I arrived in Seattle late Friday morning and spent the afternoon at Pike Place Market. This would be my only day to see some sights, and of course Pike Place was a no brainer. First stop, the famous fish market at the main entrance. Crabs anyone?

Of course I had to see some fish being tossed about.

Pike Place Market has a small Chinese restaurant that’s Zagat rated, Pike Place Chinese Cuisine, and I enjoyed a quiet lunch there while looking out at the Bay. The meal was hot and sour soup and barbecued pork with vegetables, exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries after the long flight from Dulles.

Cherries for dessert. (As I took this shot, I deeply regretted my decision to leave the big camera and cool circular polarizer filter back home.)

Seeing all the colorful flowers reminded me of the Colombian flower markets that I frequented back in the day and left me wishing I had a way to carry them back home to Virginia.

The sounds of musical groups performing outside on the sidewalks filtered throughout the area. This group has a great sound and drew a crowd.

I adored the colorful chili peppers strung together at a vegetable stand.

And the smells, oh the smells. The Russian bakery across the street called me like the Pied Piper and apparently called many others as the line of eager customers snaked out the door and down the block. And as I meandered through the stalls and the shops, all I could think was how much I wished we had a market as big and vibrant as this back home.

Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

Share

My first taste of baba ghannouj was at the cafeteria on the Saudi Aramco compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and I could easily make a lunch out of their hummus, baba ghannouj, and flatbread. Baba ghannouj is a traditional Middle Eastern dish made from eggplant that has been grilled or roasted, and the smoky flavor carries over to this simple dip that’s popular all over the Middle East. Depending on where you eat, it will probably have eggplant, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, salt, olive oil, and parsley, and may also have chopped tomatoes, cumin, mint, onions, yogurt, or mayonnaise. So consider this a base recipe, a jumping off point to play with and have fun experimenting with the flavors.

I wish the eggplant came from our garden, but after three years of fighting pests that devour the plants, we finally decided that eggplant just wasn’t a good fit for our garden. Fortunately our homegrown garlic and parsley do add some good flavor to the dish. I hope you’ll join us for the third anniversary of Grow Your Own this month! Posts are due on August 31 and should be sent to me at andreasrecipesgyo AT gmail DOT com. You can find more information at the Grow Your Own page.

(Print this recipe)

BABA GHANNOUJ (BABA GANOUSH)

Adapted from The Complete Middle East Cookbook, by Tess Mallos.

Serves 6.

Equipment

food processor

Ingredients

1 eggplant (12 ounces/375 g)
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup sesame tahini
2 cloves garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 sprigs parsley

SERVE WITH
khoubiz (pita)

Preparation

1. Pierce the eggplant in a few places, then grill the whole eggplant for about 30 to 40 minutes over medium hot coals, turning about every 7 minutes. Peel the skin off while it’s still hot and remove the stem end, then rough chop the flesh. Place it in a colander and drain out the liquid.

2. Add the flesh to the work bowl of the food processor and puree it. Add the lemon juice and tahini and pulse a few times until well mixed.

3. Add the garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt. Process well and add more lemon juice and salt to taste.

4. Add the olive oil and parsley, processing until the parsley is chopped but still visible.

5. Serve in a shallow dish garnished with parsley. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Variation

Roast the eggplant in a 400° F/220° C oven.

Other Eggplant Recipes

More Eggplant Recipes From Around the Blogs

Food Blogga – Easy Baked Eggplant Parmesan

FatFree Vegan – Creamy Creole Eggplant Casserole

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Pan-Fried White Eggplant with Onion, Caper, and Herb Sauce

Viet World –Hmong Spicy Eggplant (Lws Kubtshis Tuav)

Click the button to save this recipe to your Springpad.

Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

Share

Of all the things we sampled, our favorite was the popular Asian tuna, which the cafe serves on ciabatta rolls or as a green salad topping.

The tuna gets a little kick from Sambal Oelek, an Indonesian condiment made from very hot chiles, vinegar, and salt. Sambals vary between countries and regions, and use a variety of chiles, spices, and many other ingredients, so depending on what you have a taste for and what your local Asian grocery store stocks, you can spice up sandwiches and other dishes in dozens of different ways. Just be prepared because this is spicy stuff.

Other samples we tried included the Santa Fe Salad, Southwest Wrap, Turkey Avocado Sandwich, and the Chicken Pesto Pizza, so it’s a good thing we skipped dinner that night.

Recipe Notes

The recipe as distributed at the demonstration yielded a tuna that was much wetter than the version served in the cafe, plus it was much, much spicier, so we adjusted the ingredients amounts to hopefully come closer to the tuna we sampled. The flavor is very good and it makes a delicious stuffing for lettuce wraps, tortillas, tomatoes, on top of cucumber slices for an appetizer, as well as a salad topping. We’ve been stuffing our homegrown heirloom tomatoes with it, and the combination is terrific. Can you guess what kind of tomato is in the photo? It’s Michael’s favorite and we try to grow them every year. Because these tomatoes are sweet, we omit the honey in the tuna and really don’t miss it.

The tuna salad will keep for a day or so, but it tastes best on the day prepared.

(Print this recipe)

ASIAN TUNA SALAD

Adapted from LifeCafe.

Serves 6.

Equipment

3-quart mixing bowl

Ingredients

1/2 cup (120 ml) mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sambal oelek (Indonesian chili paste), or more to taste
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
4 (6 ounce/170 g) cans tuna, drained and chopped (LifeCafe uses white tuna, we opted for light.)
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Preparation

1. In the large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sambal oelek, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, ginger, kosher salt, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes.

2. Add the tuna, carrots, green onions, cilantro, and dried cranberries, then toss to mix well. Use as a stuffing for lettuce wraps, tortilla wraps, tomatoes, on top of thick sliced cucumbers, or on top of green salads.

More Easy Healthy Seafood Recipes

More Healthy Tuna Recipes From Around the Blogs

Simply Recipes – Seared Ahi Tuna with Avocado

Steamy Kitchen – Sesame Seared Tuna with Lime Ginger Vinaigrette

Farmgirl Fare – Swiss Chard Tuna Salad

Kalyn’s Kitchen – Tuna Stuffed Avocado Salad with Tomatoes, Cilantro, and Lime

Click the button to save this recipe to your Springpad.

Thanks for reading this blog through a feed! Copyright © 2005-2010 Andrea Meyers: cooking, gardening & four hungry guys.

Share

The summer heat has hit hard this year with temperatures well into the 90s and higher, and with the humidity factored in it’s downright unbearable some days. Though we use the slow cooker much less in the summertime, on days like this it’s actually a lifesaver. No hot stove, hot oven, or hot grill, just the slow cooker working its magic. Michael’s mom has used this recipe for years and doesn’t know where she got it, but it’s an easy recipe for pulled pork. It’s slightly sweet, not smoky like our chipotle sauce, and a hit with the kids. During out last visit, she had both slider and regular size buns, and the sliders were perfect for the boys.

The original recipe is as simple as it gets, just dump all the ingredients in the slow cooker and turn it on, though you can deepen the flavors by sautéing the onions, peppers, and pork before slow cooking. Either way, you’ll have some tasty sandwiches later.

(Print this recipe)

ANN’S SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK

Serves 8 to 10.

Equipment

4 to 5-quart slow cooker

Ingredients

3 pounds (1.362 kilos) pork shoulder or picnic roast, trimmed and cubed
2 medium onions, chopped
3 green peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup (55 g) brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar
6 ounces (170 g) tomato paste
1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

1. In the large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the pork cubes until browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker, reserving the pan drippings. Add the chopped onion and green peppers, and sauté until the onions glisten. Transfer the onions, peppers, and the drippings to the slow cooker.

2. Add the brown sugar, vinegar, tomato paste, chili powder, mustard, salt, and Worcestershire sauce to the slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or set it on Auto for 6 to 7 hours.

More Pork Recipes

More Pulled Pork Recipes From Around the Blogs

Homesick Texan – Texas Pulled Pork

Sunday Nite Dinner – Vietnamese Pulled Pork

White on Rice Couple – Smoked Pulled Pork

Use Real Butter – Carolina-Style Pulled Pork

Click the button to save this recipe to your Springpad.

Share