A New Look at Potato Salad

If you follow this blog you know that I like potato salad. It seems that most people eat potato salad mainly in the summer months.  But in my family, it's an 'anytime' food.  We even eat it at Christmas dinner.  I asked my sister why we have potato salad for Christmas dinner.  Her reply was, "I don't know.  We just do.  We always have and we always will."  Enough said.  Our potato salad is normally laden with mayonnaise and eggs.  While it is good, sometimes change is also good. 

It's still officially summer and we have a few more opportunities for picnics, potlucks, and dinner on the ground.  I thought I would bring out my new potato salad recipe.  This one is made sans mayonnaise and eggs.  This recipe is based on one found on the blog, Olive Tomato.  I added red bell pepper, because it gives the recipe a nice bright color, a little crunch and a few antioxidants don't hurt either. For acidity, either red wine vinegar or lemon juice can be used.

Mediterranean Potato Salad

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, Yukon Gold or Russet
½ small red onion, chopped
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar or lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Wash potatoes, place in a sauce pan and cover with cold water.  Place a lid on sauce pan and cook until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork.

2.  Drain and cover with cold water.  When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into cubes, about ½-inch.  (Peeling is optional.)  Add onion and bell pepper to potatoes.

3.  In a small bowl, combine Italian seasoning, olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice.  Gently stir the dressing into the potatoes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pasta and Beans

I have been on this Italian - Mediterranean kick for quite some time.  Frankly, I am fascinated with  the European view of food.  I was also a little skeptical of pasta and beans in one dish.  It just did not sound good to me.  However, I was fascinated enough to pick out the recipe. 

When I really thought about it, Olive Garden makes a pasta e fagioli soup. As it turns out, pasta and bean soup is a traditional Italian dish, made from inexpensive ingredients.  It is traditionally made with cannellini or borlotti beans and some type of small pasta, such as elbow macaroni or ditalini.  Onions, garlic, rosemary or basil are used as seasonings.  Most recipes use tomatoes or tomato sauce.  For a more meaty flavor, prosciutto or pancetta can be used.

I got this recipe from The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Harmon Jenkins.  A note to this recipe stated that you could make the pasta and beans.  And if there were any leftover, you could add stock and make soup.  Two meals for the price of one, I was 'in'.  I used Jacob's cattle beans.  But you could use pinto, cranberry or a similar light reddish bean.  I also used pesto, about 2 tablespoons, instead of the actual basil.  Pesto was in my frig and basil is too expensive.  Yes, I am cheap.

If you want additional vegetables,  sautéed greens, such as kale or spinach.  Winter squash can also be added to this dish.  If this recipe works out, I'm going to try zucchini.

Day 1.  I made the pasta and beans.  My faithful tasters loved it.

Pasta with Pancetta and Beans

Serves 8 to 10.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried beans, such as borlotti, cranberry, or pink
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 to 4 ounces pancetta, diced
1 can (14 ounce) whole plum tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound short pasta, such as farfalle or bowties
¼ cup sliced basil leaves
Freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano

Directions:

1.  Sort, wash and soak the beans.  Drain.  Transfer to a saucepan, cover with water to a depth of about 1 inch above the beans.  Cover and cook until beans are tender, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.  Set aside, reserving one cup of the cooking liquid.

2.  Chop the onion and set aside.  Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large heavy pan.  Set over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook until onion is translucent.  Add garlic and pancetta, continue cooking for about 10 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and the pancetta has started to release its fat.

3.  Add tomatoes, breaking them up with the side of a spoon.  Cook, continuing to break up the tomatoes, until they have reduced to a sauce.  Taste and add salt and pepper.  Add beans the cooking liquid.  Return to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, to make a thick sauce. 

4.  In a separate saucepan bring about 5 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil.  Add pasta and cook rapidly until the pasta is almost, but not quite, ready to eat.  Drain and quickly add the pasta to the bean sauce, toss to mix well.  Sprinkle with basil or add pesto.  Drizzle with olive oil and top with cheese.

Note: If desired,beans can be made and frozen in individual containers.  Pasta can be added when ready to eat.





Day 2.  Pasta e fagioli.  I added broth and made soup.  My tasters liked it as well.

Eggplants and Tomatoes

Summer is almost over and I have not posted anything on eggplants.  Well, you know I just can't let that happen.  After all, eggplants will soon be out of season and I don't feel that you should wait a whole year to eat eggplant.

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables.  Until recently, the globe eggplant was the primary one available in the United States.  Now we have a wider variety, such as, Japanese, Thai and Rosa Bianca.  For more unusual varieties, check out your local farmers market. 

While eggplant Parmesan is an excellent dish, there are numerous ways to use eggplants.  The nice thing about eggplants is that they don't have a lot of flavor, therefore, they are able to blend in with other ingredients, such as tomatoes and zucchini. They can be sautéed and used on pizza, in lasagna, and in sandwiches. Eggplant is a component of the Greek dish, briam and the French dish, ratatouille. 

For this recipe, I went to the blog, Olive and Tomato.  I don't generally recommend many blogs, but this is one I like.  The blogger is Elena Paravantes, a registered dietitian, born in the US, but now residing in Athens, Greece.  Ms. Paravantes blogs on the Greek-Mediterranean diet.   This recipe is adapted from one that I found on her blog.

Tomato Topped Eggplants

Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients:
2 to 3 eggplants
Extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups chopped tomatoes, preferably heirloom
½ cup chopped roasted red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
4 to 6 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:
1.  Slice eggplants crosswise, into ½-inch thick slices (do not peel).  Place eggplants in a colander, salt and allow to sit for about 1 hour.  This will help to reduce the bitterness and collapse plant cells, allowing the eggplant to absorb less oil.

2.  Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until  translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, red pepper, salt, pepper, and sugar.  Cook until most of the moisture has evaporated.  Set aside.

3.  Rinse the eggplant slices and squeeze out the water.  Brush eggplant with olive oil.  At the point, the eggplants can be sauteed or grilled.  Set aside.

 

4.  Place eggplants on a baking sheet.  Top with tomato mixture and feta cheese.  Drizzle with additional olive oil.

5.  Bake in a  350°F oven until heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Note:  The tomatoes and eggplants can be cooked in advance and assembled and baked later.

If you want more ways to use eggplants, check out this information from Cooking Light. 

Eggplants

We have this thing in nutrition. We are always telling people to consume a variety of foods. Recently I have been thinking about variety and what variety really means. Here is my example. Take a stroll through the produce aisle and you will find about one of everything. In some neighborhoods, you may find two, but rarely does one find more than two varieties of anything, except maybe apples and oranges.

Eggplants are one example. There used to be one main type of eggplant – the large purple globe type. Recently, I have found the Japanese variety. These tend to be long and skinny. When visiting farmers markets and ethnic grocery stores, I am fascinated by the amount of variety of foods.

Ethnic grocery stores sell items that I long to become knowledgeable about. What can I say; I am fascinated about all things food. We usually think of eggplants as purple and glossy. Eggplants are available in a wide variety of sizes, colors and shapes. Colors of eggplant range from white to green to purple stripped. They are a member of the nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes, sweet peppers and potatoes. Botanically, the eggplant is a fruit and is classified as a berry, containing numerous small edible seeds. Most eggplants are slightly bitter with a spongy texture.

Salting and rinsing sliced eggplants is a common practice. Salting reduces the amount of bitterness. Since eggplants have a spongy texture, they are capable of absorbing oil. Salting collapses some of the cells and reduces the amount of oil absorbed. The spongy texture can be used to your advantage when making dishes with sauces, such as lasagna or moussaka.

Eggplant (Aubergine) Dip

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, about 1 pound
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
¼ cup chopped parsley
½ teaspoon salt
Hot pepper, to taste
1 medium tomato, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Cook eggplant, whole, in an oven or grill, until it has softened. Place in a paper bag and allow to steam. When eggplant is cool enough to handle, remove the skin.

2. Chop eggplant into small pieces. (Do not use a blender.) In a bowl, combine eggplant with the remaining ingredients.

3. If desired, a small finely chopped tomato can be added to this dish.

Notes on this recipe: There is an old saying that we eat with our eyes first. Well, those people who adhere to this philosophy will not be eating this dish. In short, this is an “ugly” dish. I do think the chopped tomatoes help. At my home we ate this as a side dish. When we “finished” eating, some of us ate the leftovers on top of bread.

Here’s another eggplant recipe. It’s perfect for the summer. Briam (Greek Roasted Vegetables) During my travels in Greece, I found this to be a very common dish. Basically, it is roasted vegetables and roasted vegetables appear to be the 'in' thing. This recipe can easily be adapted to what is in season. Traditionally, I believe this recipe is made with eggplant, zucchini and cooked in a savory tomato sauce. I even found one recipe that added feta cheese. If only, I could have found that before I made my dish. Here is my version of briam.

Briam
Serves 6.

Ingredients:
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ¼” slices
Salt and black pepper
2 small eggplants, about 1 pound, total
2 small zucchini
1 medium onion
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1½ cups fresh tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450F. Toss potatoes and ¼ cup oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to roasting pan. Bake, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.

2. Slice eggplants and zucchini in half lengthwise. Slice crosswise into ½” slices. Cut onion in half and each half into fourths.

3. In a large bowl, combine remaining oil, eggplant, zucchini, and onion. Add oregano and garlic. Add more salt and pepper, if desired. Add vegetables to potatoes. Stir to combine. Bake until done, about 45 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes and continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Note: I made this recipe on a gas grill. It worked perfectly. This is an easy recipe and I will make it again.

Knackle or Knuckle?

I was fortunate to travel around Greece for a few weeks and I promised that I would give you a few updates on the food. Well, I must confess that my goal of blogging while traveling just did not work out. I guess I just cannot travel and blog at the same time. However, I would still like to share some of my thoughts on Greek cuisine.

One of the most interesting things that I ate was pork knackle or knuckle – I am not sure which is correct. The menu said knackle and the waiter said knuckle. It was some part of the pork leg. It was basically braised pork with rosemary and roasted potatoes. It was good, but needless to say, I did not finish it. If only I had a refrigerator and a microwave.

I did try grilled sardines, just as I promised a friend of mine. They were okay, but would have been better with a starch of some kind. But with a few roasted potatoes, I would try them again. I was surprised that Greek food is not overly spicy. However, they do make good use of oregano, rosemary, garlic, onions, and a few other spices. It just goes to prove that good food does not need to be overly seasoned.

Since Greek food is based on local foods and emphasizes a plant-based diet, I thought I would tie Greek cuisine to our farmers market. Throughout the course of this summer, I will be featuring Greek dishes made with local ingredients. Some local ingredients I plan to feature include eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes and maybe okra. If you have a favorite Greek dish, please tell me about it. I love to hear about what other people cook.

The Mediterranean Diet

Almost 6 months ago I received an email for the Global Gateway Program. There were three trip possibilities – China, the Pan Pacific, and Greece. My department head suggested that I apply for one of them. (Now if your department heads suggests you apply to go on a trip, apply.) I choose Greece, because I am a faculty in the nutrition department and I have an interest in the health benefits of the Mediterranean Diet (yeh, right. I know. But it was a good cover). On Mother’s Day, I am headed off to Greece with 40+ students and faculty.

I am nervous as this is only my second international trip. But more than anything, I am EXCITED. When I became a faculty member in the nutrition department, I started to teach a lecture on Soul Food in the Cultural Aspects of Food and Nutrition class. Since starting to teach this lecture, I have become more aware of the importance of culture and food and what food means to people. It is my belief that food is an excellent vehicle to come to some appreciation of the culture of other people. With time, I have become more aware of the importance of learning from the culture of others. All of us have something to learn from someone else and hopefully, something to teach.

As this trip has gotten closer, I have been trying to learn about Greek food, by eating it. Sorry, I haven’t had the chance to cook any of it. I tried shrimp spiedini from Macaroni Grill. A spiedini is basically anything on a skewer. I have also tried pastitsio, which is a casserole dish consisting of pasta, ground beef or lamb, grated cheese, tomatoes and a béchamel sauce. Now I can’t wait to compare these to the real dishes.

If you want to read about the Mediterranean diet, check out the site for Eating Well magazine - http://www.eatingwell.com/. They have a wealth of articles and recipes on the Mediterranean diet. Also check out this article by dietitian, Rachel Johnson. http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_health/nutrition_news_information/the_worlds_healthiest_diet

Why not try some of these dishes. They may just become a regular in your diet. As I travel in Greece, I will be posting pictures of Greek foods. I hope that you will enjoy them.