First, I wanted to let you know that my missing watermelon magically appeared on my husband's chair at work. And it was excellent.
Second, I want to rave about a recipe I tried last week. The Grilled Halloumi with Watermelon and Basil-Mint Oil was AWESOME. For those who aren't familiar with Halloumi, it is a salty, firm cheese that can retain its shape when grilled or sauteed. YUM. If there are any Fresh Fork subscribers out there who haven't used their baby yellow watermelon from the most recent pick up, I highly recommend giving this recipe a try. I tweaked it just a bit to enable me to use my heirloom cherry tomatoes (which were not attached to the vine as the recipe specified) and made it the entire meal on the stove instead of the grill. I wish I had taken a picture because it looked gorgeous on the plate. It would be a great dish to serve a few friends for lunch on a summer afternoon, with a nice crusty bread to soak up all the juices from the tomatoes and the basil oil. The basil oil would be delicious drizzled over other veggies as well. Bonus: it takes 15 minutes to pull the whole dish together.
Moving on, the contents of this week's bag:
-1 yellow doll watermelon
-2 eggplant
-1 quart of hot Hungarian peppers
-1 lb clover honey
-1 medium cantaloupe
-2 heirloom tomatoes
-2 patty pan squash
-1 pint mixed baby sweet peppers
-quarter peck golden supreme apples
-1 lb slicing tomatoes
-12 oz jar brussels sprout relish
-2 zucchini
-1.5 lbs red fortune plums
I must take a moment to comment on the brussels sprout relish. I'm sure a number of people reading this have an immediate thought of revulsion. For some reason, brussels sprouts tend to be on most people's top-ten most disgusting food lists. I for one LOVE them, as does the rest of my family. I would say you haven't had them cooked correctly, but I'll get to that another time. This brussels sprout relish from Ann's Raspberry Farm is tangy and spicy and delicious, similar to a pickle relish, but soooooo much better. In fact, the relish was a blue ribbon winner in the pickle category from the Good Food Awards in San Francisco. We tried it on some crostini's with a little goat cheese, but I think it would be killer on a great grilled sausage or, for my Columbus friends, a Schmidt's Bahama Mama.
My meal plan for the week (back-tracking to Saturday):
Saturday: Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs*, sliced Heirloom Tomatoes, Grilled Jalapenos
*Cook's Note: I prepared these on the grill.For my three-year old, I simply sprinkled one of the chicken thighs with garlic powder, cumin, and paprika, then brushed it with honey as the recipe states. My husband and I both agreed the spice rub was delicious and would work just as well on other cuts of meat.
Sunday: Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin, Veggie Potato Salad
Monday: Whole-Wheat Rotelli with Broccoli*
*Cook's Note: The recipe calls for bow ties, but I wanted to use a whole wheat pasta. I substituted about 10 oz of Trader Joe's whole wheat rotelli pasta in place of the bow ties.
Tuesday: Sage-Breaded Chicken, Eggplant "Fries," Squash Salad
Wednesday: Marinated Peppers & Mozzarella, Pan-fried Trout
Thursday: PTA social at my house. Day off!
Recipes for the Potato Salad, Sage-Breaded Chicken, and Eggplant Fries to come!
I've heard a lot of grumblings from my fellow Fresh Forkers about their distaste for eggplant. I personally don't think it has much flavor, hence why people tend to fry it up and smother it with marinara and cheese. But for those people who simply can't stand the spongy fruit/vegetable (it could be considered either depending on who you ask), I suggest trying Roasted Eggplant Spread. I've been making this a lot lately as an alternative to the standard pita and hummus. It's low in fat and calories (provided you go easy on the olive oil), and most people don't even realize it's eggplant. For those who do love the sauce and cheese smothered eggplant, below is my absolute favorite eggplant Parmesan recipe. It was given to me by a friend a couple of years ago in my Freezer Friend's group. Salting the eggplant removes the bitterness, and panko breadcrumbs ensure the eggplant stays crispy, not soggy.
Eggplant Parmesan
-1 large eggplant
-1/2 c. Italian breadcrumbs
-3/4 c. Panko Japanese breadcrumbs
-1/2 c. coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese
-2 eggs
-1 c. flour
-1 c. shredded Mozzarella
-6 slices fresh Mozzarella
-1 large can of tomato sauce (or can use homemade sauce)
-1 tsp. oregano
-salt
-olive oil for frying
Peel skin off of eggplant with potato peeler and cut off ends. Cut eggplant into thin slices, approx. 1/4 inch thick. Spread out on cutting board and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse under cold water and pat dry. Combine Italian bread crumbs, Panko bread crumbs, and Parmesan cheese. Pour onto plate for breading. Beat egg in bowl. Pour flour onto separate plate. Dip each eggplant slice first into the flour, coating both sides. Dip into egg, followed by bread crumb mixture until coated with breading. Once finished breading, heat olive oil in frying pan. Brown each slice of eggplant on both sides, set aside on plate lined w/ paper towel. Once all eggplant is fried, stack and place in refrigerator to cool for 30 minutes. Pour shallow layer of tomato sauce into 13 x 9 baking dish. Layer eggplant slices until they are 2 slices deep. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese slices. Layer remaining eggplant on top. Top evenly with remaining sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella, Parmesan and oregano. Bake covered for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Cut into slices and serve.
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