Artless Cooking.

[Recipe from Yesterday]

I didn't have a very good feeling about yesterday's supper. It felt too .. simple, more like a random mishmash of disparate foods that happened to be served on the same plate.

I wonder if my flatmates figured out that I'm moving to vegetarianism, yet. I'll probably mention it tomorrow, when it's my turn to cook again.

Anyways, if you really want to know, here's what we had last night:

Oven-Roasted Sweet Potatoes - there's nothing like a good roasted flavor to starches like potatoes, yams, and squashes. A great seasonal flavor for the winter and fall.

Ingredients:

• 2 large, oval-shaped sweet potatoes - cut into 2-finger pieces
  
• 1 medium Asian eggplant, sliced into pinky-sized pieces (optional)
  
• olive oil
  
• cumin and paprika

Parboiling. Start a pot of water (~ 5-6 cups) boiling, and boil the potatoes for 3 minutes. Then add the eggplant, and after another 2 minutes, drain and do a quick warm water rinse.

(The idea is to start off the vegetables with abundant moisture; otherwise as single pieces they will dry out and burn easily in the oven, so this allows them to roast while retaining some moisture.)

Oven Bake. Preheat the oven to 425 ^oF, and on a baking pan spread out the drained vegetables into a single layer inside. Drip olive oil and mix with a spatula, to assure a good coating of olive oil on all the vegetables. Sprinkle cumin and paprika lightly and stir again.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until some of the potatoes have a roasted twinge of brown. If you prefer a more moist texture, you may consider covering the pan lightly with aluminum foil and bake at a lower temperature for a few minutes longer.

Remember to let the pan cool for 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy.

---

Barley Concoction - I was treating this more like a risotto dish, in all honesty. However, it doesn't have a velvety sauce, and works more like a hearty base to the meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups pearl barley (with rice cooker for steaming)
  
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
  
• 2 medium-sized Roma tomatoes, diced
  
• 1 8oz. package mushrooms, sliced
  
• olive oil
  
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
  
• 1 tsp. cumin
  
• 1 tsp. curry powder
  
• thyme and basil (store-bought and dry is fine)
  
• salt and red pepper flakes to taste
  
• 2 tsp. cornstarch (optional)

Philosophy. The idea is to use the ingredients in their best forms: the barley is cooked for heartiness, moisture, and to carry the other flavors. The bell pepper and mushrooms are best when sauteed. The tomato is left crisp and uncooked, otherwise it would lose the juicy liquid and make the dish too 'wet.'

Steam (2 possible methods). I highly suggest a rice cooker to steam the barley, because there's no need to watch it while other matters are at hand.

If you insist on pan-cooking the barley, then you can afford taking more time and care with it. Make sure to keep the stove at a medium-low setting, and stir at regular intervals, making sure to blend the bottom of the pot's contents with the top.

For the rice cooker, add the barley and stock together, then add enough water so that the liquid level is 1/3" above the level of barley in the pan.

For the pan and stovetop, do the same but with 1/2" of liquid above the barley level; you'll likely need to raise the liquid levels once or twice, since liquid evaporates quickly with conduction. Do so according to how moist you like your barley.

When the liquid in the barley has boiled almost to the same level as the barley, mix in the cumin and curry and stir well.

Saute. Start a frying pan on High heat and lightly coat the pan with olive oil. Add the bell pepper and mushroom at the same time, and after they are coated with oil, coat the contents with the thyme, basil, salt, and red pepper. This will allow the spices to sear into the vegetables and maximize flavor.

**on Texture: If you insist on a light, velvety sauce with this mixture, take the cornstarch and in a separate bowl, mix vigorously with 1/2 cup of hot water. The outcome is a thin, white liquid, and stir it into the frying pan. It will sizzle, and after a moment, the starch will thicken, and you may need an additional 1/2 cup of water into the pan to thin it out.

Keep stirring the saute until the mushroom texture softens. Then remove from heat.

Blend. When all is completed, take a large mixing bowl and spoon into it the cooked, lightly-spiced barley. On top add the sauteed bell pepper and mushrooms, and on top the raw diced tomato. Mix well, and you're done.

Really. It's that simple. Hence the misgivings.

---

Sauteed Rapini - rapini is an excellent vegetable: a dark leafy green which is full of good antioxidants. The flavor is much like some types of Asian greens, in that there is a little bitter taste, but mostly crisp.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch rapini (2 lbs) - lower stems removed and cut into bite-sized pieces.
  
• 1 large garlic clove, finely sliced
  
• olive oil
  
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
  
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
  
• sugar and salt to taste

Saute, Pure and Simple. Start a ~large~ frying pan on High heat, and coat the surface lightly with olive oil. If your pan isn't big enough, you might need to saute in two batches.

Wait for the oil to steam, then add rapini and blend. Make sure all the rapini is equally and lightly coated with the oi. Next add a pinch of sugar and a light sprinkle of salt - not too much, because of the soy sauce later!

Cover for 1-2 minutes; this allows the rapini to steam into a brighter green color, but if you steam it for too long, you'll leech out the nutrients. The stalks should still have shape (not limp) when the steam is done.

Stir, and add soy sauce and sesame oil. Keep stirring, and after a moment, remove from heat. Done.

---

At any rate, that's what we had for dinner. It wasn't bad; we also split a baguette warmed from the oven. I suppose we're developing a bread addiction .. (;