Thursday, November 5, 2009

Listada de Gandia

I've been on a purple kick lately. Since the cooler weather appears to be in Florida to stay, I've busted out my purple fleece lounge pants for relaxing at home in the evenings. I also bought some new house slippers that have thick purple and white stripes. And I sprung for a new purple dog collar since I think it looks better on my pup. My purple craze seems to have spread into my diet as well.

The last shopping trip to the local co-op, I kept eying these gorgeous looking mini eggplants, but couldn't bring myself to take them home. I had a bad experience with eggplant last year and have steered clear ever since. These tiny little purple and white striped gems, however, were calling out to me. I went back a week later and they still had some left. I decide to purchase a small handful and try to experiment. I wanted to prepare a dish that was simple so the flavor of the eggplant would come through - and if I ended up not liking it, then I would not have wasted time, money, or my taste buds. I saw some juicy purple potatoes sitting nearby, so I snagged a few of those two.

Cutting into them was like cracking open a geode.

I've been in love with bulgur this year, so I grabbed a cup from the pantry to use as the base of this dish. The co-op did not have a label on the eggplants, but a quick search seems to point in the direction of this being a Listada de Gandia variety of eggplant. The skin is very thin, so no need to peel before preparing. I chose to roast the eggplant and potatoes in the oven to enhance their taste. The salt and pepper made the flavors pop in my mouth.

I was very pleased with this variety of eggplant. My palate recognized this vegetable, but it was slightly milder and sweeter. I was happy I did not choose to hide it under a heavy dish or sauce since I would have lost its pleasurable taste. Both the eggplant and potatoes were slightly crispy around the very edges, but soft and tender in the middle.

I hope the co-op has some left...I'd love to go back for more.

Listada de Gandia in Bulgur

1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup bulgur
4 mini Listada de Gandia eggplants
2 medium purple potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Wash the eggplants and potatoes, pat dry. Chop off both ends of each vegetable, then cut into thin slices. Spread the vegetables on a roasting pan and top with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Use your hands to mix together well. Roast the vegetables for 20 min. Remove the eggplant pieces with a fork, turn the oven up to 400*F and roast the potatoes for 20 min.

While the potatoes are roasting...

In a small pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil. In a medium bowl, add the bulgur and pour the boiling chicken broth on top. Cover with plastic wrap for 20 min.

When all ingredients are ready, mix together and serve immediately.

~Yields 2 servings.

~Original by Brie.

Ovenbaked Purple Potato Chips on Foodista

19 comments:

  1. My mom's favorite color is purple. Your dish looks very wholesome. And the colors are just beautiful. Simple but delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  2. very interesting ideea!so nice colours and very healthy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another beautiful and delicious plate! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  4. @simon hello! thank you. have fun on your next post! ;)

    @Simply Life thanks! i've got some potatoes left over, and i want to roast them again since these tasted so good.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh...I love those purple potatoes. I hv been looking for them but can't find it here. I really miss them. I ate a lot of these when I was young. I love it baked too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I found them at a local co-op, but I haven't seen them in our conventional markets. They taste so good; I hope you find some close by!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Purple is my favorite, and purple potatoes are awesome! I honestly think they taste a lot better than regular potatoes :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. they do taste better! less starchy and more creamy. they're delicious! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Over the Summer there were some really mind-blowing Russian Blue Potatoes at the farmer's market in the South Loop of Chicago. The crate said "Just pulled out of the ground this morning". Mmmm... so good. This post reminds me of those and makes me wish I still had some so I could make this!

    ReplyDelete
  10. ooo, blue potatoes, mmmm. yummy. i love colorful food.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Ha! I'm not the only one who goes on purple kicks! This is awesome.

    Laura

    ReplyDelete
  12. haha, yes, i noticed that! must be something in the air. or we're all just that awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Brie - I actually grew that variety of eggplant this year! Aren't they great, yumm... I love eggplant, haha! Those purple potatoes are awesome! I'll definitely have to look for those seeds for next year!

    ReplyDelete
  14. that's so cool! yes, it was delicious. you do have an awesome garden. i need to start planning for mine; i keep promising myself to start a mini one for next Spring. let me know if you find the purple potato seeds!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mmmm these eggplants look BEAUTIFUL and I <3 purple potatoes :) Lovely site you have here!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. That looks so good!I came across your blog from the foodieblogroll and I really enjoyed reading through your posts,you have really great recipes here. I'd love to guide our readers to your site if you won't mind.Just add your choice of foodista widget to this post and it's all set, Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi, Alisa! thank you and for the tip - i've added the widget! hope you drop by again! :)

    ReplyDelete