One Local Summer Week #6

Wow, has it really been six weeks? I've enjoyed every meal of it, but I think this week's was my favorite. Unfortunately, this is also going to be a rather short post, sans photos, as I've just arrived on the East coast for an extended weekend....

The inspiration for this week came in the form of slender, white fruit: baby eggplant. It was the first i'd seen all season, and it was irresistible. Not only was it irresistible, but I knew what I'd do with it the moment i bought it: Caponata. Caponata is a typical Sicilian dish, one that I'd discovered for the first time during a restaurant visit a few weeks ago. Its similar to baba ganoush in that purees cooked eggplant, mingles it with garlic and spices and creates a bewitching spread. In the restaurant where I discovered it, it was used as a bed for a filet of fish to rest on, and I intended to reproduce the effect in this week's meal. Local sea bass--the last of the batch I had frozen from a few weeks ago--paired perfectly with the luscious caponata.

Always searching for local starches, I "cheated" a bit this week and used flour from Oregon to create homemade pasta--which although the flour wasn't local was immensely satisfying. I was surprised at the ease at which I was able to craft tiny orichette-inspired pasta pieces--my dough wasn't as thin as it should have been but the result was as good as any homemade pasta I've tried. I'll definitely be repeating this one.

And, because I can't get enough of the peppery, tangy arugula that's in season right now (the farmer that sells it to me is now reserving a bunch twice a week, because I'm so eager to buy it each time I go to the market), I made local arugula pesto, complete with local sharp gouda and local macadamia nuts.

Here's how I crafted my meal:

Sea Bass in Paper

Looking for an Italian recipe for the fish, I came across Sea Bass in Papillote on Epicurious, an easy variation of sea bass cooked in paper (this recipe uses foil). Using tomatoes from our garden, plus local lemons, thyme, and Italian parsley, I followed the recipe almost exactly (omitted the capers--don't have any local). It was a no-brainer, and delicious! The thinly sliced lemons imparted a delicate citrus flavor that was perfect for a summer evening.


Homemade "orichette" with arugula pesto

Pesto (partially inspired by a similar recipe from elise.com:
1 bunch arugula
1/4 cup macadamia nuts (or other nut--walnuts, hazelnuts, and pine nuts would all lend different, distinct flavors)
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/4 cup sharp gouda, grated
1/2 cup olive oil

dice arugula
crush nuts, roast in toaster oven or over stove for 5-10 minutes, until gently browned
toast garlic in pan over medium heat, skins on, about 10 minutes until skin browns. Let cool and remove garlic from skin
puree all ingredients except oil in food processor until fine. Slowly pour in oil, pulsing to combine.

Pasta
I used a recipe from my favorite source --simply using eggs and flour. The secret was combining the dough in the food processor, which took seconds and integrated it perfectly. I used no fancy equipment other than a rolling pin--it worked just fine.

I then cut the rolled dough into 1/2 to 3/4" squares, pressing my thumb into each to form "little ears" (inspired by the orichette shape)


eggplant caponata with roasted red peppers
For this, I relied on two recipes, a simple one from epicurious, and one from Mario Batali of New York's Otto restaurant.

Here's my interpretation:

6 baby eggplant, skins on
1 red bell pepper
1 small red onion
one carrot
garlic
1 large heirloom tomato, diced
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp. hot pepper flakes
2 tbsp red wine
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and diced
3 sprigs thyme

slice eggplant lengthwise, salt generously and place in colander, beneath a heavy plate. Let sit for 30 minutes.
meanwhile brush red bell pepper with oil and roast over open flame of gas burner for 7-10 minutes, turning as needed, until skin is blackened. Transfer to paper bag, let cool, then gently peel off blackened skin and dice.
rinse eggplant and dice

heat oil over medium heat, add onion and carrot and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, stir for 30 seconds.
Add eggplant, tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon, and hot pepper flakes. cook for 10 minutes. Add red wine and cook, covered, for 10 minutes more, until eggplant is cooked through.
Add red pepper, olives, and thyme and cook 5 minutes more, uncovered.
Let mixture cool slightly, then transfer to food processor. Puree and refrigerate, covered for at least 2 hours and up to 12.


Ooh, I wish I had photos because this meal came out perfectly!! I'll post some next week upon my return...