Potato Gratin with Yams

I have made this dish few times now and feel that it is time to share. In the past I have only done it with regular  potatoes but then I decided to mix it up a little. I like the look and the taste.

3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp butter
2 large baking potatoes
1 yam same size as regular potatoes
8 oz milk
1 egg
1 cup shredded cheese (Mexican blend or mozzarella - your choice)
1 red onion (optional)

Slice on the mandolin or by hand the yam and potatoes and onion if you wish to use it. spread butter on the bottom of the baking pan and add crushed garlic to the bottom. Layer the potatoes and yam alternately like the roof tiles. Even though the onion is not present in this picture, I have made it with red onion slices in the past and it makes a beautiful and delicious addition to the dish, just place the slices through out the dish. Mix milk and egg and pour it over the potatoes. Salt and pepper and place in the oven that has warmed up to 425 F. When the potatoes are fork tender, about 30-40 min, add the shredded cheese over them. If you like it cheesier add more, it does not hurt the dish at all. when the cheese is melted, in about 5 min the gratin is done.

Baba Ganush

Back in March during Purim carnival I was in charge of Middle Eastern meal and Baba Ganush was apart of it. I was planning on making it from scratch, instead it turned into an adventure, where I had to search all stores for eggplant and ended up ordering it in bulk from Persian store. For some reason searching for eggplant left a mark on my mind, so when I walked in to my local oriental market and saw eggplants for 89 cents each, I had to buy a bunch and make something.
There are several spreads that are made from eggplants in Russia. As usually it is baked and pureed with something in addition to flavor it. Tahini was not very popular in may family and in fact not really known. When I was growing up usually garlic and mayonnaise or sour cream were added to flavor the cooked eggplant.

I learned to make Baba Gaush in the States and it is simple but takes time.
Eggplant is sliced in half and liberally salted, then allowed to rest to release the juice for up to 30 min. Then he juice is rinsed off and eggplant is roasted in the oven for about an hour at 375F. Once it is ready it is cleaned from skin before it is placed in food processor where it's pulsed and pureed with the rest of the ingredients.


3 medium eggplants
garlic about 5-6 cloves
parsley about 12 sprigs
1/2 c tahini
1/2 lemon juice
1/4 c olive oil
salt and pepper
This is a great spread with pita, or crackers and goes great on sandwiches.

Two Vegetarian appetizers

These are simple and versatile vegetable dishes that can be easily used as side dish or an appetiser, as I did at a party. One is baked tomatoes and the other is grilled eggplant. These are really easy to make and go really well with goat cheese as well as on their own.

Several pounds of Roma tomatoes and cut in half and placed on the oiled baking sheet cut side up. You can clean and scoop the seeds out, but the seeds do not bother me, so I left them in. I sprinkled the tomatoes with salt and pepper and Herbs de Provence. Then I tried different ways of cooking these. I have done it the slow method for about 3 plus hours in the oven at 200F. They dry out very much like sun dried tomatoes. The other method is faster and leave the tomatoes little more juicier if you cook them at 350-375F for about 1 hour or even less. After they are cooked they could be placed in a container and covered with olive oil for storage in the refrigerator. You  will need 

• Roma tomatoes
• oil for baking sheet and for brushing eggplant
• salt
• pepper
• Herbs de Provence

These do not really need to be packed in oil, it is just an option for you and the tomatoes are better if they are reheated in the oven the next day.
The other appetiser is not very complicated either. The eggplants are sliced length vise, brushed with olive oil and broiled for few minutes. Once the eggplants are done, they get filled with mixture of garlic and cilantro.

• 2 large eggplants
• bunch of cilantro
• 1/4 c garlic cloves or less if that is too spicy for your taste
• 1/4 c olive oil (Extra virgin if you want extra flavor)
• additional oil for brushing the eggplants
• salt and pepper

Slice eggplants and salt generously the slices. I do not peel the eggplants so the end product looks nice. Let the salt draw out the water from the eggplants for up to 30 min. While the eggplant sits with salt, in small food processor make eggplant filling -cilantro pesto by blending cilantro, garlic, salt pepper and oil. The filling should not be too liquid but well blended paste, so add oil just enough for the ingredients to chop well together. Rinse and blot dry the slices with paper towel. Arrange eggplants on the oiled baking sheet you can try a non stick spray on foil, works to. Brush the top of the eggplant sliced with oil. This vegetable will absorb almost as much of the oil as you will give it, so do not overdo it, oil here is more for the flavor then cooking. Broil about 2/3 up from the bottom of the oven and not immediately under the element. I then closely watch the eggplant as it broils, for It can easily burn and cooks really fast. If you feel the need you could flip it over, but I usually do not. When it looks slightly brown and wilted it is ready. Send the next bunch in. Depending on the size of the eggplant, 2-3 baking sheets will get the job done.  Once the first batch is done fill the eggplants with cilantro paste while they are still warm, so that the flavors merry well. Spread about 1 tsp over the eggplant slice and roll it on itself and arrange the rolls on the serving plate.
I was told that these go great with vodka shots. But I like them by itself and with small piece of cream cheese or goat cheese, just do not plan on kissing without mint gum later on. Other then that, enjoy!