Guyanan Baked Eggplant

I’ve read that Guyana’s food has been influenced by everything from Chinese immigrants to creole. This eggplant recipe certainly showed that. The spices were overwhelming: onions, curry, thyme, basil, ketchup, and garlic, mixed with eggplant - no bland fruit to begin with.

I mixed some sour cream with it to calm my mouth down, but braver souls than I might be able to eat it straight.

Recipe: Guyanan Baked Eggplant
Serves 2

1 eggplant
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
1 small hot pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp soy sauce
1 cup bread crumbs

In a large saucepan, boil the eggplant until its skin is tender.

Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients (except bread crumbs) in a food processor or blender. Blend until they form a smooth paste.

When the eggplant is finished boiling, remove it from the water and let it cool slightly. Slice it lengthwise, scoop out its soft innards (leaving a shell of skin). Mix the eggplant innards with the blended ingredients, and blend again until smooth. Stir in the bread crumbs and spoon the mixture into the eggplant shells.

Place eggplants on baking sheet and bake at 320 degrees for 15 to 25 minutes.

Abobora Refogada: Brazilian Pumpkin Hummus

What a bizarre little stew. My new roommate and I ate it for a few moments in silence, not quite sure what to make of it. Finally she suggested adding cumin and layering it on pita bread. Then it was quite good. Pumpkin hummus. Huh.

Recipe: Abobora Refogada
Serves 2

1 can pumpkin
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
Lots of salt
Cumin (though it’s not authentic)

Mix everything together in a frying pan. Cook over medium heat until the butter melts, then over low until it is warmed through. Season with lots of salt, and eat on pita.

Rogel de Dulce de Leche: Crepes with Sweet Milk Jam from Argentina

Rogel de Dulce de Leche: Crepes with Sweet Milk Jam from Argentina Makes about 6

1/2 cup whole milk
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
6 egg yolks
5 Tbsp browned butter
1 cup flour

First, make the dulce de leche. Heat the milk, sugar, and cinnamon over very low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn’t form. When the mixture has thickened to the consistency of jam, remove it from the heat and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown the butter in a saucepan, mix in the egg yolks, and add the flour. If the dough is too sticky to roll into a ball, add up to 1/2 cup more flour. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each into a ball. Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball into a thin pancake.

Bake the pancakes on an oiled cookie sheet at 400 degrees (F) for about 10 minutes, until the pancake is golden.

Spread the dulce de leche onto the pancakes and serve.