Smithy

I don't really know, sorry. I guess I'd make the same amount of white sauce but pull some out after it's made, for insurance. Start with half? Two-thirds? of the batch, start whisking in the eggplant, and then add more white sauce if it seems appropriate from a texture standpoint. Taste as you go.

I wouldn't bother picking out every bit of blackened skin. The easy stuff, yes. But when it's little tiny pieces, I wouldn't bother. If it turns out to be a bit too charred in flavor, you'll know for next time. (Ask me how I know. 😀 ) In my experience the seeds can be a bit bothersome, but I generally satisfy myself with pulling out the seed packets, if you will: rather like pouches of fish roe, you can pull out the packets of seeds and get most of it. 80%? 90%? They can add an unpleasant texture if they're overwhelming, but a few here and there aren't a big deal. There's supposedly an art to figuring out which eggplants have heavy seed loads and which don't. I've never figured it out.

Per the idea in this older post, I decided to use the rest of a package of ground bear meat in a pasta sauce. I've had a jar of Vodka Sauce loafing around the cupboard, and decided that it should grace the bear meat after a little sweating of chopped onion and garlic. I like Classico brand sauces, I really do. This was their version of Vodka sauce. But it seemed insipid. Was it the bear meat, which really does seem bland? Or the jarred sauce itself? I dunno. It's palatable enough, especially with generous amounts of garlic salt and shredded parmesan sprinkled atop the serving. But when I've finished this stuff, I won't go out of my way to find it again. Insipid. I refer both to the pasta sauce and the bear meat.

You mean this one? (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

Are you joking about a poorly executed sauce from the takeaway joint, or is chile ash sauce a thing? If the latter, please tell more!

I've never heard of sabich sandwich until now. i looked it up elsewhere, but would love an elaboration from you if you make it.

This is paraphrased from my 1998 copy of Özcan Ozan's The Sultan's Kitchen, A Turkish Cookbook (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) (The link is to the current Kindle edition). It's the Creamed Eggplant ("Beğendi") portion of the recipe for Sultan's Delight (Hünkâr Beğendi). The topping is lamb. Wonderful dish. I'll have to make it again sometime. 3 pounds globe eggplants (about 3 large) 3 tbsp lemon juice 3 tbsp salt 1/4 c (1/2 stick) unsalted butter 1/4 c all-purpose flour 1 c milk 2 tbp heavy cream 4 oz kasseri cheese, grated (1/2 c) Basically, you grill or broil the eggplants after pricking them all over with a knife or skewer. Turn them under or over the flame until they collapse. A bit of charring is good. You'll be surprised at just how much they collapse! (My notes say that you have to make sure they're really soft at each end as well as in their middles. I seem to remember that the ends were slower to collapse than the seedy centers.) When they are fully collapsed, pull them out someplace to cool enough to handle. While the eggplants are cooking, blend the lemon juice and salt in 3 cups of water. When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, peel them and put the pulp in the bowl of water for 10 minutes, to prevent discoloration. Then put the pulp in a strainer and press gently to get rid of excess water. Meanwhile, make a white sauce with the butter, flour, milk and cream. (Warm the milk and cream before whisking it in.) Cook it until it's starting to thicken, then whisk in the eggplant and cheese. You'll be amazed at how the eggplant pulp melts into the sauce! I cut it into large chunks for ease of handling, but if it's soft enough you really don't need to. I'm pretty sure I've used other cheeses than kasseri. The entire dish has a topping of chunked, braised lamb shoulder but you can eat it straight, or top it with some other stew of your choice. This post shows the entire process.

I'd add to that: if possible, burn those contents to make sure the bugs are really, truly dead. That may not be practical where you are, given that your pellet smoker is probably snowed under. I found a bunch of bugs in some seeds I'd brought back from Egypt, and tossed the entire contents into the fire. After that I made a point of freezing spices, as suggested above. I that jar glass or plastic? Can you destroy it along with the contents? If not, then freeze it all for a week as suggested above before throwing it all away.

It's hard to believe I actually bought this on Dec. 1 and still haven't cooked from it, but that's how my life has been lately. The Mediterranean Dish: 120 Bold and Healthy Recipes You'll Make on Repeat: A Mediterranean Cookbook (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) I actually did check this out from the library and cook from it a few times, last winter or the winter before. It's a beautifully made book: not only in contruction but in layout and voice. The photos are inspiring. This particular salad is probably the first thing I'll make, given the way I've been cooking and eating lately.

Details, please! It looks enticing. What sort of dressing did you use, if any?

Those of you who think you dislike eggplant should try hunkar begendi, aka creamed eggplant. Start with charring eggplant over a fire / grill until it collapses; later, peel it and chunk it a little bit, then blend into a bechamel sauce and add cheese. Here's a very old post showing the process and results, although the post includes a lot of non-eggplant-related cookery and snapshots. I think even the most bitter eggplant (that is, old and large) would take well to this treatment. If anyone's interested I'll post a more detailed recipe.

Speaking strictly for myself, I'm happy to report that there may be hope. I started rereading the Camping, Princess Style topic and remembering some of the great stuff we used to cook. Although I've been feeling sorry for myself still and missing my darling terribly, I've been getting some ideas from it too. That, plus perhaps the increase in sunlight, has made me more interested in exploring my old recipes or things that pop up in the New York Times. I'm still not cooking elaborate meals, but I am cooking. There's hope, folks. Hang in there.

So sorry your mojo has taken that hit, @lemniscate. It's ironic that having too much of something can lead to cooking fatigue. Maybe you can afford, space-wise, to let that last 30% sit for a while so you can take a break?

Was the aubergine bitter? Or was there another problem? It looks rather dry in the photo. Mutton is an interesting choice, too. On this side of The Pond it would be very difficult to find. I think I usually make moussaka with ground beef. I've forgotten what they use in Egypt, although their version is quite different anyway.

It broke my heart, but today for breakfast I had the last pear from this wonderful Harry and David gift package sent me around Christmas time. I can dole out the candies and macarons, and save for later the cheese, crackers and salami, but I really mustn't let the fruit go to waste. Still. Those pears are wonderful, and I hated to eat the last one. I did it this morning. You might be able to see that I'd almost waited too long. In fact, it was starting to get a bit mealy. But the flavor! And the juice! Okay, perhaps a bit past its prime, because I held onto it too long. Still delectable.

The New York Times came out with a salad that looked good to me: Leafy Greens with Turmeric Dressing and Spicy Pistachios. It wasn't the pistachios that interested me, but the idea of a turmeric dressing. I looked more closely. The dressing is basically a honey-mustard vinaigrette. Usually those are too sweet for me, but I love turmeric. I decided to take a whack at it...and promptly took liberties, because I couldn't be bothered to dirty up a skillet with toasting nuts and then adding honey to them. My honey is already crystallized. I microwaved enough for the recipe, tossed what was necessary into the dressing, then nuked the rest again with a bunch of chopped pecans. Go ahead, laugh. It's delicious! I just won't try putting my comments on the NYT website. (Incidentally, that link should take you to an unlocked article so you too can follow it or take liberties.) But I do like the dressing, and probably will make it again. In fact, it made a great dipping sauce for the half-sandwich I ate. The salad's accompaniment was half of a sandwich grilled on my panini press: slices of cheddar, Swiss and muenster cheese (I'm trying to clear the refrigerator) with slices of smoked turkey and salami on my favorite sourdough bread. Mustard and mayo on the inside, butter on the outside. Greens after grilling. I still have the other half left for later.

I wish I could lay my hands on good quince! Good for you on the substitution, @FrogPrincesse! It looks like a wonderful dessert.

Sometimes I think chicken is my favorite protein! A good roast chicken is a wonderful thing. Doesn't last too long around this household. 🙂 Yours looks wonderful.

Bean stew last night, using a recent ham bone and an old, recently-found package of dried heritage beans from the American Southwest. You can read more about it here, if you'd like. After I took this photo I added a touch of sour cream and thought it better, then added a bit more sour cream and decided I'd overdone the sour cream. So then I had to add more beans to the bowl.... 'S'okay, I still have leftovers!

Well, this package is at least 5 years old! Maybe folks have learned something since those instructions were written! Could have been beginner's luck with me. 🤷‍♀️

I've read that many times, but figured the package writers knew their stuff, and risked following their directions. They did say to hold off on adding salt until the beans were cooked. As it happened, I didn't need salt so I'm glad I hadn't added it. (It may have to do with relative quantity, too: this was one 14-oz can of diced tomatoes vs. about 3 cups of beans and more than a quart of water.)

I unearthed this package from storage some time ago, and decided today was the cold slow day to do something with it...and with the ham bone that's been lurking in the refrigerator. Let's see...how old are these? Well, they have to date back to a visit to Tucson, pre-pandemic. Hmm. yes, old. Old enough that the web address is now bad. But heirloom bean varieties. Pretty, aren't they? They really didn't take long to cook. I simmered them in water with a bit of bullion along with the ham bone, some chopped onion and garlic, and canned tomato chunks. I kept adding water as they slurped it up. I think the total project was about 3 hours atop the stove. Admittedly, this is closer to stew than soup, but it's my preference. The flavors and textures are pretty darned good. If I could have found one of the packages of cornbread mix also squirreled away, I'd have baked some. Of course I can't find any now!

I like the medjool for their size (nice if you're stuffing them with something) but for eating out of hand I think my favorite was halawi. Or maybe barhi. It's been a few years and I've gotten away from them. My husband always preferred the honey dates. We strongly preferred what we could get at Oasis Date Gardens. Glad you're having a good experience with Dateland.

How did you like them? I was disappointed by Dateland's dates when I tried them. All too dry. It's been a few years, and things might have changed.

I don't usually bother eating breakfast, much less posting about it. Today is a bit different: it's cold outside, I'm trying to stall the hourlong walk with my husky; and I still have bits of 3 panettones to finish off. Just now I finished this wonderful, rich slice of traditional panettone from Goûter Patisserie, as described here. Butter was definitely gilding the lily, but I did it anyway: put a few dabs on that slice, then microwaved enough to gently warm the bread and melt the butter. The slice is both sweet and tart, no doubt due to the candied fruits contained in this delicacy. Now, I really do have to go take that dog for a walk!