Recipe: Thai Seafood Salad with Chilli and Lime Dressing and Eggplant Marrakech

THAI SEAFOOD SALAD WITH CHILLI AND LIME DRESSING
Servings: 4

200g raw prawns, shelled, deveined, tails on
200g fish fillets, cubed or sliced
200g cleaned squid, sliced
20 mussels, scrubbed and bearded
2 cups water
2 stalks lemongrass, thinly sliced
4 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced (optional)
2 tbsp spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Bring water with lemongrass and kaffir leaves to the boil.

Blanch each kind of seafood separately for approximately one minute.

Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.

Place mint, coriander, spring onions, chilli, fish sauce and lime juice into a bowl.

Add 1 cup of cooking liquid. Gently toss seafood with dressing.

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EGGPLANT MARRAKECH
Source: Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant
0671679902

2 medium or large eggplants
1 cup onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, -- pressed or minced
1/4 tsp ground red pepper or Berbere
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup vermicelli broken into short pieces
1 cup water
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup raisins
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
pimiento strips
feta cheese

Leaving the stems on, slice the eggplants in half lengthwise and place them, cut side down, on an oiled baking sheet. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, until tender.

Saute the onions, garlic and spices until onions are translucent. Stir often to prevent spices from burning. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer, covered, for 3 or 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, fry the vermicelli in olive oil for a couple of minutes until the color changes to golden-brown.

Immediately add a cup of water, bring it to a boil, and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes, until the water is absorbed; remove from heat.

Add rice, chick peas, and raisins. Stir in the sauteed onion-tomato mixture, lemon juice, and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Turn the baked eggplant halves over in the baking pan. With a fork or spoon, mash the pulp a little, taking care not to break the skin. Push aside some of the pulp to make a hollow. Mound a quarter of the filling on each half.

Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Garnish with pimiento strips and sprinkle with feta cheese.