At last Saturday’s farmers’ market in Columbus I had a booth selling homemade soups from market products. It was fun, but so very hot! I was next to Black Creek Farms (Scott and Lydia Enlow) and a basket of the most beautiful purple (aubergine) Asian eggplants. They ranged from deep almost-black to white with whisps of purple. Several other vendors also had beautiful globe eggplants as well.
I listened as customers talked about how they cook their eggplant. Many either grill slices on a well-oiled grill or brush olive oil on thin slices and grill in a pan over the coals. Some slice and cook on a pan in the oven.
One lady came by and carefully selected several pounds of the long thin Asian variety. She picked quickly but with a sure hand, and I could tell she was going to do something special. She told me that she was making eggplant curry.
Now, it may seem that we are in Opposite Land to think of eating something hot (temperature or spice-wise), in summer in Mississippi. But hold on there. There is a proven scientific occurrence called “gustatory facial sweating.” As your body ingests the heat your internal temperature rises and your blood circulation increases. You sweat and you cool off.
Now, the Huffington Post made this all sound so simple, yet when I read more from The Smithsonian it seems that it isn’t. You have to sweat more than your body is heating up in order to cool off. And the moisture has to evaporate, so it may not be so cool on our muggiest days. However, it does seem to work in Thailand, India and Mexico to name a few of our hottest countries. So why not give it a try?
While you are at it, look around for homemade curry recipes. Some of the ingredients may not be easy to find here, but as with all cooking, the fresher the ingredients, the better the dish. I am including one that doesn’t look too complicated, from my friend Nancy McDermott. Her cookbook is “Quick & Easy Thai.”
CURRIED EGGPLANT WITH TOMATOES AND BASIL
Serves 4
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1 eggplant (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (preferably Greek), optional
(Source: realsimple.com)
QUICK RED CURRY PASTE
Makes about 3/4 cup
3 large dried red New Mexican or Anaheim chili peppers
10 small dried red chilies, such as arbol or chiles japones
1/2 cup coarsely chopped shallots or onions
1/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
(Source: “Quick and Easy Thai,” Nancy McDermott)
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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