Tomato and eggplant salad

If you like fried eggplant here is an idea for a salad you might love. Start with a bed of greens, top with fried eggplant slices, add chopped tomatoes and basil and finish with a little olive oil and white balsamic.

Ingredients: (Serves four):

2 Medium Eggplant

2 Eggs

1 TBSP Milk

Italian Bread Crumbs

Salt and Pepper

Box of Spring Greens 

Tomatoes (I used Cherry Tomatoes)

15-20 Fresh Basil Leaves

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

White Balsamic Vinegar

Preparation:

Cut off the top and bottom of the eggplant so that they will stand upright. Remove skin from eggplant using a sharp knife. (You can leave the skin on if desired.  I prefer taking it off.) Lay eggplant on it's side and slice into 1/4" thick slices. Crack eggs into a shallow flat dish and whisk with the milk. Put about 1/2 Cup Italian bread crumbs into another shallow flat dish. Dip eggplant slices into the milk and egg mixture and then into the Italian bread crumbs to coat. Salt and pepper both sides of each slice. Put 3-4 TBSP of the olive oil in a large skillet over med. high heat. 

 Saute the eggplant until tender and golden brown on each side.

Lay eggplant on paper towels to absorb some of the oil. You will need three to five slices of fried eggplant per person depending on the size of the eggplant slices. 

Cut tomatoes into small bite sized pieces. I used cherry tomatoes and cut each one into four pieces. Chiffonade the basil.  

To assemble the salads put a handful of the spring green mix on each plate. Top with fried eggplant slices and then the tomatoes. Spread ribbons of basil on tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and dress with 2 parts Olive Oil and one part White Balsamic. You can use regular balsamic if you don't have white. You can also add small pieces of fresh mozzarella to the salad if desired. 

Plaza III Steak Soup

Plaza III was a wonderful restaurant that was on the Plaza in Kansas City for years. The Plaza location closed a while back and they tried to reopen in a couple of other locations, but sadly they are all gone now. They were noted for their steak soup and we have an old recipe book called "Kansas City Cuisine" that contains the recipe.  The book was first published in 1990, and is a sampling of menu items from a number of Kansas City restaurants, many of which are no longer in business. At any rate here is the recipe for Plaza III Steak Soup:

Ingredients: (Serves 8)

8 TBSP Butter

1/2 Cup Flour

4 10 Oz. cans Beef Consomme'

1/2 Cup Diced Carrots

1/2 Cup Diced Onion

1/2 Cup Diced Celery

1 Cup of Drained Diced Canned Tomatoes

11/2 tsp Kitchen Bouquet

2 Beef Bullion Cubes

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

10 Oz. Frozen Mixed Vegetables

1 LB. Ground Beef Steak, browned and drained

Preparation:

Place butter in a soup pot and allow to melt without browning. Add flour and whisk into butter to form a roux. Cook the roux for 2-3 minutes over medium heat without browning and stirring constantly. Add consomme' to the roux and stir until smooth and slightly thickened. Bring to a full boil. (Yesterday I substituted salt free beef stock for the consomme' and thickened it a little with Better than Bullion beef base and eliminated the bullion cubes). 

Add the fresh vegetables, tomatoes, and seasonings and allow to return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are crisp tender (20 -30 min.) Add frozen vegetables and ground steak. (I diced filet mignon instead of using ground beef). Simmer an additional 15 minutes. Be sure to cook long enough to let the flavors become well blended. 

KC Food Lovers

 I joined a Facebook group called KC Food Lovers. Members of the group are mostly people like me who really enjoy food and cooking. The purpose of the group is to allow members to share dishes they have prepared and to trade recipes and tips. I admit I have become somewhat obsessed with posting pictures of what I cook and viewing what other group members have done. If you are interested in cooking and you must be if you are reading this Blog, then you might think it would be fun to join the group too. The link is: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1458979147763843

It is a public group and anyone can join. 

Here are some pictures from my recent posts in the group.

White Chicken Chili

Peach Crumble Cake

Chicken Pot Pie

 

Seafood Pot Pie

Honey Roasted Carrots

Herb Brined and Grilled Pork Loin

Berry Galette and Custard Apple Tart

Hope you give it a try and have fun !!