Black-Eyed Pea & Bacon Eggs Benedict / Eggplant with Tomato, Garlic & Mint / 14 Christmas Breads

Blog Post & Recipe: Good Luck Benedicts

As it happens, black-eyed peas and bacon make for a really good eggs benedict.

Blog Post & Recipe: Eggplant with Tomato, Garlic and Mint

A lot of fresh mint muddled with garlic, pepper and coriander… a handsome eggplant, (try to get one with less seeds)… and a few minutes in the pan, results in a delectable side dish or to have in a wrap or sandwich or even on pasta.

Blog Post & Recipes: Bread Baking Day # 45 Round up - la raccolta

I have been hosting the last edition of 2011 Bread Baking Day, a special Christmas Edition with Special Baking Presents as theme of the month.

Recipes in English: A Tale of Two Stollen ... Blueberry Sourdough Focaccia ... Char Siu Bao ... Salted Caramel Apple Sourdough Challah ... Bolo Rainha ... Garlic Herb Braid ... Candy Cane Bread Sticks ... Irish Good Luck Bread ... Chrismassy almond cloud ... Saffron Stars ... Marzipan Stollen ... Pandoro ... Pandolce genovese ... Nadalin

Mulligatawny / Butternut Pumpkin & Black Bean Enchiladas / Curried Eggplant Soup

Blog Post & Recipe: Mulligatawny Reboot

Meet my favorite chicken soup in the entire world.

Blog Post & Recipe: Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

I can’t begin to explain how delicious they are. I mean, sweet butternut squash with spicy enchilada sauce? That doesn’t even sound good! But they are amazing!

Blog Post & Recipe: Recipe: Curried Eggplant Soup...Eat.Live.Be

It's sweet and spicy and has a lot of staying power due to the white beans that are pureed into it and all the fiber from the eggplant and apple that are mixed in there as well. (Yes, there's an apple in it. Trust me. It's a good move.)

Cook Perfect Beef Wellington / Albóndigas Soup / 8 Braises

Blog Post & Recipe: How to cook perfect beef wellington

Simon and Lindsey observe in the preface to their beef wellington recipe that "the whole point of cooking meat in pastry is to keep in the juices ... but if the pastry is good and thin, buttery and rich, nothing is nicer than a meat-soaked crust".

Blog Post & Recipe: i just flipped that

Loaded with vegetables and a good amount of spice, I couldn’t wait for it to finish cooking. The meatballs are made with beef and pork, but the book says there are some variations depending on region. You could use chicken instead of beef, and some meatballs are wrapped around a pitted green olive.

Recipe: albóndigas soup

Blog Post & Recipes: Fork-Tender Dinners: 8 Braises to Fill Your Belly

Give it some low heat and an afternoon to baste in its own juices, and food takes on never before seen levels of flavor and tenderness.

Star Anise and Ginger Braised Chicken ... Dijon-Braised Brussels Sprouts ... Braised Lebanese Eggplant with Chickpeas ... Spice-Braised Lamb Shanks with Lentils ... Short Ribs Braised in Coffee Ancho Chile Sauce ... Braised Celery with Crunchy Bread Crumb Topping ... Apple Cider Braised Brisket ... Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots .

Related: Food Science: Why Tougher Meats Make Good Braises

Baigan Bharta (Punjabi Eggplant Curry) / White Bean & Red Curry Soup in Coconut Milk / Roasted Lemon Chutney

Blog Post & Recipe: Baigan Bharta (Punjabi Eggplant Curry): Virtue Out of Necessity

The recipe below – baigan bhartha – makes use of eggplant’s previously unappreciated attribute of being able to bind a sauce. Like its nightshade cousin the tomato, eggplant seems as comfortable in this role as any other we’ve tried with it. The smoky flavor gained through roasting is quite startling

Blog Post & Recipe: White Bean and Red Curry Soup in Coconut Milk - An MLLA Guest Post from Courtney of Coco Cooks

To achieve the creaminess I adore in chowders and bisques, I knew there would be coconut milk as a base. I then got to thinking of my beloved Thai soups and decided red curry would add the heat. The richness and fullness would come from white cannellini beans pureed to give structure. And the finish, influenced by the Thai culture again, would be squirt of lime and cilantro finished with drops of red chili oil.

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Lemon Chutney Recipe

I slathered the chutney on thick slabs of toasted bread with a good amount of whipped goat cheese - that's what you see in the photos. But really, there are so many other things you can do with it. A couple ideas: a dollop stirred into brown rice, chopped sauteed spinach, topped with a fried/poached egg and a touch of soy sauce. Or incorporated into a hot pasta bowl. Or, inside a savory crepe. Or, tossed with hot roasted potatoes, or baked potatoes. You get the idea.

Eggplant Parmesan Sliders / Mussel Conchiglie / How to Cook Perfect Welsh Rarebit

Blog Post & Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan Sliders

Top off the patties with homemade tomato sauce and a slice of fresh, melted mozzarella

Blog Post & Recipe: Mussel Conchiglie

Despite the cream, it tastes light and fresh but luxurious too. The shells are very good at scooping up the sauce and hiding mussels within them. Of course I had to put my own spin on it and add some lemon zest for some citrus flavour that I find essential with seafood.

Blog Post & Recipe: How to cook perfect welsh rarebit

Most rarebit recipes, with the exception of Nigel Slater's quick version, loosen the cheese with a liquid: milk or ale, in Jane Grigson's version; cider for Cheese Society; port for Mrs Beeton; or stout, which comes with the weighty recommendations of both Mark Hix and the Bareham / Hopkinson team.

Caribbean Bean Puree / Chicken in Beer / Smoky Eggplant & Lamb Pide

Blog Post & Recipe: Caribbean Bean Puree

The ingredient list for this recipe may seem a little strange. Black beans and bananas? You are just going to have to trust me on this one.

Recipe: Chicken in beer

Takes about 2 hours to prepare, but well worth it. The flavors are deep and substantial. I added more carrots than the original recipe called for, but I like eating them – they were saturated and drenched in the cooking juices.

Blog Post & Recipe: Smoky Aubergine and Lamb Pide

Pide are rather similar to lamacun* and are apparently sold on every street corner in their homeland. I topped mine with aubergine (which I blackened on the gas hob before scooping out the smoky flesh); lamb, minced; spices like coriander, cumin and cinnamon; onion, garlic and a little tomato.

Peppers, Chillies & Calf’s Liver / Sour Noodles / Baba Ghanoush Soup

Recipe: Peppers, Chillies and Calf’s Liver

An easy stir fry of calf’s liver, red bell pepper, leeks, shallots and chillies.

Blog Post & Recipe: Sour Noodles

I set out to make a sour noodle after having a crazy sour broth at a Thai place last week. I dressed these noodles with a bunch of lime and a little sriracha and they came out sour and delicious.

Blog Post & Recipe: baba ghanoush soup + abundance

I love super garlicky baba ghanoush. It’s so flavourful and easy to make at home. This soup is no different. You kind of just roast everything off, combine the veg with some liquid and let it rip in the blender/food processor.

Gaji Bokkeum (Stir-fried Eggplants) / Battered Fish / Parsnip & Cocoa Nib Cake

Recipe: Gaji Bokkeum (Stir-fried Eggplants)

Here, the eggplants are stir fried with simple seasonings, and the gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) adds a nice kick to the tender eggplants.

Article & Recipe: How to cook perfect battered fish

I rapidly graduated to the haddock, when it dawned on me that, with fish and chips, the fish, if fresh and well-cooked, is largely irrelevant, a mere supporting actor to the star of the show, its crispy coating.

Blog Post & Recipe: Parsnip and cocoa nib cake

To further feed the cliche, creating cake of a parsnip inclination turns out to be as simple as taking your favourite banana bread or cake recipe and substituting an equal amount of mashed parsnip for the banana component.

The Easiest Way to Poach an Egg / Eggplant Involtini / Tamales Filled with Carnitas in Pipian Sauce

Blog Post & Recipe: the easiest way to poach an egg + 8 reasons to eat eggs for breakfast

I find adding a generous slug of white vinegar to the poaching water – we’re talking a good 3-4 tablespoons, is all you need to get good looking poached eggs, every time.

Blog Post & Recipe: Eggplant Involtini

The eggplant are cut into 1/2-inch slices and broiled briefly to tenderize them. Then the slices are rolled up and around a simple mixture of breadcrumbs, garlic, balsamic vinegar, mozzarella, basil, oregano, red pepper and diced tomatoes (pine nuts too, but I omitted them). Once assembled, you pop the eggplant rolls into the oven to heat them through and melt the cheese.

Blog Post & Recipe: GCC: Tamales filled with Carnitas in Pipian Sauce [ via ]

But, you can certainly accomplish this dish all by yourself. With a bit of planning and breaking the instructions into manageable parts, it is totally doable. Give yourself 2 days for this one. Gather the ingredients and cook the filling on day 1, and then prepare and cook the tamales on day 2.

Barbounofassoula (Stewed Borlotti Beans) / Skillet Eggplant & Lentils with Almond Parmesan / Perfect Pan-Roasted Chicken Thighs

Blog Post & Recipe: Fassolia Ηantres Giahni or Barbounofassoula (Stewed Borlotti Beans)

This is one of the dishes I enjoy as they are delicious, with a meatier texture than common beans and a good source of protein and fibre

Blog Post & Recipe: Skillet Eggplant and Lentils with Almond Parmesan

To make Almond Parmesan, process 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and 1/3 cup whole raw almonds in a blender or food processor until crumbly. Store in refrigerator.

Blog Post & Recipe: perfect pan-roasted chicken thighs

Despite it’s simple ingredient list- salt, pepper and a bit of vegetable oil, it’s really about technique and searing the skin to get really crispy results. Did I mention that it only takes 35 minutes?

Roast Eggplant with Tomatoes & Mint / 2 Beetroot Soups / Quick Preserved Lemons /

Blog Post & Recipe: roasted eggplant with tomatoes and mint

This is like eggplant bruschetta, except the eggplant is the bruschetta, topped with a Mediterranean summer salsa of a salad.

Blog Post & Recipes: Rich Beet Soup

The winner? The beauty alone of these soups make them worth a try. However, the wonderful earthiness of the Roman recipe can’t quite beat out the overall winning qualities of the modern dish.

Roman-style Beet Soup Recipe ... Modern Beet Soup Recipe

Blog Post & Recipe: Quick Preserved Lemons

So I was pretty thrilled to find out that it's possible to cheat and do a quick preserve. You just chop up some lemons, let them sit in salt and sugar for a couple hours and voilà... they're good to go.

Beetroot Cake / Braised Duck with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy / 10 Ideas for Eggplant

Blog Post & Recipe: Beetroot Cake Recipe

I was a little concerned about the extra baking powder combined with self raising flour. However the cake is quite dense and needs the extra raising agent.

Blog Post & Recipe: Braised duck with mashed potatoes and gravy

After the very fruity duck breast fillet with pineapple, orange and ginger sauce, this second dish is French inspired as it uses the trifecta of vegetables that many French dishes start with — onion, celery and carrot. The duck is seared in a pan but finishes braising inside the oven. The pan juices are used to make the gravy.

Recipes: In Season Now: 10 Ideas for Eggplant

Braised Eggplant and Tomatoes ... Ratatouille ... Rigatoni with Eggplant and Pine Nut Crunch ... Roasted Eggplant Caviar ... Eggplant Gratin ... Eggplant Wraps with Goat Cheese ... Stuffed Baby Eggplants with Lamb ... Ajvar: This roasted pepper and eggplant spread works spread on sandwiches or as dip ... Baba Ghanoush ... Grilled Eggplant with Lebneh

Related: Learning to Love Eggplant: How to Pick 'Em, Cook 'Em, and Eat 'Em

Cuisses de Grenouilles (Crispy Frogs’ Legs) / Sourdough Mint Paratha / 8 Vegetable Recipes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Blog Post & Recipe: Cuisses de Grenouilles or Light and Crispy Frogs’ Legs

Frogs’ legs do not taste like chicken. If they taste like anything, they taste like the crocodile I had in Nairobi

Blog Post & Recipe: Sourdough Mint Paratha / Indian Mint flatbread using Sourdough [ via ]

For those who do not recognize the title, Parathas are Indian flatbreads. Some are filled and some are just plain layered with ghee or oil. This one is more of a roti family, but is a little thicker than roti and has spices and herbs added to it.

Article & Recipes: Hold the steak: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's vegetable recipes

Sweet potato and peanut gratin ... Chard and new potato curry ... Aubergine and green bean curry ... Cauliflower with sumac and seeds ... Chillies stuffed with beans ... Spicy carrot and chickpea pitta pocket ... Mexican tomato and bean soup ... Roasted new potatoes with harissa

Lamb Burger / Pesto Eggplant Rollatine / Homemade Furikake

Blog Post & Recipe: Lamb Burger | Bifteki Arniou

This dish came about when we were looking for a Greek “hamburger” with the flavors of Cypriot cuisine.

Blog Post & Recipe: Pesto Eggplant Rollatine

Slices of eggplant are brushed with garlic oil, roasted, then filled with a concoction of cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and spinach. Like a little Italian explosion in your mouth.

Blog Post & Recipe: Homemade Furikake |Japanese Rice Seasoning

So what is it exactly? In it’s basic form -the form I’m giving you today- it is toasted sesame seeds, sea salt, nori, bonito flakes** and an optional pinch of sugar ... Furikake: the salt and pepper of Japan.

Baked Grapefruit with Coconutty Crumble / Candied Ginger / Steamed Eggplant

Blog Post & Recipe: Baked grapefruit with coconutty crumble

1 grapefruit, cut in half
2 tablespoons organic unstabilised oats
1 tablespoon organic coconut sugar
1 tablespoon organic coconut oil (not liquid)

Blog Post & Recipe: Candied Ginger Recipe

I goggled candied ginger and Alton Brown's recipe popped up and it was so simple. I went to the Asian Supermarket and stocked up on fresh knobs of ginger.

Recipe: steamed aubergine [ via ]

To me, steamed aubergine sounds horrible but, believe me, this recipe is fantastic. Aubergines are usually fried or roasted, which makes them soak up loads of oil, but steaming means they go really soft and tender so that they're lighter to eat – which means you can eat a lot more!

Dark Chocolate Drizzled Salted Fried Eggplant / Blackberry Ketchup / Dinuguan (Pork Blood Stew)

Blog Post & Recipe: Dark Chocolate Drizzled Salted Fried Eggplant

Eggplant gets fried in shallow oil, no salting ahead of time for these, and then they get sprinkled with a bit of salt once they come out of the hot oil and drizzled with melted dark chocolate.

Blog Post & Recipe: Blackberry Ketchup, Really?

This condiment is much more ketchup than sauce. And it's certainly not jam because it has a big vinegary bite. There is also enough complex spice in it to make it much more compatible with grilled meat than vanilla ice cream.

Blog Post & Recipe: D is for Dinuguan (Pork Blood Stew)

The pig’s stomach, intestines, heart, snout, cheeks, and ears are cut into pieces and are all thrown into the mix together with the pig’s meatier butt and belly. The meat and offal are slowly simmered in vinegar seasoned with salt, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and hot chilies. The pig’s blood is then added to the simmering stew while it is stirred steadily to keep the blood from curdling.

5 Meatless Burgers / 5 Fish Recipes / Zucchini and Spinach Gratin

Blog Post & Recipes: 5 Meatless Burgers to Grill This Weekend

Here are 5 meatless burgers to grill this weekend:

Classic Bean Burger ... Chickpea Burger ... Quinoa Burger ... Baked Eggplant Burger ... Bean Burger

Recipes: Recipes to Help You Conquer Your Fish-Grilling Fears

They all use types of fish that are on the sturdy side—nothing delicate that you'll have to worry about mangling here—and they all include tips to help you achieve seafood success.

Maple-Mustard Grilled Salmon ... Corn-Husk-Wrapped Grilled Halibut with Charred Corn Salsa ... Grilled Blackened Catfish with Creole Mustard Butter ... Grilled Tuna with Cucumber Salad ... Grilled Mackerel with Tomato, Fennel, and Capers

Blog Post & Recipe: Zucchini and Spinach Gratin

To take a break from our usual (almost daily in the summer) way to cook up the zucchini (see mom's summer squash), we prepared a classic French gratin, with grated zucchini, spinach, onions sautéed with bacon, a persillade of parsley and garlic, all bound together with a few eggs, tossed with Parmesan, and baked until golden brown.

How To Roast a Suckling Pig / Herb Soup with Eggplant Bacon / Panko-Coated Eggplant Nuggets

Blog Post & Recipe: How To Roast a Suckling Pig

Every 30 minutes or so we rotated the pig 45 degrees. Slow and even is the mantra. We made sure to pile the coals a little fuller near the front and back of the pig as the shoulders and hams take a little more fuel to cook through than the mid section belly and loin.

Blog Post & Recipe: herb soup w/ eggplant bacon...plus ABC kitchen (manhattan)

Remember that eggplant bacon I wrote about once? I skipped the fake stuff (liquid smoke) and instead brushed my eggplant with smoked paprika, oil and salt before roasting the slivers in the oven. I wasn't expecting them to come out looking anything like bacon, so I had to show you the picture below. How did the eggplant know what I wanted it to become?

Blog Post & Recipe: Crispy panko-coated eggplant nuggets

Although eggplants by themselves are almost impossible to turn crisp without first dehydrating them, with a little magic using very ordinary ingredients, you can transform them into appetizers cum snacks with layers of texture and flavor. Thinly sliced eggplants are dredged in seasoned flour, dipped in beaten eggs, rolled in panko (Japanese bread crumbs) then pan fried.

Concept: eggplant bacon, forsooth.

8 Rice Puddings / Eggplant & Rapini Meatball Subs / Fennel & Walnut Pie

Recipes: Today Is National Rice Pudding Day

Here are some of our favorite rice pudding recipes to make at home.

Double Coconut Rice Pudding
Chamomile Rice Pudding with Tea-Soaked Raisins
Coconut Mango Rice Pudding
Simple Rice Pudding
Miss Ina's Down-Home Rice Pudding
Purple Rice Pudding in Coconut Milk
Tibetan Rice Pudding
Jasmine Rice Pudding

Recipe: Eggplant & Rapini Meatball Subs

This seems like an insane amount of work for what is basically a sandwich but it is worth it, I swear. The meatballs bake for roughly the same time it takes to fry the eggplant so everything is hot, crisp and delicious at the same time.

Blog Post & Recipe: fennel

One was sliced super-thin and tossed with champagne vinegar, though cider vinegar is just as good, and drizzled with a real throat-catcher of an extra virgin olive oil. I wolfed the whole thing down, a hunk of bread chasing the dressing around the plate for lunch. Three more went in to a favourite dish of braised fennel not unlike this version, and the other two went into this rather incredible pie.

fennel and walnut pie

Cantaloupe & Beetroot Juice / Summer Squash & Basil Frittata / Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce

Blog Post & Recipe: Fresh Cantaloupe & Beet Juice

If you think you hate beets, I would definitely encourage you to try this because the sweetness of the melon complements the beet perfectly and gets rid of that "earthy" taste that tends to go along with beets.

Blog Post & Recipe: Summer squash & basil frittata

Grating summer squash renders it simple to incorporate into a variety of recipes, and I often stir sautéed squash into risottos and pasta sauces. The yellow squash in this frittata lends some nutty heft to one of my favorite easy meals, and goat cheese and basil dress it up for brunch or dinner.

Blog Post & Recipe: Aubergines with Buttermilk Sauce

The recipe is rather easy and straightforward, essentially requiring you to roast the aubergines for about 40 minutes until they are soft and bronzed in colour. The aubergines are then left to cool, during which time you can make the buttermilk sauce and extract the seeds from the pomegranate.