Lexicon of Nomz

Cooking is a major part of my life. It has been since I was a kid when I began cooking dinner every night for my family. This isn't strictly a recipe blog like most. Here I will share ingredients that I'm excited about, musings on particular topics and, yes, even recipes. Dig in.

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Baked Eggplant Fries

I made some zucchini fries the other day from a recipe I found to get rid of some extra squash we had. They were fantastic. A couple nights later we had some eggplant to dispatch. I tried a similar recipe and made some of the best fry alternative ever. Here's the plan:

2 medium eggplant - I used white Santorini but don't think it matters

1 XL egg - beaten in a separate bowl

1-2c fine cornmeal (you could use flour, I like cornmeal's texture)

1tsp ea. - garlic powder, salt, dried thyme

pinch of cayenne (if you want)

1.5c Panko bread crumbs ( in 1/4c installments)

Directions:

Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise after cutting off the top and bottom. Cut those halves lengthwise again leaving you with 4 thin planks. Cut those 4 planks in half across, leaving 8 short planks. Cut the planks into strips about 1/2" or so. You can eyeball it. You should now have a lot of "fry shaped" strips of eggplant.

Place cornmeal in a bowl. Beat the egg with the salt and other seasonings in a separate bowl. In a third add the Panko. Use just enough Panko to cover a small handful of eggplant strips at a time. The Panko will absorb moisture and won't stick anymore so you will have to add more for every handful of strips.

Begin with a small handfull of the eggplant, about 5 pieces for me, and dredge them in the cornmeal. Shake off the excess. Now dip them in the egg mixture. Shake off the excess. Finally dredge them in Panko. You will want to replace the Panko for the next batch.

Place the breaded strips on a large sheet pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. It's important that they don't touch each other too much.

Do this until you have no more eggplant left.

Bake for 15-20 minutes on 425. turn them halfway through to brown evenly. You can cook longer if you wish but the longer you cook them the less eggplanty texture you will have.

When these are done you will have some of the best eggplant ever. Serve this to people who swear they don't like eggplant. A little tzatziki would be nice with these as well.

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Recipe: Cajun sweet potato hash

After my post about poached eggs yesterday I craved them. I have also been wanting to use some sweet potatoes that I picked up a few days ago. The solution: sweet potato hash with poached eggs. Sorry there's no picture, I'm still working on iPhone food photography.

I have had a couple requests for this recipe so here it is.

Here's what I did:

- 3 large(ish) sweet potato (diced in 1/2" pieces) - 1/2 cup finely diced onion - 1/2 cup finely diced bell pepper (red is preferred) - 1 cup Andouille sausage* this is optional and you can substitute chorizo, smoked sausage or leave it out completely. - 2 tbs oil (olive, canola)* Depending on the type of sausage you used you may need to adjust this. - 2 tsp garlic powder, dried thyme - blackened seasoning, salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pot add sweet potatoes and enough water to just cover them. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender. You don't want them over cooked - they will get mushy. Drain and set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking heat an 8" skillet on medium and add the oil (if you are using sausage add it BEFORE the oil. You may not need to add much oil at all). Cook the sausage, if you used it, until it starts to brown then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towel. Add the onion/peppers. If you left out the sausage heat up the oil and skip straight to the onions/peppers.

Add the peppers, cook for 3-4 minutes then add the onion. Season with salt and pepper (not too much though, the blackened seasoning has salt too). Cook the peppers and onions down for another 5-7 minutes or until soft. 

By now the potatoes should be done, make sure they are well drained and add them to the skillet. Add the garlic, thyme, blackened seasoning and more S&P if desired. If you have sausage, add it back to the pan at this point.

Cook the sweet potatoes for 5-7 minutes, until they start to brown. Once a crust has begun to form flip them over with a spatula - gently, they are already cooked and soft.

Let them cook for an additional 3-5 minutes and plate. Top these with poached eggs and garnish with green onion. Your family will thank you.

Makes about 4 servings.

Remember, recipes are just guidelines*. If you don't like something or would rather use something else - go for it. Your not going to offend me and your the one that has to eat it. ;)

*Baking requires fairly precise measurements and I will not be held accountable for not following a baking recipe.

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Poaching Allowed

You ever go into a diner, or what passes as a diner in some areas, and order poached eggs? Yeah, me too.

I love poached eggs. My problem is that most people, around here any way, don't cook them properly. Let me break it down for you:

A poached egg is gently cooked in NEARLY boiling water (or another, more flavorful liquid) to fully set the whites and leave the yolk creamy and magical. I love a couple poached eggs on top of sweet potato hash browns.

What you usually get is either an undercooked egg that has the texture of something that reminds you of the last cold you had or a chicken-produced golf ball. Not yummy.

Simply put: people miscook eggs far too often for a properly poached egg is truly one of nature's miracles.

I am not equipped to demonstrate how to properly poach an egg so I will do the next best thing: here's Alton Brown to school you on proper poaching technique.

Did you know you can also poach a perfect egg in the microwave? Here's how:

in a 1 cup ramaken or teacup fill halfway with water. Add a couple drops of vinegar*. Crack the egg into the water gently. Place in microwave and cover with a saucer or something, you could use plastic wrap but not too tight.

*The vinegar is optional but I find that it helps coagulate the whites faster and lowers the chance of a partially cooked yolk. Unless you're into that kind of thing.

Microwave for 30 seconds to one minute. I would start with 30 seconds then check and add 10 seconds at a time until it's perfect. I cooked two one at one minute and it was just overdone. The yolk had just started to set a little. The second I started with 30 seconds and ended up with a near perfect poach at 45 seconds. It will probably vary based on the microwave and freshness of the egg. Fresh eggs poach better.

Take the dish out of the microwave, be careful the water is hot, and remove the egg gently with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess water. Eat. Better yet throw a couple on top of some sweet potato hash.

What's your favorite method of cooking an egg?