I wanted to do something special for Shelbey's birthday. Shelbey and I have known each other for almost exactly five years. I remember walking into her dorm room on the first day of college and being awestruck by how two girls could fit so much pink and yellow into a room after having only moved in three hours prior. As Shelbey will tell you, she knew we were going to be friends immediately, because when I walked into her room, the first thing I did was straighten her crooked yellow and pink rug.
Our friendship has been marked by good meals. Me, always trying to make a dish that can be both with meat and without, pushing my creative envelope in the kitchen, and her, eating the creations and telling me they're good, even though I know there have been a few hiccups along the way. So for Shelbey's birthday I wanted to pull out all the stops. I wanted to try something that, until now, I had never done. I wanted to make a complete restaurant-quality meal with all fresh ingredients and no recipe to go off of.
To search for some inspiration, Michael and I headed to the Green City Market, one of Chicago's largest farmers markets. Located north of the Chicago History Museum and south of the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Green City Market runs out doors every Wednesday and Saturday from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. from May 12 to Oct. 30. During the colder months the market is open at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, making it the only year round Chicago farmers market.
As Michael and I weaved our way through the hoards of people meandering to the beach front to watch the air and water show, we spotted the small city of white tents that make up the market. As with our previous experience, we walked the entire market, looking over the products, comparing prices and stopping to nibble on a few samples, before making any purchases.
With such an amazing selection we would need something to act as guide for buying. When Michael suggested just ingredients that were purple or white, immediately my wheels started to turn. We scoured the market, stopping to by a Rosa Bianca eggplant from one vendor, ghost tomatoes from another. It only took about a half hour and my arms were full of dragon beans, cosmic carrots, lemon cucumbers, purple peppers and Russian purple potatoes—all ingredients I'd never cooked with before.
Then it was down to deliberation. How was I going to get all of those ingredients into a cohesive gourmet meal? The dish unfolded in my mind, what if I sliced and roasted the purple potatoes, pan fried the eggplant with some parmesan cheese, sauteed the beans and carrots, topped the whole thing with a relish of lemon cucumber, purple pepper, and ghost tomato. and tied it together with basil and pine nut Beurre Blanc? The picture in my mind was clear as day.
With the kitchen smelling of crispy eggplant and warm roasted potatoes, I started to plate the ingredients according to map in my head, almost as methodically as I straightened Shelbey's rug that first day of college. With Shelbey sitting patiently in the living room waiting for me to bring out her birthday present, I looked down at my masterpiece, feeling accomplished and nervous at the same time. I tasted everything separately as I made it but how would it taste together? With the first crunch of eggplant hitting Shelbey's mouth I knew the dish was a success, and hopefully something that will be remember for some time to come.
Parmesan-crusted eggplant with sautéed dragon beans and cosmic carrots
1 Rosa Bianca Eggplant or any other sizeable eggplant, sliced into quarter-inch slices
2—3 tbsp salt
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1lb of Russian Potatoes sliced fine with mandolin
1/2 lb of Dragon Beans or wax beans cut into ½ inch pieces
1/2 lb of cosmic carrots or yellow carrots cut into ½ inch pieces
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup of vegetable oil
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. On a cookie sheet place sliced eggplant and sprinkle with salt. Turn eggplant over and repeat. Let the eggplant stand for at least 30 minutes
3. Cover separate cookie sheet with a coating of olive oil, and arranged the sliced potatoes in so that they are not crowding one another. Sprinkle with salt and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
4. Turn potatoes over using a spatula, and cook until golden brown and slightly crispy.
5. While the potatoes are cooking, warm a small skillet over a medium flame with a small amount of olive oil. Once warm, cook beans and carrots until they are al dente.
6. In separate bowls ready the flour, eggs, and parmesan and Panko mixture.
7. Dip egg plant slices into each bowl and place back onto cookie sheet.
8. In a large skillet heat 1 cup of vegetable oil over a med-high heat.
9. Arrange eggplant slices in skillet and cook each side until golden brown.
10. Build a plate starting with the potatoes and Beurre Blanc, adding the eggplant, carrots and beans, and relish.
Basil Beurre Blanc
4 tbsp butter
3 tbsp heavy whipping cream or whole milk
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Melt Butter in a small skillet
2. Add pine nuts and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly
3. Add whipping cream, basil, salt and pepper to taste.
Relish—Can be prepared a day in advance
2 lemon cucumbers or 1 hot house cucumber chopped fine
2 purple pepper or banana peppers chopped fine
2 ghost cherry tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes chopped fine
2 tbsp red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
Salt and pepper
1. Combine chopped veggies in a bowl
2. Add vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
