What to do with all the aubergine (eggplant)?

We have now moved to Samoa and can no longer justify buying the imported veg (broccoli and peppers) that we have come to rely on!!  We have to get creative with what is available locally.....that being a LOT of cheap aubergine! This week I mashed some smoked (over the hob) aubergine and put it inside pastry cases.  That was moderately successful.

I found this tasty recipe online - it worked pretty well except next time I will add more water because the pork that was sitting on top in the oven dried out.  Overall though, the taste was great and is pretty easy to get all the ingredients here.  We ate it with rice and sorry there is no picture.  This is from the BBC so it must be good.

Asian Pork and Aubergine Hotpot

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 750g fatty pork , such as shoulder or skinless belly, cut into large chunks
• 2 aubergines , cut into large chunks
• 2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
• 5 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 onions , chopped
• very large knob fresh root ginger , peeled and finely sliced
• 1 red chilli , deseeded and sliced
• 1 bunch coriander , leaves and stalks separated, stalks finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• juice 1 large lime

1. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in an ovenproof sauté pan and brown the meat well (you may have to do this in batches), then scoop out of the pan. Add the rest of the oil and the aubergine, brown on all sides, scoop out and add to the pork. Tip the sugar into the pan and leave to caramelise slightly, then return the pork and aubergine to the pan with the star anise and cinnamon, then coat in the sticky caramel.
2. Add the onions, ginger and half the chilli, and cook for a few mins with the pork. Add the coriander stalks and splash in the fish sauce and enough water to come about a third of the way up. Cover and place the dish, undisturbed, in the oven for 1 hr, then remove from the oven and add the lime juice and more fish sauce to taste. Stir through half the coriander leaves and the remaining chilli, and scatter over the rest of the coriander. You should have a hotpot of tender meat with soft aubergines all in a punchy little sauce.

Lucy's Dad's Recipe for a Healthy Meal

This is a chicken dish that is especially good for improving all life functions and reducing weight.

All the ingredients are available in Lidl stores, but no doubt with a little patience and some detective work they could be sourced in AmSam

Ingredients and method:
Take a boned chicken breast per person and put it in a polythene bag together with some chopped garlic, soy sauce, salt & pepper, a little bit of oil, (and anything else you fancy.... ginger maybe) and seal it up in the fridge for a few hours.

 Then, just before dinner:-

take a mansized bowl per person and chop the following into it:

Crispy lettuce,
Asparagus spears (from my garden in this case, but tinned would be ok)
Beetroot
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Red pepper..... or any others you can get
Green olives ..... from a salt solution rather than olive oil
Fresh avocado spooned out in teaspoon sized bits
Some Heinz salad dressing stirred into the lettuce (if you are a proper food gipsy)
A good dessert spoonful of low fat cottage cheese.

anything else you can get your hands on .... eg fresh young banana (Misu Cavendishii being the preferred variety, which is very readily available in AmSam). Tinned mandarin orange well drained. fresh mango/pineapple/papaya. etc etc.

When you are ready to eat chop some mushrooms into quarters and fry them and the chicken in olive oil until the chicken is cooked through. Cut the cooked chicken into chunks or slices and serve hot on the cold salad.

Vegan Gyoza (Dumplings) with Oats

Found this recipe in Japanese and arranged the ingredients in my style. I'm not a vegan, but surprisingly these dumplings are so similar texture to the meat and tasted really good, and of course a lot healthier with lots of fiber, less calories, and no saturated fat.

Ingredients:
10 leaves of Chinese cabbage
4 pcs dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 cups oats
2 cloves garlic
3 slices ginger
pepper
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp sesami oil
2 tbsp water from dried shiitake
25 pcs dumpling dough

Preparation:
Hydrate shiitake mushroom in luke warm water for an hour or till it gets soft. Save some water.

Direction:
1. Mince Chinese cabagge, mushrooms, garlic and ginger.
2. Mix all the ingredients and water from mushroom (it adds some flavor) well with hand.
3. Wrap that in the dough and seal the dough with water.
4. Heat the frying pan in medium-high heat, pour a tbsp of oil, put dumplings and color only the bottom of the dumplings till they are golden brown.
5. Add hot water in the pan (about 1cm from the bottom of the pan), put a lid on it, lower the heat and steam it for 5-6 min.
6. Drain the excess water by using the lid, keep frying for a minute or so to dry the water (to make dumplings crispy), and sprinkle tiny bit of sesame oil over the dumplings for the flavor.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:
- For the dip, I normally mix soy sauce, vinegar (about 1:1) and some spicy sauce.
- You can use ground pork or ground beef instead of oats if you want.

Momma Pittkin's Banana Cake

This is a great recipe for using up bananas that have turned brown and mushy - it's actually a lot easier to make this cake with ones like that. Also, I recommend doing this with a bundt pan, but you can use whatever baking dish you have. If you'd like to borrow my bundt pan, you're welcome to it as soon as I can get it back from Jesse (THE JUICE IS RUNNIN!)

INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 4 tbsp sour cream
- 1 cup mashed bananas
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 tsp salt
- chocolate chips and/or almonds and/or walnuts

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs (lightly beaten) and baking soda dissolved in sour cream. Beat well. Add banana, flour, salt, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly. Add chocolate chips to taste (if you like), and/or 1/2 cup of nuts. Bake in a well greased and floured bundt pan for 35-45 minutes. Instead of chocolate chips, you can also use blueberries. Another option is to use a little less banana and add a 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Ginger Bok Choy & Soba

This receipe was sent to me by Marion's grandaughter that lives in Florida!
"Marion tells me that you all have a lot of bok choy in Samoa. I have a delicious recipe for your website from a great vegan cookbook called Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz." (Brittany Sears)

8 oz soba noodles (or rice noodles)
1 tsp peanut or vegetable oil
1 bunch bok choy, leaves and stems separated, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 small red onion, cut thinly into half-moons
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 TB soy sauce

Prepare soba noodles according to package directions. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the bok coy stems (not the leaves yet) and the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Sate for another minute or so. Add the bok choy leaves and soy sauce. Saute for another minute, until the leaves are wilted.

By this time, the noodles should be ready. Add the drained noodles to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes, using a pasta spoon, making sure everything is nice and coated. Serve immediately.

Personal note: This dish is FAB topped with dry-fried tofu with a little chile paste or hoisin.

Cuban Flan

Some of you have had the pleasure of enjoying this already. For those who haven't, this is one of the greatest desserts and really easy to make. Recipe was given to me by a Cuban grandmother, so each flan comes with its own Certificate of Authenticity.

ITEMS NEEDED:
9x5 bread pan
large baking dish to hold bread pan in water bath

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 Cup Sugar
- 6 Eggs
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 or 4 oz of Cream Cheese (depending on how thick you like it - I recommend 4)
- 1 Can Evaporated Milk (as far as I know only come in one size)
- 1 Can Condensed Milk

PREPARATION:

Pre-heat oven at 375. May have to adjust this depending on your oven.

Melt 1 Cup of Sugar in saucepan at medium heat. Occasionally stir gently so sugar melts evenly. Once sugar is melted to syrupy consistency, pour into the 9x5 bread pan. Tilt bread pan to coat all sides evenly with the caramel sauce. You'll have to do this quickly as the sauce will cool rapidly and harden. Set bread pan aside to cool.

In mixing bowl, combine eggs, vanilla, cream cheese, evaporated milk, and condensed milk. You can mix this with a whisk or blender. Try to make the cream cheese blend as well as possible, although you'll still be left at the end with little bits floating. THIS IS OKAY! DO NOT PANIC! Pour mixture into loaf pan and enjoy cracking sound as caramel hardens.

Fill larger baking pan about half full with water. Place the bread pan inside - the water should come up about 2/3 of the way up the side of the bread pan. Cover loosely with tin foil and bake in oven for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a knife - you want it to come out clean. The flan should have a spongy consistency, but not jiggly.

Remove from water bath and allow flan to cool to room temperature. Use knife to loosen around the edges and flip flan into serving dish, letting all the syrup drizzle over top and puddle around it. Refrigerate for at least one hour to chill. Slice and serve, drizzling syrup over top.

Megan's Sesame Soba Noodles with Cucumber, Bok Choy and Mixed Greens

"In keeping with the Asian theme, here is a great recipe for your website; it was actually sent to the both of us back in '09 by the incomparable Ms. Prairie Bly. I make it every now and then, and most importantly, Sean actually eats it, which is a pretty big deal in light of his hatred of vegetables. He'll even go back for seconds. I have never been able to amass all of the vegetables for this recipe at one time, but any substitutions or deletions do not seem to effect the overall awesomeness of this light, summery meal. Nearly all of the Asian ingredients are readily available at KS Mart." (Megan Goldfarb, May 2011)

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel
2 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper, divided
1/3 cup canola oil
8 ounces soba noodles
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
3 cups (loosely packed) mixed baby greens
2 heads of baby bok choy, cored, thinly sliced crosswise
1 English hothouse cucumber, cut into matchstick-size strips
3 green onions, cut into matchstick-size strips
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro plus sprigs for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Salted roasted peanuts

PREPARATION
Puree first 9 and 1 teaspoon red pepper in blender until smooth. With machine running, gradually add canola oil through opening in lid. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

Cook soba noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Using kitchen shears, cut noodles crosswise in 2 to 3 places. Drizzle noodles in strainer with sesame oil and toss to coat.

Place greens, bok choy, cucumber, green onions, chopped cilantro, and mint in large bowl. Add 1 teaspoon red pepper, dressing, and noodles; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and peanuts and serve