Coconut Rice Noodles with Eggplant

Noodle bowls are always a welcome dish for a wholesome dinner meal after an outing like grooming roses with your Park friends. Or whatever you've been doing in the afternoon.

This will satisfy an appetite after a good day's work, with hearty eggplant, satisfying noodles and a cozy broth of coconut and tomatoes. Garnish with basil or mint.

1/2 lb dried wide rice noodles

2 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp salted butter

1 medium onion, sliced

kernels from 1 fresh corn stalk, or 1/2 cup frozen

3/4 lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4-inch fresh ginger, minced

1 tsp favorite curry powder

1 can whole coconut milk (I used Trader Joe’s)

2 cups chicken (or veggie broth) - I used home-made stock

1 dozen grape tomatoes, halved

Set a medium pot of water to boil for the noodles. Simmer according to package directions until just before cooked.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in the olive oil in a wide skillet. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes on high, stirring constantly. Add the corn, and then reduce to medium and cook for about another 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook for about another 1-2 minutes.When the onion is well caramelized, set aside in a bowl.

Add a good dash of olive oil to the skillet and heat to high. Add the eggplant and stir vigorously to cover all pieces with oil. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring often. The eggplant will be done when it is nicely browned and soft inside - taste after every five minutes. Remove from heat when eggplant is just browned through.

In the same skillet, add the coconut milk and broth. Add the sliced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer until you have a more thickened sauce, about 5 minutes.

When the noodles are just al dente, reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Strain the noodles and toss back into the pot, with a dash of olive oil and cooking liquid, just to keep them moist and separated.

Prepare four bowls for serving. Place one quarter of the noodles in half of each bowl. Serve a quarter of the eggplant next to the noodles on each bowl. Sauce each bowl with the broth and garnish with basil or cilantro leaves.

Serves 4.

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375F.

Scrambled Benedict

This is the ultimate Sunday brunch item. Don't be intimidated about making a Hollandaise sauce - it is so much easier and quicker than you may think. And it is oh, so luscious over eggs. You can poach your eggs or fry them; whatever you prefer. My favorite is poached, but others in the family like scrambled better, so I scrambled. Happy brunching. Hollandaise Sauce: 2 egg yokes, in a small bowl 1/2 cup butter, just melted in microwave 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1/4 tsp salt ~1 Tbsp lukewarm water 2 English muffins 2 remaining egg whites 3 eggs 1 Tbsp cream dash dried dill Set up a double boiler (I use a medium pot with a metal bowl on top), and bring 2 cups water to the boil. Reduce heat to low. In the yet unheated double boiler top bowl, whisk together the butter, lemon juice, mustard and salt. Warm over double boiler. Whisk the egg yokes together. Slowly whisk the yokes into the warmed butter mixture, drizzling the yokes in slowly. Whisk continuously. If the

Cuisine Eric

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