I spent last week alone, which seemed like the perfect time to read "Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant" by Jenni Ferrari-Adler.  This book created a good amount of chatter when released last year but somehow I never got to it. That’s too bad because I enjoyed reading it and was warmed by many of the stories.

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant is a collection of short stories, some new, some old that relate how people deal with eating, dining and cooking alone.  One story even tells how a busy mother craves the rare occasion to eat alone.  As I sat in my hotel room eating alone, I read the stories and learned a good deal about myself along with the authors.  Another night, I sat alone in a restaurant reading how a couple of the authors love to eat alone in restaurants and how much one who reads in a restaurant misses.  I found myself watching my surroundings more and while I’m not sure I’ll ever love eating alone in a restaurant I did enjoy it more.

I could also relate to the stories of cooking for one since Husband travels a fair amount for work leaving me to fend for myself.  When alone, I oscillate between the cook that I love to be and the scavenger searching for something to eat alone.  Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant presented many of my good, bad and yes ugly eating alone habits with humor, insight and intrigue.  If you haven’t read it and find yourself eating, dining or cooking alone on occasion, or all the time, I’d recommend checking it out.  You may get some clues on overcoming the fears of eating alone, but even if you don’t, you’re likely to enjoy the stories…

About Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant

If, sooner or later, we all face the prospect of eating alone, then Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant provides the perfect set of instructions. In this unique collection, twenty-six writers and foodies invite readers into their kitchens to reflect on the secret meals they make for themselves when no one else is looking: the indulgent truffled egg sandwich, the comforting bowl of black beans, the bracing anchovy fillet on buttered toast. Almost all of the essays include recipes, making this book the perfect companion for a happy, lonely-or just hungry-evening home alone.

Available at Amazon.com

A friend says let’s go out for Indian.  What comes to mind?  Heavy curries, rice, naan? Indian can be much more.  Case in point is Mantra in Palo Alto, California.  At Mantra, executive Chef Sachin Chopra has taken a new approach to Indian cuisine by tossing in the concepts of fresh California cuisine to create something different.  The dishes range from Achari Paneeer Cuboid with a Mango & Passion Fruit Soup, to Ginger Carrot Soup with Fresh Mint Jelly, to Paneer ‘Raviol’ and Cumin & Pomegranate Short Ribs.  Not your traditional Indian cuisine but many of the traditional Indian flavors remain.

I recently had a chance to try out the Mantra summer tasting menu.  I must admit Indian food and summer isn’t something I generally combine but Chef Chopra has done a good job of selecting dishes that have those Indian flavors without overwhelming on a hot summer night.  My favorite dish was the Ginger Carrot Soup which arrives as a bowl with cubes of Mint Jelly that get topped tableside with the Ginger Carrot soup.  The jelly immediately mixes with the soup and complements the ginger and carrot perfectly.  It’s a soup I’ll order any time of the year. 

The main menu has some gems that I snuck a peek at during my visit but didn’t get to try.  These include the ‘Naanizza’ appetizer that is a variant on pizza using naan and Indian flavors and the Paneer “Ravioli’ which is actually a pastry puff filled with a spinach cauliflower bhurjee filing, both of which I'd like to try on my next visit.  If you get there before me or have tired other dishes from Mantra share your thoughts on this new twist on traditional Indian cuisine…

Martin Yan has written a lot of cookbooks, close to or slightly over 30 at last count.  His latest is “Martin Yan’s China” which is a companion to his PBS TV show.  While a lot of Chinese cookbooks are available I found this one refreshing and inspiring. 

The recipes range from basic stir-fries with a variety of sauces to the more unusual and unexpected, which was alluring to me.  Martin provides cookie-cutter style recipes for basic sauces such as Hoison, Black Bean and General Tso’s which he uses throughout the book.  Complementing the basic recipes are the more unusual ones that allow you to create authentic-style Chinese food right in your kitchen.  Some of my favorites are Golden Curry Pumpkin Soup, Red-Cooked Pork, Sweet Potato Croquettes, and Street-Style Crispy Chicken (recipe below). 

Mixed in with the recipes is Martin’s tour of China, which if you’re a fan of the companion TV show, you may find familiar, but either way the stories and history he presents are interesting and bridge the food with the culture.

Street-Style Crispy Chicken

From Martin Yan’s China by Martin Yan, Chronicle Books 2008.

While visiting Guangzhou, I came across a street vendor selling crispy little nuggets of chicken flavored with red fermented bean curd. How unusual! And how absolutely delicious! Typically, bean curd is fermented in rice wine and chilies. I like the intense flavor of red fermented bean curd for cooking or marinating, and I use white fermented bean curd in lighter fare, such as stir-fried vegetables. As a child, I even ate fermented bean curd over steamed rice.

Makes 4 servings 

Marinade

• 2 cubes (about 1 ounce) red fermented bean curd
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

Chicken 

• 1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 1 green onion, green parts only, chopped

To make the marinade, in a medium bowl mash the bean curd to a paste with the tines of a fork. Add the sugar, salt, and white pepper and mix well. Add the chicken, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or up to 4 hours.

Pour oil into a wok, stir-fry pan, or 2-quart saucepan to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 350 degrees F. Mix the cornstarch and egg with a whisk in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat evenly. Working in batches, deep-fry the chicken, stirring gently to prevent the pieces from sticking together, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove with a wire strainer or slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. 

Divide the chicken among 4 parchment paper cones, little brown paper bags, or individual bowls. Garnish each with some of the green onions and serve.

About Martin Yan’s China

The world's foremost expert on Chinese cooking is back with a brand-new cookbook to whet the appetite of anyone who's ever picked up a pair of chopsticks. As the companion volume to the PBS series, Martin Yan's China brings the ancient country's beauty to the table with gorgeous dishes, breathtaking photographs, and fascinating information about the food, history, and culture of China. Just in time for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Yan is poised to charm and entice a new generation of readers with his expert knowledge of Chinese traditions and his flair for Asian cuisine. As always, Yan's 100 recipes introduce new flavors and techniques to the kitchen, yet are simple enough for any home cook to effortlessly embark on a culinary journey through China.

Available at Amazon.com

Not surprisingly, this book was the debut pick for the new Gourmet magazine Cookbook Club. The recipes, which run the gamut from classic to modern, make use of every technique from steaming to grilling to frying. There’s even an intriguing, old-school method to cook fish in milk court bouillon that leaves the flesh soft and moist. After meeting Moonen recently at a conference in Monterey and hearing how he tested every recipe in a tiny, apartment kitchen rather than in a restaurant, I was eager to see if his dishes truly were a breeze for home-cooks. He didn’t disappoint. If his tuna burgers with harissa mayonnaise are any indication, I will definitely be cooking many more recipes from this book. The tuna burgers come together easily enough to prepare on a weeknight, especially if you make the accompanying cucumber salad the night before. Yet, the burgers are so tasty, they’re good enough for company. The harissa spice mixture, which can be purchased at gourmet groceries or made from scratch with Moonen’s additional recipe, gives these moist burgers a wonderful, subtle kick.

Tuna Burgers with Harissa Mayonnaise

From “Fish Without A Doubt’’ by Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore, Houghton Mifflin Company.

Tuna burgers deliver all the juicy satisfaction and richness of a hamburger. You do need to dice the tuna by hand; a food processor or grinder is going to make glue.

(serves 4)

For harissa mayonnaise:

• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon harissa (store-bought or use accompanying recipe), or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

For burgers:

• 1 pound tuna, chilled in freezer for 15 minutes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• Coarse salt
• Vegetable oil

For serving:

• Toasted potato rolls or hamburger buns
• Mom’s Cucumber Salad (see recipe below)

For harissa mayonnaise: Stir mayonnaise, harissa, lemon zest, and juice together in a small bowl.

For burgers: Cut tuna into ¼-inch dice, then chop it, to get a tiny dice. Put tuna into a bowl and add chives, dill, 4 teaspoons of harissa mayonnaise, and salt to taste. Mix it all up with your hands, then moisten your hands and form 4 burgers.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, reduce heat to medium, put burgers in pan, and cook for 2 minutes to brown the first side. Turn burgers over and cook for another 2 minutes for medium-rare.

To serve, spread rolls with harissa mayonnaise. Add burgers and pile on some cucumber salad.

Note: You can also make a very quick cucumber relish by peeling, seeding, and dicing a cucumber, tossing it with salt, and pouring in about 1/3 cup white vinegar; let it sit while you make the burgers.

Mom’s Cucumber Salad

My mom made something like this when I was growing up, though with red wine vinegar and no herbs. I took her idea and played with it. The cucumbers keep crisp like a great dill pickle.

(serves 4)

• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into ¼-inch slices
• Coarse salt
• 1 small red onion, cut into very thin slices
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• About 1 cup rice vinegar

Put cucumbers in a colander with a generous teaspoon of salt and toss. Fill a sealable plastic bag with ice cubes and put it on top of the cukes to weight them and keep them very cold. Put colander in a bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Take colander out of bowl and shake cucumbers well over sink. Don’t do anything like blotting them or rinsing them.

Put cukes into a bowl with onion, sugar, and dill. Toss to combine. Pour in the vinegar; it should just cover the cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

This will keep for at least 5 days in the refrigerator.

Harissa

This spicy paste is one of the staples of the North African kitchen. Sure, you can buy it in tubes in specialty markets and even in some grocery stores, but I have to say, nothing beats the flavor of homemade. The recipe is from my coauthor.

• 2 ounces dried Baklouti chiles, wiped clean, stemmed, and seeded (see Note)
• 4 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more 

Put chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with simmering water. Let chiles rehydrate for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put fennel and coriander seeds in a spice grinder with crushed red pepper, if using, and salt. Grind to a fine powder, and pour into a food processor. Add garlic to processor.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of chile soaking water into processor, then drain the chiles and add them. Pulse a few times to make a very coarse paste. Scrape sides down, then turn on processor and pour in oil. Process until you have a thick paste _ don’t worry, it needn’t be completely smooth.

Pack harissa into a glass jar, cover with a film of olive oil, and refrigerate. It will keep for about 1 month.

Note: Baklouti chiles, the traditional Tunisian hot pepper for harissa, are available from Kalustyan’s (www.kalustyans.com). But you can substitute other dried chiles say, guajillos, mulattos, pasillas, or even chipotles or moritas, if you want a fiery harissa.

About Fish Without A Doubt

With health and environmental concerns plaguing so many types of seafood today, this book comes along at just the right time to help us sort out which fish can best be enjoyed without harming our bodies or our planet. Rick Moonen is a three-star seafood chef, and his co-author, Roy Finamore, is known for crafting books that home-cooks actually can cook from. It’s chockfull of creative, yet doable recipes. This is a book you’ll use again and again.

Available at Amazon.com

The first, and probably most important, thing to know about this cookbook is that the term salad means much much more than a leafy green with some vinaigrette on it.  While there may be a token leafy green or two based salads in the book, they are most assuredly in the minority.  Instead you’ll find wonderful parsley, eggplant, pepper and tomato salads (alone or in combination with other veggies).  To complement all of the salads, Joyce has presented a wide range of dressing recipes.  Each salad recipe lists a couple of alternative salad dressings, creating a mix-and-match meal depending on what you have at hand and what you might want. 

In my garden the parsley has been thriving, so the “Greek Parsley Salad with Tahini Dressing” was an easy choice.  Technically this is a meze and is spread on warm pita but whatever the technical term the result is delicious.  If you’re not familiar with flat-leaf parsley try it here and see how wonderful it is.  In fact, I think parsley may be my favorite herb.  And Mediterranean Fresh is definitely in the running for favorite salad cookbook….

Greek parsley salad with tahini dressing

Reprinted from Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Meals and Mix-and-Match Dressings by Joyce Goldstein.  Copyright (c) 2008 by Joyce Goldstein.  Photographs copyright (c) 2008 by Andre Baranowski. With permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

tahini salata

Serves 4 to 6

While called a salad, this is really a meze spread to be served with pita bread. I sometimes add toasted pine nuts to the parsley and tahini mixture, as I think they add texture and sweetness. If you don’t have green onions on hand, you can use 4 tablespoons chopped chives instead.

• 1/2 cup tahini dressing (see below), plus more if needed
• Water
• Sea salt, if needed
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 3 green onions, finely chopped (white and green parts)
• 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
• Pita bread, cut into triangles and warmed

Put the tahini dressing in a blender or a small food processor and beat in a bit of water to make it thin enough to coat the leaves. Salt is crucial for the balance of flavor, so dip a leaf of parsley into the dressing and add salt if needed.

In a salad bowl, toss the parsley, green onions, and toasted pine nuts with the dressing. Serve with the pita bread for scooping.

Tahini dressing

Reprinted from Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Meals and Mix-and-Match Dressings by Joyce Goldstein.  Copyright (c) 2008 by Joyce Goldstein.  Photographs copyright (c) 2008 by Andre Baranowski. With permission of the publisher, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

makes 2 ½ cups

Tahini is a pantry staple in Israel, the Arab nations, Turkey, and the Middle East. A rather thick paste made from grinding sesame meal and oil, it comes to the market in cans, jars, and plastic containers. For years tahini was found only in stores specializing in foods from the Middle East or health-food stores, but today it is on many supermarket shelves. Not all tahini is of equal quality, so I advise sampling a few different brands to find one that is rich in flavor and has no bitterness. (Some of the “natural food” brands are not mellow enough for my palate, and a few have a nasty aftertaste.) My favorite, Al Wadi, comes from Lebanon.

After packing and shipping, the sesame paste settles to the bottom of the container in a dense lump and the oil floats on top. You will have to stir the tahini rather vigorously before use. A whirl in the blender or food processor will do it, or use a strong wrist and a fork. After you take what you need, put the rest back in the original container. Every time you need to use tahini, you will have to repeat the stirring process, as it will resettle.

Tahini becomes a salad dressing when you blend it with lemon juice and thin the puree with varying amounts of water. It can be thick or quite thin. Garlic is usually added, as are spices such as cumin and cayenne or another ground hot pepper. Creamy tahini dressing may be served as an appetizer dip for pita bread, spears of cucumber, carrots, radishes, and green onions. Thinned with water, it can be drizzled over a simple salad of sliced tomatoes or beets and greens. Tahini dressing can also be used to dress a salad of romaine lettuce, sliced cucumbers, and radishes. It is superb spooned over sautéed or grilled eggplant or zucchini. Stir it into mashed roasted eggplant and you create baba ghanouj. Stir it into mashed chickpeas and you create hummus.

Tahini dressing is also a superb finishing sauce. As you will see from the recipes in this book, it can be spooned into pita bread along with a bit of chopped cucumber and tomatoes to moisten falafel, mussels, or kefta. It may also be spooned over cooked fish and seafood as a finishing sauce. To lighten this rich, creamy dressing, some cooks beat in 1/2 cup plain yogurt.

• 1 cup sesame tahini, preferably Al Wadi brand
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 cup cold water, plus more if needed
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted cumin seed, ground (optional)
• Pinch of cayenne (optional)
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

Combine the tahini, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor or blender and puree. Add water as needed to thin to a spreadable consistency for a dip and even thinner for salad dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and with cumin and cayenne if you like.

To serve as a dip, spoon into a shallow bowl and sprinkle with chopped parsley. (Some cooks stir the parsley into the dressing.)

Variation: 

• Add 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne to the tahini mixture when pureeing.

About Mediterranean Fresh

In the Mediterranean, salad means anything from tabbouleh to white beans and prawns in a lemony dressing to small plates of mezze, antipasti, and tapas. Joyce Goldstein shows you how to make 140 of these delicious, healthful, easy-to-prepare dishes for a sensuous and satisfying meal. Joyce shows you the art of dressing a salad and how to use dressings as marinades, spreads, dips, and finishing sauces. Along the way you'll learn how to taste, balance flavors, and develop your palate.

Available from Amazon.com