Wednesday, September 20, 2006

The latest book meme

1. One book that changed your life: On the Beach by Nevil Shute

2. One book that you've read more than once:Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: The Riverside Shakespeare

4. One book that made you laugh: The Death of David Debrizzi by Paul Micou

5. One book that made you cry: On the Beach by Nevil Shute

6. One book that you wish had been written: Daddy Fix It Please?

7. One book you wish had never been written: There are several on this list - mostly religious in nature.

8. One book you're currently reading: Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

9. One book you've been meaning to read: The Queen of the South by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

You say tomayto... I say tomahto....


Last week my friend Ben brought me a tomato from his garden (shameless plug - that's Ben from "Hilltop Herbs" in Alexandria - catch him at the Clarendon Farmer's Market on Wednesday afternoon or the Old Town Farmer's Market on Saturday morning).

I had already picked some rosemary from my garden...


And then this past Saturday I stopped in at Ellwood Thompson's and picked up this lovely eggplant , known to some as the "sacred vegetable".



Now, a number of years ago, I picked up a cookbook in London with an excellent stuffed eggplant recipe but I didn't have all the ingredients this evening. On the other hand, I tend to be a culinary pirate. I see recipes more as sort of...guidlines... So without further ado, I sliced the eggplant in half and hollowed the halves out. I sautéed some onions in olive oil and added the eggplant flesh along with some mushrooms and some chopped cashews. I let that cook for about 10 minutes and then added breadcrumbs mixed with oregano and rosemary as well as a cup of quinoa. I stuffed the eggplants, topped them with the loveliest of slices from the wonderful tomato which Ben brought me, covered it all with a nice little bit of cheese (Chimay fromage) and baked it at 350ºF for about 45 min. C'est magnifique!!!