There's Something About Being Able To Eat Your Utensils...

A week or so ago neither Kyle nor I felt well. We both wanted soup for dinner, neither of us wanted to make it, and we didn't want the salty stuff you so often get from a can. So what did the hungry and sickly duo do? Of course we went to the bar. Well, its a bar that serves food, and homemade soup in bread bowls nonetheless. So that is what we both got (with lots of water to drink). The soup was fine, the bread bowl was fine, but the meal itself was great. There is something satisfying and conforting about bread to accompany a meal, especially when you can rip it off, dip it, smear it, soak it, scoop it, sop it, eat it. There is a reason that every food culture has a type of bread that is a staple. Be it tortillas, naan, baguettes or boules, most meals around the globe orient themselves around (or at least involve) bread.

This concept inspired me to buy a new bread book. It is a book of flatbreads from around the world and the flavors that go with them. It acts like a travel guide to traditional foods, revolving around breads and their accompaniments. Of course this book was meant for me (Honestly, they HAD to have had me in mind when they traveled the world, ate, gathered and tried recipes, wrote and published the book! This is what I am made for...or what is made for me) So after looking through the entire book, I found the first bread that I was going to make. Simple, traditional, and not-too-time-consuming Chapati. But then what was I going to make to use the bread to scoop/shovel food to my face?! Hmmm...I have been taking care of a garden for a week while the owner and other care-taker are out of town...i just picked tons of eggplant, cucumbers have been everywhere this season...I love lentils and it is tomato season.....How about eggplant and lentil stew with a cucumber-mint yogurt? Yep. Thats it. That's my dinner.

Chapati (from Flatbreads & Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid)

Yield 8 flatbreads

2c atta flour (I used whole wheat flour, sifted, larger bran flakes discarded)

1 tsp salt

1c warm water

In a medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add warm water. Mix with your hand (or a spoon) until it forms a dough, adding more flour or water if need be. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8-10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest 30 minutes to 2 hours. 

Divide the dough into 8 pieces, flattening each with floured fingers. Roll each piece (without flipping dough) with a rolling pin into 8 inch rounds, flouring the counter or surface of the dough as needed to prevent sticking. Cover the dough rounds with plastic until they are ready to cook. I rolled as I cooked so there was never a need to cover them.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, place a dough round on the skillet and cook for 10 seconds, then gently flip over. Cook on this side until small bubbles start to form (approx. 1 minute). Turn back to the first side and cook for a minute longer. It should start to balloon and darken on the small bubble spots. Remove from the griddle and place in a clean and dry towel, stacking the breads on top of each other as they come off the griddle. 

Sorry for the yellowed picture...lighting near my
stove is horrid.

A ball of dough. One of the most satisfying things to pat.

Eggplant and Lentil Stew

2 TB olive oil

1 large onion, yellow or red, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs eggplant, peeled, coarsely chopped, sprinkled with salt, sit for 30 min. Rinse and press excess water out

1/4c water

1 TB fresh oregano, finely chopped

1TB fresh basil, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 fresh thai chili pepper, split lengthwise almost to the stem

1 1/2 c cooked lentils (green or french)

1 1/2c chopped fresh tomatoes (or 1 can no-salt crushed tomatoes)

1/2c plain yogurt (low-fat can be used)

Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add eggplant, water, thai chili pepper and herbs. Cook until the eggplant begins to soften (5-8 minutes).  Add lentils, tomatoes, and yogurt. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove thai chili pepper when desired level of spicy is reached.

Cucumber-Mint Yogurt Sauce (Raita)

1c plain yogurt (low-fat is fine)

1 small cucumber, finely diced, salted and allowed to drain 30 min, rinse and press excess water out

2 TB fresh mint, finely chopped

lots of fresh cracked black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

Put it all together and you have a meal. Healthful, delicious, seasonal, homemade. I of course ate outside on the deck, dog at my feet, and happy. Then I was full and happy.