Terrain V01 - Journal - Page 24
22 | Sterling College
Liz Chadwick ‘14
Director of Dining Services
One of the things I love about where I live
is the opportunity to work with a bounty
that encompasses all of the seasons. To
anyone who knows a Northeast Kingdom summer, you know it’s a frenetic
and fleeting beast. That first warm May
morning, we all get so excited and throw
all of our seeds and starts out into temperamental soil - just to be disappointed
when the inevitable late frost hits - rendering our diligent planning to naive zeal.
This is one of the reasons why I love eggplant. Full disclosure: I stink at growing it,
and gave up growing it four years ago.
Eggplant is a very tender vegetable that
would rather have nothing to do with our
4b (at best) planting zone, but somehow
we still find a way to make it work. And
every time I’m grappling with how it can
grow, and why I’m incapable of growing
it - this is why I get pretty darn stoked
every August when a modest, but robust
vegetable of the nightshade persuasion
shows up in the kitchen, grown from our
farm or down the road. I make it a point
to prepare it in all of its glory: basted in
harissa made from our garlic and the
hot peppers we can grow, a spicy crema
from Paul Sweeney’s house-made yogurt, and serve it alongside braised lamb
we raised right here. We threw fried capers on for luxury. The dear “Aubergine”
defies all odds, deliciously so.
Photos: Compliments of Elizabeth Chadwick
Harissa Roasted Eggplant
Harissa Roasted Eggplant &
Braised Lamb with Fried Capers
Ingredients:
3 medium eggplant, halved lengthwise
and scored (NOT skinned)
For the Harissa
2 hot peppers
1 red pepper
3 tbs tomato paste
3 garlic cloves
½ tsp coriander
¾ tsp paprika
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp cayenne
2 tsps lemon
juice
olive oil
salt
Add all ingredients to a food processor
and blend until a thick paste is formed.
For the Lamb/Brine
1 lb lamb loins/
2 tbs salt
similar meat
1 tsp pepper
1 cup apple cider
water
vinegar
Brine lamb in vinegar/maple/S&P
mixture, with water to cover. At time of
cooking, transfer lamb & liquid to oven-safe dish & bake at 350ºF for 3hrs.
Fried Capers
¼ cup capers
olive oil
pepper
Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a small
bowl, toss capers with olive oil and
pepper. Transfer to a pan and roast at
400ºF for 25 minutes or until crispy.
Spicy Crema
1 cup whole milk yogurt
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tbs paprika
¼ tsp cayenne
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp maple syrup
¼ cup chopped scallions
salt & pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients into a bowl.
Full Plate & Procedure:
Rub eggplant liberally with harissa
mixture. Roast at 375ºF until the
eggplant is tender. Serve whole with
roasted lamb. Top with Capers.
Drizzle crema on top.