If you are foodie and ever have an opportunity to visit Ann Arbor, MI you really must take it. It is a foodie fantasy land-AMAZING restaurants, sidewalk cafés, markets, bars... you name it you can buy it in Ann Arbor (A2.) Actually, although I'm sure some NY foodies will contest my saying so, but many rare or ethnic ingredients are easier to find in A2 than in Manhattan and they are much cheaper. How many college towns also boast an upscale Eastern European grocery (Copernicus,) Brazilian market (Brasilamerica,) or any number of Middle Eastern and East Asian groceries? My hands-down favorite foodie destination in A2 if you only have time for a quick stop would have to be Zingerman's delicatessen. (www.zingermans.com) This place is, to date, my FAVORITE deli/bakery/fromagerie/cool foodstuffs establishment in the WORLD. In fact, I worked there during my time at University of Michigan. Zingerman's is where I learned to appreciate the brightness of thistle-cured (vs. rennet-cured) cheeses, where I discovered the various characters of extra virgin olive oils from specific geographic regions and where one of my colleagues once tricked me into eating part of a contraband HORSE sausage he absconded with during a food tour to France (Incidentally, the horse sausage, though cringe-inducing after the fact was so highly spiced it tasted like a very tasty and peppery dry sausage at the time of ingestion.) In short, Zingerman's=delicious. Go there. Or just go there online during your workday and drool over the ridiculously expensive cheese clubs...
I was thinking of my foodie education as I was considering what to prepare for this evening's meal. Prof. Hubs' favorite side dish is Tabouli and since we moved to Midwestia we haven't been able to find any in the 'hummus' section of the local stores. Come to think of it we haven't really been able to find any hummus in that section either... Project! I decided it would be nice to dust off my own tabouli recipe for Prof. Hubs this evening as in the 10 days or so since we've been married he's been a truly wonderful husband. In addition to tabouli I'm making these really yummy grilled eggplant rolantini stuffed with a feta, mint, pepper filling, and a sort of garlic-y shrimp pasta (I'm saving this particular recipe for a later entry.) We will definitely be breaking out the vinho verde for this one...
*Note-after making this meal I can tell you that you must RUN to the kitchen to make these eggplant rolantini-they are one of the simplest and most delicious things I have EVER MADE.
GRILLED EGGPLANT ROLANTINI WITH FETA, PEPPERS AND MINT
adapted from a recipe by Nigella Lawson
2 Eggplants, sliced vertically into thin slices
Salt
Half a package of feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
5 dashes of tabasco sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
black pepper
Olive oil
So you've sliced your washed and dried eggplants vertically. Now lay out the slices on a baking sheet, plate, etc. and salt them generously on both sides. Leave them alone for 30 minutes. This allows them to 'sweat' out excess moisture which will prevent eggplant mush. After 30 minutes use a paper towel to wipe off the salt and water (which has exited the vegetable.)
Heat your grill to medium or your grill pan on the stove high (you could also use a sautée pan, but it's so much prettier wth grill marks!) and brush a LITTLE bit of olive oil on each of your eggplant slices. As the slices are cooking (about 2-3 minutes per side, or in my house, until the grillmarks are pretty) mix up your filling: feta crumbles, lemon juice, chopped mint, chopped red pepper, tabasco and black pepper. As your eggplant slices finish cooking, remove them from heat and fill each one with a spoonfull of feta mixture. Roll them up. The heat from the eggplants will make the mixture's flavors sing-this is seriously good food, people. I think they're best fresh and still warm, but they are still pretty good if left to room temperature as long as you did your earlier sweating process.
PROFESSOR HUBS' FAVORITE TABOULI
(adapted from a recipe by Kathleen Daelemans)
3 bunches flat-leaf (Italian) parsley (without the really rough bottom stem parts)
handful of fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup raw bulgur wheat
1.15 cups water
1.5 cups chopped grape tomatoes (about 15 of the little guys)
1/4 chopped whites from green onions (about 3 green onions)
Juice of 1 large lemon
2-3 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
pinch of minced garlic (optional)
First, cook the bulgur (heat the grains in the water until it bowls, then take off the heat, cover and allow them to puff up for 25 minutes)
Then, if you're like me, you'll put the parsley in the food processor. Pulse it until it's all minced up, then put in in a large bowl, add the other ingredients., and stir them. Done.
If you don't have a food processor, after you've cooked the bulgur:
Chop the s*** out of the parsley and mint and combine with the other ingredients. Stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Done.
Eat as a side dish to just about everything, as Prof. Hubs does...
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