John's Babaghanoush

This is not authentic, but close. Due to the lack of tahini (a traditional ingredient) I used what I had...

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, cut lengthwise

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Sprinkle eggplant halves with a little olive oil and salt and pepper and place on a medium-hot grill for about 30-40 minutes until very soft (don't worry if they get a bit dark - that is flavor!).

Once the eggplant has cooled scrape the flesh from the skin and add all other ingredients. Mash with a fork or potato masher until just a bit chunky.

Serve with good bread or homemade pita bread!

Roasted Garlic Potato Salad

Ingredients:

3 pounds new potatoes (I like getting some of the red, white and blue for color)

1 Tablespoon finely chopped dill or tarragon

1 head garlic

1/2 cup mayonaise

1 Tablespoons sour cream or yogurt

Dash tobasco sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Cut the garlic head in half and sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until soft and golden brown. Remove and let cool. Squeeze into a bowl and mash to a paste with the olive oil.

Wash and cut the potatoes into halves or quarters. Boil for 20-30 minutes in well salted water until just fork tender. Drain and set aside in a bowl to cool for 30 minutes.

Mix the mayo, sour cream, herbs, roasted garlic, tobasco and salt and pepper and taste to adjust seasoning. Mix gently into the potatoes so as not to break them up too much. Let cool to room temperature and serve.

Mexican Inspired Marinade

This is a great marinade for pork, flank steak or even chicken. You can add extra peppers for spiciness! Also, the longer the marinate, the spicier the meat.

Marinade:

2 cans of chipotle peppers in adobo

1-2 jalapeno peppers, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 shallot, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

Small bunch parsley and cilantro, coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper

Water if necessary to thin

Directions:

Place all ingredients (except water) into blender and pulse just a few times to blend to a chunky consistency. Place over meat and marinate for at least 2 hours.

Put leftover marinade into a pot and bring to a boil then strain for a nice, spicy sauce.

Mexican Inspired Potato Salad

X pounds potatoes

x cup mayonnaise

x T chopped cilantro

x chipotle peppers (in adobo), ground finely or blended smooth

x shallots, chopped finely

x jalapeno, chopped with or without seeds (depending on heat desired)

John's German Potato Salad

This is a riff on the traditional German potato salad, but with some influence from my Mom's family's recipe as well.

Ingredients:

3 lbs. potatoes, peeled

1 medium onion, fine dice

5 slices good bacon, slided into "lardons"

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 T mustard seeds

1/3 cup sour cream

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Peel and cut potatoes into quarters then slice about 1/4" thick. Place in water and bring to a boil, cooking until just tender (don't overcook them!) about 15 minutes.

Combine vinegars and mustard seeds and set aside.

Cook bacon pieces until crisp. Reserve a little for garnish, then add onion and cook for just a minute or two to soften slightly. Add vinegar and mustard seeds to hot pan and cook for one minute then turn off the heat.

Once the potatoes are done, add the bacon/vinegar mixture, olive oil, parsley, sour cream, salt and pepper and gently fold together. Let cool to room temperature on the counter to let the flavors meld together.

Garnish with hard boiled eggs (sliced), reserved crispy bacon and extra parsley.