So, aside from the requisite unusual fruit, my primary reason for going to Mecca, I also acquired a couple of discount eggplant and wonton skins, among other things. Enter this particular experiment.
I already had some Harissa on hand, which is a match made in heaven with roasted eggplant. Harissa, a Moroccan spiced chili paste, has a delightfully complex, smoky flavor that brings out the eggplant's natural sweetness and depth of flavor. I also had quinoa, so figured that would probably fit into the puzzle somewhere.
So, with Harissa, wonton skins and eggplant, I would do... what exactly?
I started by roasting the eggplant, figuring if all else failed, I would fall back on my usual application for eggplant, Baba Ganoush (a recipe for that lovely concoction can be found here). So, I cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, brushed them with a little olive oil, and roasted them at 350 for a couple of hours. The stage was set.
After the eggplant had cooled, the epiphany happened: Baked spicy eggplant wontons! And with the quinoa and the help of my trusty crockpot, Moroccan quinoa! But wait, I have a bunch of chicken thighs too (props to costco). Curry chicken wontons too, to use up what wrappers will be left, and add more protein to the mix. Yes, it was settled.
I began by marinating the chicken:
4 chicken thighs
1/2 cup Thai Red Curry Sauce (Trader Joe's)
2 tbsp mild curry powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
Throw it all in a ziplock bag and banish to the fridge while the rest of the prep happens.
Start by separating the eggplant flesh from the skin, scooping as closely as you can to the skin to get all the smoky flavorful edge bits. chop it in the bowl using just a knife, so you get a relatively smooth consistency, but still with some chunks left intact for texture.
Add to the eggplant:
1 tbsp harissa
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
Set that tasty mess aside, it's quinoa time!
The goods:
1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
1 (16oz) can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp harissa
3 tbsp dried parsley
1 large clove garlic
juice of 1 large lemon
Rinse the quinoa a few times, or until it stops creating that foamy layer on top of the rinsewater for the most part (that foamy stuff will leave a bitterness in the quinoa if you don't rinse it). Put the quinoa in the crockpot with the rest of the ingredients and add 3 cups of water. Set the crockpot on high and get back to the rest of the show.
Retrieve the chicken from the fridge, and dice it into small cubes. Return it to the bag, mash it around a bit to cover with the marinade, and re-banish to the fridge.
Diced, back in the bag, ready to rock |
Dicing in progress |
The quinoa will start to make its presence known as it cooks and absorbs water. You'll notice it starting to become more translucent starting at the edges of the grains. Give it the occasional stir and leave it be.
After the diced chicken has marinated 20 minutes or so, it's time to get cookin'. Put the chicken in a skillet and cook on medium heat until cooked through and tender. Drain off most of the juices, so the wonton wrappers won't get soggy and suffer a structural emergency.
Now, the busywork begins...
Preheat the oven to 400
Beat one egg in a small bowl and have at the ready for wonton construction.
Have a couple of ungreased cookie sheets on standby
In the center of each wonton wrapper, place a teaspoon of eggplant mixture and brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. pinch the corners together to (mostly) cover the filling. It will look something like a pinwheel. you can leave it as is, or gently fold all the corners in one direction to make it look even more pinwheel-ish. Repeat until the all the filling is gone.
With the remaining wrappers, do the same thing with the chicken. I found it easier to brush the wrapper with egg before filling the chicken ones; I kept throwing chunks of chicken off the wrapper when I tried to brush them after. But I'm a klutz, so you might have no trouble at all.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the wrappers are golden brown on the "wings". Pull 'em out of the oven and let cool. Ohh yeah!
Spiced Eggplant |
Curry Chicken |
The finished quinoa will look something akin to this. It has the consistency of a casserole, not soupy, but nice and moist, bursting with flavor!
Et voila! You're done! Sit back, relax, and enjoy your handiwork with a cuppa tea, a beer, or whatever suits your fancy
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