Tangy Eggplant Long Beans And Cherry Tomatoes With Roasted Peanuts Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat broiler, with rack in top third of oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Use a fork to prick eggplants all over; prick tomatoes in a few places. Place both vegetables on prepared sheet and broil, turning occasionally, until charred all over and very soft, 15 to 20 minutes for tomatoes and slim eggplants, up to 40 minutes for larger eggplants. Remove as done and place in a sieve set over a bowl; let cool.
• When cool enough to handle, peel eggplants and tomatoes. Remove and chop pulp finely; place in a bowl. Add chiles, shallot, mint, cilantro, lime juice, and 2 teaspoons mustard oil; season with salt and pepper. Mix and taste for balance of seasonings, adjusting as necessary. Refrigerate until ready to serve, or up to 2 days.
• Put chokah in a serving bowl; drizzle remaining 1 teaspoon mustard oil over top. Serve cold or room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine eggplant, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; toss to combine. Transfer to a baking pan in a single layer. Place all tomatoes and garlic cloves in a second pan. Transfer both pans to oven. Roast eggplant until brown and tender, about 40 minutes; roast garlic and tomatoes until garlic is soft and tomatoes are shriveled, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, squeeze soft garlic from cloves.
• Meanwhile, place peppers over a gas burner with a high flame; roast until charred on all sides, turning as needed, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a metal bowl; cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. Using a paper towel, rub charred skin off peppers. Remove and discard seeds and stems. Place 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, and any liquid collected in bowl, in the bowl of a food processor. Add roasted garlic, plum tomatoes, vinegar, cayenne, remaining tablespoon olive oil, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/8 teaspoon pepper; process until smooth. Cut remaining peppers into 1/4-inch-thick strips; set aside
• Fill a large stockpot with salted water; bring to a boil. Place pasta in water; boil until pasta is al dente, about 11 minutes. Drain in a colander; transfer to a serving bowl. Pour puree over pasta; toss to combine. Add basil, roasted eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and reserved pepper strips; toss. Serve garnished with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Steps:

• Cook untrimmed beans in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with tongs to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Trim beans and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces.
• Meanwhile, pulse peanuts in a food processor until about half of peanuts are finely ground and remainder are in very large pieces (do not grind to a paste).
• Stir together soy sauce, chiles, and salt in a small bowl.
• Heat wok over high heat until a bead of water dropped onto cooking surface evaporates immediately. Add oil, swirling to coat wok, then add garlic and stir-fry until garlic begins to turn pale golden, about 5 seconds. Add peanuts, and stir-fry until all of mixture is golden, about 30 seconds. Add beans, and stir-fry until hot and well coated, about 2 minutes. Remove wok from heat, then stir in soy sauce mixture and shallot, stirring until shallot has wilted. Drizzle in lime juice and season with salt, then transfer to a bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• *Available at Asian markets.
• **Available at kalustyans.com.