Recipes: Pastrami with Eggs and Eggplant

PASTRAMI WITH EGGS AND EGGPLANT

Serves 2 to 4.

Note: For a hearty breakfast, brunch or supper dish, eggplant is a good addition to eggs with pastrami or with any sliced spicy sausages or cured meats. I find the eggplant improves the flavor of these egg-and-meat dishes, making them lighter and not too salty. For this dish the eggs are poached in a mixture of eggplant, sautéed onion and tomato, but you can scramble them instead. Serve the dish with fresh pita bread or other good flatbread.

• 2 to 4 slices beef or turkey pastrami, cut in thin strips

• 1 to 2 tbsp. vegetable oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 fairly small eggplant (1/2 to 3/4 lb.), cut in small dice

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped, optional

• 1 large tomato, cut in small dice

• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

• 4 eggs

Directions

Make 4 depressions in vegetable mixture. Break each egg into a cup and slide it into a depression. Sprinkle eggs lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle meat strips around eggs. Cover and cook for 2 more minutes or until eggs are done to your taste. Serve hot.

SPICY STEWED EGGPLANT

Serves 4.

Note: This savory dish gains its flavor from my mother-in-law's Yemenite seasonings. For extra zip, she always put some of her homemade garlic-hot pepper relish on the table so people could stir some into their stew. The eggplant makes a delicious vegetarian entree with rice or a good accompaniment for chicken, lamb or beef. As an easy variation, you can substitute 1 tablespoon curry powder for the spices.

• 11/4 lb. eggplant

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 6 large garlic cloves, minced

• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

• 1 tsp. ground coriander, optional

• 1/2 tsp. turmeric

• 11/2 lb. ripe tomatoes, diced, or 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes, juice reserved

• 1 tbsp. tomato paste, optional

• 1 to 2 tsp. hot pepper paste, chili garlic paste or hot sauce, or to taste

Directions

Cut eggplant in 3/4 - or 1-inch dice. Heat oil in a heavy stew pan, add onion and sauté over medium heat for 7 minutes or until golden brown. Stir in garlic. Add diced eggplant, cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and stir over medium-low heat until eggplant is coated with onion mixture.

VERMICELLI WITH JAPANESE EGGPLANT, BASIL AND PARMESAN

Serves 4 as appetizer.

Note: This dish is perfect for mid- or late summer, matching the eggplant and pasta with favorite Mediterranean flavor accents -- olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, basil and a touch of Parmesan. I like to use delicate Japanese or Chinese eggplants, as they make small, attractive slices, but you can substitute Italian eggplants or use regular globe eggplant cut in quarter slices. If you like, add pitted black olives and capers, or replace the Parmesan with the more pungent Pecorino-Romano or with crumbled feta cheese.

• 8 oz. Japanese or Chinese eggplants

• 2 red or yellow bell peppers, or 1 yellow and 1 red, seeds and ribs discarded, optional

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

• 4 large garlic cloves, minced

• 12 oz. ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped; or 11/4 c. chopped drained canned tomatoes

• 8 oz. vermicelli

• 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

Cut eggplants in crosswise slices about 1/4-inch thick. Cut peppers in strips about 2- by 1/4-inch.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant, quickly sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté about 2 minutes per side or until tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer to an ovenproof platter.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and heat over medium heat. Add peppers and sauté about 10 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a platter. Cover eggplant and peppers and keep warm in a 350-degree oven.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and heat over medium-low heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1/2 minute. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook over high heat, stirring often, about 10 minutes or until soft and thick. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep warm over low heat.

Add remaining 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil to pasta and toss. Add tomato sauce and toss. Reserve a few eggplant slices, pepper strips and basil strips for garnish. Add remaining eggplant and peppers to pasta and toss. Add remaining basil and 1/4 cup Parmesan and toss again. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Scatter reserved pepper strips over top; arrange eggplant slices in ring on top near edge of bowl and sprinkle basil strips in center. Serve hot, sprinkled with freshly ground pepper, and with a bowl of extra Parmesan.

GRILLED CHICKEN AND EGGPLANT IN TOMATO CILANTRO SAUCE

Serves 4.

Note: This dish is often made with stewed beef instead of chicken. To make it lighter and faster, I use boneless chicken thighs, and I grill the chicken and the eggplant instead of frying them. They need only brief braising together to absorb flavor from the savory tomato sauce accented with garlic and allspice. Substitute dill or Italian parsley for the cilantro if you prefer. If you like, you can use boneless chicken breasts instead of thighs.

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 lb. ripe tomatoes, peeled, or 1 (28-oz.) can tomatoes with their juice

• 6 large garlic cloves, chopped

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1/2 to 1 tsp. ground allspice, or to taste, plus a little more for sprinkling

• 11/4 to 11/2 lb. eggplant (1 large or 2 medium), cut in crosswise slices about 3/8-inch thick

• 11/4 to 1 1/2 lb. boneless chicken thighs or breasts, with skin

• 2 to 3 tsp. lemon juice, optional

• Cayenne pepper to taste, optional

• 4 tbsp. chopped cilantro, divided

Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil in a stew pan. Add onion and sauté over medium heat for 7 minutes or until golden. Chop fresh or canned tomatoes and add to the pan. Add garlic, salt, pepper and 1/2 teaspoon allspice, and bring to a boil, stirring often. Stir in broth. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until thickened.

Prepare a grill or heat broiler with rack about 4 inches from heat source; or heat a ridged stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush grill rack lightly with oil. Brush eggplant with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add enough slices to make 1 layer in grill without crowding. Grill or broil for 3 or 4 minutes on each side or until nearly tender; remove. Continue with remaining slices.

Rub chicken with oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and allspice on both sides. Grill or broil chicken until nearly tender, about 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken skin if you like. Cut each chicken piece in 3 or 4 pieces. Quarter eggplant slices.

Taste sauce for seasoning, and add lemon juice, cayenne and more allspice if you like. Stir in 3 tablespoons cilantro. Add chicken and eggplant to stew pan and spoon sauce over them. Bring barely to a boil. Cover and simmer, occasionally stirring gently, for 5 minutes or until done. (See Variation below if you prefer to bake them instead.)

Eggplant should be tender when pierced with a fork. Cut into a thick chicken piece; its color should be white, not pink. If sauce is too thin, remove eggplant and chicken with a slotted spoon and simmer sauce until thickened. Serve eggplant and chicken in sauce, sprinkled with remaining cilantro.

EGGPLANT WITH BROWNED ONIONS, MILD CHILIES AND YOGURT GARLIC SAUCE

Serves 4 as appetizer.

Note: This appetizer of eggplant braised with chilies and tomatoes is popular among Persians and Afghanis. Traditionally, it is made with fried eggplant, but today many cooks broil the eggplant to make it lighter, as in this version. For the best flavor, brown the onions thoroughly, as they impart a delicate sweetness to the eggplant and contrast pleasantly with the yogurt. If you like, serve this dish as a light entree with fresh flatbread or Basmati rice.

• 1 c. plain yogurt, drained of any liquid

• 1 medium garlic clove, very finely minced

• Salt

• 2 slender eggplants or 1 large eggplant (total 11/4 to 11/2 lb.), cut in slices 1/4- in. thick

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil (for onions) plus oil spray or 5 to 6 tsp. oil (for eggplant)

• Freshly ground pepper

• 2 large onions, halved and sliced thin

• 1 large ripe tomato, halved and sliced thin

• 1/4 tsp. hot red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

Mix yogurt with garlic, mint and salt to taste. Reserve at room temperature.

Preheat broiler. Arrange eggplant in one layer on a foil-lined baking sheet or in broiler pan. Spray eggplant with oil spray or brush lightly with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for 5 minutes. Turn slices over, spray or brush with oil again and broil for 4 to 5 minutes or until just tender.