for creating this dish with me!



Ingredients:
5 red potatoes, diced large
1 T cooking oil
salt & pepper TT

1 T cooking oil
8 baby eggplants (or 2 Japanese eggplants), diced small
3 tomatillos, diced small
3 serrano chiles, diced small
salt TT
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 bu cilantro, chopped

1 T cooking oil
3 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob
1 bu kale (we used beautiful red kale)
2/3 lb. Portuguese longanisa sausage (or another sausage of your choice), diced or separated into chunks about 1/4" on a side
4 Japanese leeks (or 2 regular leeks, or 2 bunches of green onions), sliced
salt & pepper TT
1/2 bu cilantro, chopped

4 bell peppers, tops and seeds removed
olive oil
salt and pepper TT

Instructions:
[Roast the potatoes]:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the potatoes with the first 1 T cooking oil, salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Set aside. Keep the oven on for the bell peppers.

[Make the salsa]:
2. In a large saute pan, heat the next 1 T cooking oil over high heat. Add the eggplant and allow to brown well for 6-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add the tomatillos and chiles, and cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then add the lemon juice and cilantro, and season with salt to taste. Save the saute pan for the next step.

[Make the bell pepper filling]:
3. Heat the saute pan over medium-high heat and add the last 1 T oil. Add the kale and allow to wilt for 3-4 minutes. Add the corn and sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the leeks and cook another 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Allow to cool and add the cilantro.

[Assemble]:
4. Rub the peppers with a light coating of olive oil and season inside and out with salt & pepper. Stuff with the filling and roast for 8-10 minutes. Serve with the potatoes and eggplant salsa.