Onion Strings

Onion Strings are less of a recipe and more of a technique. All you need are onions, a bit of flour, salt and pepper, optionally a pinch of cayenne and oil for deep frying. The only thing special you need is a Japanese spiral slicer. These are the gadgets sushi bars use for making the shredded daikon that is served as an accompaniment. The down side is that they are fairly expensive, you can find them in stores that sell Japanese cooking equipment and are pretty easy to find online. They are the sort of thing that if you saw an infomercial you're immediate reaction would be "yeah right". I had a friend who was a chef that had one and the first time I saw her use one, my immediate reaction was.. I've got to get one of those.

This is the slicer I have. Mine is a vertical model and they also sell horizontal ones but I don't have any experience with those.



Peel, top and tail a good sized onion. You can use any color you want. I generally just use yellow onions. Center the onion on the pin on the slicer and have the root end towards the top.



Press the retaining pins in the crank down hard into the onion. The straighter you cut the onion the more secure it is in the cutter. Turn the cutter clockwise and press down gently as you turn. The strings will come out of the bottom. Make sure you pull them out of the bottom of the cutter so they don't clog.



The finished strings. I'm usually making them just for myself, so only use one onion. It probably takes longer to wash the cutter up after you use it than it does to make the strings.



Toss the strings with flour seasoned with a little salt and pepper. Rice flour or corn starch also work well too. I sometimes add a pinch of cayenne as well



Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer (I use a wok) to 350° Fry the strings in batches until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels, season with a bit of kosher salt. You can keep them warm in a 250° oven while you cook the remaining batches.

Pickled Vegetables

For pickling liquid
2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
3 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes

For vegetables
1 head cauliflower (2 lb), trimmed and broken into 1- to 1 1/2-inch florets (6 cups)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices (2 cups)
4 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch-thick slices (3 cups)
1 cup drained bottled whole peperoncini (4 oz)
1 cup large brine-cured green olives (preferably Sicilian; 6 oz)
1/2 cup oil-cured black olives (6 oz)
Preparation
Make pickling liquid:
Bring pickling-liquid ingredients to a boil in a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Transfer to a 4-quart nonreactive bowl and cool about 30 minutes.

Cook vegetables:
Bring about 6 quarts unsalted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot. Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. Add cauliflower to pot and boil until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to ice bath to stop cooking. Cook remaining vegetables separately in same manner, allowing 4 minutes each for bell peppers and carrots and 2 minutes for celery. Drain vegetables in a colander and spread out on 2 large kitchen towels to dry.

Add cooked vegetables, peperoncini, and olives to pickling liquid. Weight vegetables with a plate to keep them submerged, then chill, covered, at least 1 day.

Asparagus and Prosciutto Cigars

24 - 36 asparagus spears, depending on size

1/2 (16-ounce) package frozen phyllo dough sheets, thawed

6 slices of prosciutto, cut in half

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Trim off the tough ends of the asparagus to so all spears are of uniform length. Unwrap the phyllo and lay it out on the counter, covered with plastic wrap and a clean, damp towel to prevent drying.

Lay out one sheet of phyllo on a clean surface. Brush the sheet with melted butter and lay a second sheet on top. Brush the second sheet with butter, and sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese.

Cut the sheets of phyllo in half lengthwise. Lay one slice of prosciutto at the bottom of the short end of the strip of phyllo Lay 2 - 3 asparagus spears (depending on size) on top of the prosciutto and gently roll the packet, jelly-role style. Place each cigar on a baking sheet, seam side down. Brush with more melted butter and sprinkle with more Parmesan. Repeat until all the asparagus spears are wrapped in phyllo.

Place baking sheet in a pre-heated oven and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.

Yields 12 cigars.

Baked Eggplants and Tomatoes with Bread Crumbs and Basil

This is a recipe from the Chez Panisse cookbook by paul Bertolli and Alice Waters. I've made it several times and even confirmed eggplant haters can't get enough of it. It's best made in the summer when you can get good beefsteak tomatoes.

3 globe eggplants (about 2 pounds)
3 large beefsteak tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
12 ounces of sourdough bread, to yield about 2 1/2 cups of bread crumbs
4 tbl unsalted butter
2 tbl freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For the vinaigrette
2 large cloves of garlic minced
1 tbl plus 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tbl chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400°F
Put a large pot of water on to boil

Peel the eggplant and cut into 1/2" thick slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place salted side down in a non reactive 16"x10" baking dish and salt and pepper the other side. Pour just enough water to cover the bottom of the dish (about 1/8" deep) cover the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour until the eggplant is soft but not mushy.

Melt the butter and mix with the breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet and place in the oven with the eggplant for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Core the tomatoes and drop in the boiling water for 15 seconds then remove and drop in cold water. When you can handle the tomatoes remove the skins and cut into 1/2" thick slices.

Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking the vinegar, salt, pepper and garlic together until the salt dissolves then slowly add the olive oil whisking to blend. Add 2 tbl of the chopped basil.

When the eggplant is cooked remove from the baking sheet and transfer to a plate to cool. Discard the juices from the eggplant.

Once everything is cool enough to handle cut the eggplant and tomatoes into half moon shapes and layer in the same baking dish you cooked the eggplant in, alternating a slice of each cut edge down overlapping them in the pan. Fill in any gaps with any extra slices you may have.

Stir the vinaigrette and spoon it over the slices distributing the garlic and basil evenly. lightly salt and pepper. You can stop at this poin and the vegetables can be held covered for up to 3 hours before baking.

To finish: preheat the oven to 350°F Scatter the Parmesan over and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over and bake 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly and garnish with the remaining 2tbl of chopped basil.