i’ve recently been inspired…

not by my new camera [which is just taking mediocre shots. i’m hoping it’s a settings and operator error issue. i’m giving it a week to act right or else], but by the glorious food i’ve seen on friends’ and strangers’ blogs. there are so many mouth-watering ideas that i just can’t accomplish here because i can’t get my grubby paws on ricotta and other good cheeses, cilantro, chipotle peppers, tomatillos, sundried tomatoes, bbq sauce, real bacon and sausage, deli meats, etc. plus i’m oven and grill-less in my one, electric burner kitchen that looks like something out of a low-end camper instead of the home of someone who enjoys food. don’t get me wrong, i make do. recently i cooked up a fab dinner for myself and i thought passing along the recipe would only be fair, since i’ve borrowed so many from other people’s blogs recently.



i marinated shrimp in balsamic and spices before rolling them, and fresh rosemary sprigs, in what they pass off as bacon here. these would’ve screamed ‘delish!’ on the grill, but they only hummed ‘pretty darn good!’ as i was confined to pan frying. the bronze medal went to fried potato cakes. i finely mashed potatoes, added fresh scallions, some mixed white cheeses, ground black pepper and garlic, and an egg. refrigerated for a bit and they formed good pancakes that crusted up nicely in just a couple of minutes. the star of the evening was this italian caponata that jamie oliver taught me [well, not personally or anything].



eggplants in japan are really about the size of eggs, so i used 6; you’ll probably only need 1 or 2. i was pleased to find capers although i couldn’t get my hands on any green olives for the occasion so here’s the slightly amended recipe i went with.

olive oil

eggplant cut into large chunks [as eggplants soak up oil like sponges, don’t cut the pieces too small or they’ll be heavy and greasy, or so i read]

freshly ground black pepper

½ medium size onion, chopped

oregano and parsley [all i could find was dried]

fresh chopped basil

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed

about 2 tbsp capers, rinsed

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

a large tomato, roughly chopped

grab a large frying pan, pour in a couple tbsp of olive oil, and heat it up to about medium high. Add eggplants and toss around a bit so they’re evenly coated with oil. season with oregano, pepper and parsley. cook for about 5 minutes, giving the eggplants a twirl every now and then. when they are golden on each side, add the onion and garlic and cook for a few more minutes. although i’m high-fat-phobic, i followed jamie’s advice and added a little more oil here to keep it moist. then throw in capers and drizzle with the vinegar. after a minute or so, when the vinegar has evaporated a bit, add the tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. i did a taste test from the pan and decided it needed a bit more pepper and a pinch of salt. sprinkle with fresh chopped basil. scrumptious. i’m betting this would also rock as a bruschetta topping. go on, give it a whirl. then post a tasty treat on your site that i can try.