Garlic, Grills, and Gigabytes

I never cease marveling at the Internet and its magical powers to connect people from all over the world. That I still sometimes think there are elves living in computers performing all these complicated operations is another story.  Looking at this thin laptop, though, it is obvious that the elves have been dieting. And I DO NOT believe in Santa Claus. Everybody I know is busy. Everywhere I look people are rushing. The incessant stream of cars lines California’s six-lanes roads (and I am not talking about highways, but just your regular going-through-town streets. What a cultural shock that was, coming from the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio!) While waiting for the light to change I always wonder, “Where is everybody going?” Duh.

I shudder to think where I would be without my computer and without the Internet. I push aside every tiresome moment at work when I come home and click my mouse to uncover a witty and sarcastic comment from my sister in Germany. Every snotty customer’s mean remark gets erased when I see the beautiful face of my cousin’s baby girl, Ira, showing off her strawberry-blond curls. I leave behind all the aches and pains when I comment on Mother’s Facebook (I have not seen Mother since 2008. Both of our hearts are breaking more and more, every day). I miss spending time with my nephews and nieces, but I can see them growing before my eyes when they share their escapades with the world on the ‘net. Even Father’s refusal to man up to the 21st century and talk to me on Skype lasted only a few grumbling minutes before he relented and the real challenge was to shut him up and get him to surrender the microphone and webcam back to Mother. It will be the same the next time I want to Skype with him… grumbling followed by a megadose of the verbosity I so clearly inherited.

I am used to getting some TLC from my friends and family. Apart from the pigeons, we employ every possible vehicle of communication. But since I started blogging, some new people have entered my life and sent little bursts of positive energy my way. And I am basking in its warm glow. I always felt good belonging to a “village” – the more global, the better.

Blogging events have become an amazing adventure for me. Hopping from blog to blog, transversing thousands of miles and covering several continents, reading the posts, and discovering new ideas and approaches to the same ingredients made me realize that the world is as big or as small as we make it. Just knowing that there is a kindred-spirit somewhere in Italy, in South Africa, in the Philippines, in Louisiana, or really close to me in Orange County, who relates to my obsession about food and preparing it in new, traditional, and ever more interesting ways, gives me a sense of belonging.

When the Summer Fest announced its last week, crowning it with peppers, I was a bit disappointed. But I guess I was not the only one. One of the founders of the event, Margaret Roach from A Way to Garden, announced recently that due to its popularity the Summer Fest would continue until the beginning of Autumn, when it would morph into a Fall Fest.

The theme for this week’s edition was garlic. I have occasionally made the Italian garlic and bread soup. I have roasted whole heads of garlic at times. But for me it has always been a hard-working helper capable of boosting the flavor and elevating a dish into a higher realm.

We had our trusted Weber filled with natural charcoal preparing to grill some lamb burgers (again, I know, but they are so succulent and flavorful), and I took a tray of red peppers, poblanos, pale-green triangular peppers of unknown variety, and a beautiful eggplant, trimmed, cut into slices, salted, and brushed with some olive oil, and plopped it all in front of Husband as he tended the life giving flames that have marked mankind’s joy since Husband’s ancestors were cavemen (which I estimate to be sometime back in the 70s). In the meantime, I dripped some olive oil on four medium beets, wrapped them in foil and set them to roast.

The peppers rested in the plastic bag for 30 minutes to cool, and then I peeled them. Some of the red ones I set aside for surprising the Beasties on Monday with one of their favorite breakfasts, roasted peppers with cream cheese (Serbian version is “paprike na kajmaku”, but I do not have any “kajmak” available, and substitutions have to be sufficient). The poblanos I sequestered to make a Mexican dish with onions and cream. The pale-green elongated peppers, still on the stem, and the remainder of the red ones I laid on a platter, seasoned with sea salt and pepper, topped with minced garlic, and adorned with a plain vinaigrette . The eggplant slices got a sprinkling of minced garlic and just a brush of vinaigrette.

The beets filled the kitchen with their earthy aroma while roasting. Once they cooled off I peeled them, sliced them to about 1/6 inch circles (if they are larger, like mine were, cut the circles in half, or even in quarters). I layered them in a bowl, seasoning each layer with sea salt, minced garlic, and vinaigrette. This way they can last for weeks in the refrigerator, ready to beautify a Greek salad, or play the main role alongside of chicken, pork, or lamb roast.

ROASTED PEPPERS, EGGPLANT, AND BEETS WITH GARLIC AND VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients:

• 4 medium beets, washed, trimmed, brushed with olive oil, and wrapped in foil
• 1 large eggplant, trimmed, washed, sliced into 1/6 inch ovals, salted, and brushed with olive oil
• red, orange, yellow bell peppers, poblanos, pale-green ones, as many as you need
• 1 head of garlic, peeled and minced

vinaigrette:

• 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 7-8 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the beets on a cookie sheet and roast for 45-60 minutes, until you can pierce them with a knife).

Roast the eggplant and all of your peppers until the skin on peppers becomes charred, and the eggplant gets softer and sports some nice grilling marks. Put the peppers in a plastic bag and let cool for 30 minute. Peel and keep in a bowl.

Place the eggplant into another bowl.

Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Sprinkle the peppers and the beets with garlic and spoon some vinaigrette on top, working in layers (try to get some garlic and vinaigrette in every layer). Keep your vegetables in the refrigerator. The marinade is just going to make them more delicious.

The eggplants do not ask for too much – a bit of garlic, and a brush of vinaigrette is enough. Serve as a side dish or as a refreshing salad.

I asm submitting these grilled and roasted veggies to Get Grillin’ even, hosted by Marla of and Dara of Cookin’ Canuck.

“Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans.”

I am submitting this trio of beauties to Summer Fest, hosted by several wonderful bloggers.