Baingan Bharta (roasted eggplant)

Baingan Bharta is a tasty roasted eggplant recipe.  Roasted eggplant is easy to prepare and super-flavorful in this simple, classic Indian dish.  I love it.  Give it a try and let me know what you think, and check out my other cooking videos at the Chef Buck Playlist:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EFBD7E8FE2BB552

Baingan Bharta

ingredients:

1 large EGGPLANT (roasted)

1 med/lg ONION (chopped

3-4 cloves GARLIC (finely chopped)

1 hot PEPPER (finely chopped)

1 14 oz can diced TOMATOES (or 2 fresh tomatoes)

1 cup chopped CILANTRO (coriander leaves)

1 tsp MUSTARD SEEDS

1 tsp CUMIN SEEDS

1 tsp CORIANDER POWDER

½ tsp TURMERIC

½ tsp GARAM MASALA

5-6 Tbsp OLIVE OIL

directions:

Slice the eggplant lengthwise down the middle into two halves, brush all surfaces with olive oil, place on a baking pan flat side down, and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. 

Remove from oven. 

The eggplant will be very hot, so set aside to cool.

In a skillet, heat olive oil on medium high heat.  Add mustard and cumin seeds and cook 20-30 seconds—not too long or they will overcook.  A pinch of asafoetida can be added as well, if desired.  When cumin seeds begin to open, add onions and sauté for a couple of minutes.  Add garlic and hot pepper and continue sautéing.  Add coriander and turmeric powder and mix well.  I like to go light on the spices, but feel free to add more if desired.  If you like a spicier dish, add 1 tsp of chili powder.  I like to take it easy on the spices so as not to overpower the flavor of the eggplant.  Add salt to taste and continue cooking a couple more minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, reduce heat, and simmer 4-5 minutes. 

While tomatoes simmer, return to the eggplant.

At this point the roasted eggplant will be much easier to handle (although it may still be hot, so use care).  Using a spoon, the meat of the eggplant can be easily scooped away from the skin.  Discard the skin.  Roughly chopped the eggplant and add to the skillet, mixing well with the tomato mixture.  Cook for 3-4 minutes and then add garam masala.  Mix and continue cooking another couple of minutes.  Add 1 cup of chopped cilantro (coriander leaves).  Mix and remove from heat.

And that’s it.

Bon appétit! 

Down Home Cooking

Mom and sister cookin' up da vittles Southern style.

A Trip to the Indian Market

A trip to a local Indian market. These small international markets can be great places to shop for spices and produce--and they often have pretty good prices, too--if you're into that kinda thing. Check out some cooking vids on the Chef Buck playlist at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EFBD7E8FE2BB552

Shrimp Remoulade Recipe

Shrimp salad is one of my all-time favorites, especially if it’s tossed in a delicious remoulade sauce.  I used to eat this all the time when I lived in New Orleans—and I never go back without making a stop at the Gumbo Shop for a taste.  I don’t know exactly how the Gumbo Shop prepares shrimp remoulade, but this recipe is how I throw it together.   A lot of ingredients go into the sauce, but it’s worth the effort.  Give it a try, and for more recipes check out the Chef Buck playlist:  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EFBD7E8FE2BB552

Shrimp Remoulade

sauce ingredients:

TOMATO PUREE (½ cup)

MUSTARD (¼ cup --creole, stone ground, or dijon)

HORSERADISH (2 tsp --prepared)

GREEN ONION (1 tsp, minced)

PARSLEY (1 Tbsp, finely chopped)

WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (½ tsp)

MAYONNAISE (3-5 Tbsp)

CELERY (1 Tbsp, minced)

GARLIC (1 clove, minced)

CHILI POWDER (1 tsp)

PAPRIKA (1 tsp, smoked)

SUGAR (1 tsp, optional

SALT (to taste)

HOT SAUCE (½ tsp)

LEMON JUICE (1 Tbsp)

OLIVE OIL (1 Tbsp)

VINEGAR (1 tsp)

salad ingredients:

SHRIMP (1 lb, boiled)

SALAD GREENS

TOMATO SLICES

GREEN ONION (chopped, optional)

directions:

The sauce:

To make the sauce, just mix all the sauce ingredients together (really?!).  I’m using tomato puree in this version, but I’ve also made this dish using ketchup or tomato sauce; it will be thinner if you use those two, but that can be a good thing, especially if you want to toss the greens in the remoulade sauce.  Sugar is optional and definitely not needed if you’re using ketchup, which is usually sweet enough.  Sometimes I’ll add a teaspoon of onion powder.  This is a great recipe to play with, but be judicious with the mayonnaise!  Using fresh ingredients like parsley, garlic, green onion, and celery will really make this sauce shine.  You can definitely make and serve the sauce immediately, but making it hours ahead or even the day before will embolden the flavors.  Embolden the flavors?  I’m not sure if that’s the right way to say that, but you know what I mean.

The shrimp:

I’m using 1 pound of deveined shrimp in the shell.  For this salad, the bigger the shrimp the better, but I usually get whatever’s on sale—any kind of shrimp is gonna be delish in this dish.  Before boiling, prepare a bowl of ice water to cool the shrimp after cooking—this will keep the shrimp from becoming overdone (tough and rubbery).

Put a pot of water on the stove and add 2 bay leaves and a generous amount of salt.  Bring the pot to a boil and add the shrimp.  I find a pound of shrimp takes about 2 minutes, but this will vary depending on the size of the shrimp and the amount of water in the pot.  For sure, they will cook fast.  Do not ignore them—it’s not a good time to multi-task.  When the shrimp turn pink, they’re done.  Get ‘em out of the hot water and into the ice bath—this will halt the cooking process, and your shrimp will be perfecto (and easy to peel now that they're cooked!).

Toss the shrimp in the remoulade sauce and serve over a bed of fresh greens.  I like to garnish the salad with green onion and fresh tomato.  Serve with saltines or a loaf of French bread and soft butter.  Let the salivating begin.

And bon appétit! 

Chole Palak Recipe

Chole Palak is an Indian-style spinach and chickpea dish that’s super flavorful and a breeze to make.  With a few ingredients in the cabinet, this tasty dish is always just a few minutes away.  Thanks for watching and I hope you give it a try.  For more recipe ideas, check out the Chef Buck Playlist:  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2EFBD7E8FE2BB552

ingredients:

SPINACH  (13 oz can or frozen, or 3 cups chopped fresh)

CHICKPEAS  (15 oz can, rinsed and drained)

TOMATOES  (diced, 14 oz can—or 2 fresh tomatoes)

HOT PEPPER  (1 or 2, minced)

GINGER  (1 Tbsp, minced)

OLIVE OIL  (2-3 Tbsp)

CUMIN SEEDS  (1 tsp)

ASAFOETIDA  (¼ tsp)

CORIANDER  (1 Tbsp)

CHILI POWDER  (1 tsp)

TURMERIC  (½ tsp)

GARAM MASALA  (1 tsp)

SALT (to taste)

directions:

Heat olive oil on medium high heat and add cumin seeds and asafoetida.  The seeds should sizzle when they hit the pan and will brown and crack quickly.  Add the tomatoes, ginger, and peppers.  Mix well and then add the coriander, chili, and turmeric powder.  Mix and allow the tomatoes to cook down 3-4 minutes.  Add the spinach and salt and stir well.  Add ¼ - ½ cup water—I like less water, but add as desired throughout the recipe.  Cover and let cook 3-4 minutes.  Uncover and mix in chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans).  Add another ¼ cup of water, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes.  At this point the chickpeas will be soft enough to smash easily with a fork, which you don’t have to do, but I prefer the consistency of the dish if I mush about half of them.  Add the garam masala and stir another minute or two, also adding more water if desired.  And then that’s that.  Finito.  When I prepare an Indian meal, I almost always serve this dish; it’s easy, healthy, and delicious, so why not?

Give it a try, let me know what you think, and bon appétit! 

Blackened Fish Recipe

Blackened fish is quick and easy: fish, spice, butter, skillet, and—boom—you’re done.

I’m using mahi mahi with this dish, but any fish will do.  A traditional blackened fish is dredged in melted butter before the spices are applied, which is yummy, but I think the fish does all right with just the spices—we’ll save the butter for the pan. Any combo of spices will do. I especially like ginger powder on my fish—give it a try. Use salt, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, etc. Coat each side of the fish with as little or as lot of spice as desired.

Heat a skillet on medium high heat and add a little butter. Add a little oil, too. When it’s hot, toss in your fish—but not before—the fish should sizzle and cook when it hits the pan. Brown one side with spice and butter and turn halfway through cooking. Light fish will turn opaque when it’s done, but don’t wait for the fish to be cooked entirely through before removing it from the heat—it will continue to cook even after you’ve removed it from the heat. Shoot for almost flaky more than flaky.

Bon appétit!