Quiz Me

If you are on Facebook you may have noticed that there are many quizzes, tests, and questionnaires that seek to determine aspects of one’s personality: What Greek Goddess Are You? What is the color of your aura? What True Blood character are you? What is your philosophy? And so on. You get the idea. Do I really need someone to tell me what my philosophy is? After all, should I not know since it is mine? Athena, green, Sookie, existentialism, yes that’s me. I like all the labels. Perhaps I am being cynical about this, but I am also not denying my fascination with these quizzes either.

So many of our interactions take place on the web and it is only natural to try to express ourselves virtually, to create a web presence that is like one’s person, only a bit idealized (perhaps). When I teach my students about rhetorical and visual analysis I start with their Facebook profile. What is the picture I am painting of myself and how much is that a reflection of who I am. There is nothing wrong with these little games. Actually, I enjoy them, especially when I get descriptions such as:

“You are a strong and creative woman; You belong in the 1960 because you are a rebel with a cause; You are Cedric Diggory; You are a bit nerdy but also beautiful and powerful.”

I especially love the last one!

However, old fashioned is a label that I wear with pride because relationships must be old fashioned; they should extend beyond the web links and status updates. This is certainly not an earth-shattering revelation to any of you, I am sure, but after taking one of the aforementioned quizzes the other day, I reminded myself of how much I love real world relationships. Yet, I am thankful for Facebook and email that keep me linked with people who I dearly love. Those relationships are just as meaningful and fulfilling, even if the interaction happens virtually. One can neither ignore the revolution in interactive networks, nor prefer it exclusively over that which happens away from computer screens, in the midst of immature, difficult, lovely, wonderful people. The balance is hard to achieve and I believe that it is an ethical question to which the younger generations will have to find answers.

Until then, I will keep taking quizzes, fostering relationships off and online, which brings me to the question of the day: What summer vegetable are you?

This is difficult for me to answer because I love them all, and because it is a tie between tomatoes and eggplants. For the sake of the recipe I am sharing today, and because my vegetable-likeness changes with my moods, I’ll say that today I am an eggplant.

Stuffed eggplants are a summer staple in my parents’ home. The eggplants roast in the oven soaking the juices of the other vegetables and they become tender, sweet and savory all at once. As I have mentioned before eggplant and garlic are a delicious pair and they certainly do not disappoint here. It is a perfect summer dish for the beautiful eggplants that are present in the farmers’ market.

So, what summer vegetable are you? What is your favorite dish that uses the vegetable?



Patëllxhane të Mbushura – Stuffed Eggplants

The best eggplants for this dish are Japanese or Chinese eggplants. The large, round ones can be used, but baking time will be much longer because they are tougher than the other kind. If you use the long Chinese eggplants, feel free to cut them into shorter segments for stuffing.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped (about 3-4 cups)
8 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
½ lb lean ground beef
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
7 fresh tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped or grated (method of peeling after recipe)
1 lb of Japanese eggplants, cleaned and hulled
1 tablespoon of chopped mint

Preparation:

-Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onions and garlic. Stirring occasionally, sauté for 3-4 minutes.
-Add the meat to the pan and cook until slightly brown.
-Add the salt and pepper along with the tomatoes. Stir to mix, lower the heat to medium low and simmer in the tomato juices.
-Preheat the oven to 400 F and spray a glass or ceramic baking dish with canola oil or baking spray.
-Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and with a teaspoon scoop out the flesh leaving a ¼ inch thick shell attached to the eggplant skin. Set the shells aside.
-Finely dice the eggplant flesh and add it to the simmering tomato mixture.
-Simmer for 5-7 minutes or until almost all the moisture has evaporated and the flavors have concentrated. (Make sure to taste for salt)
-Scoop the thickened tomato mixture inside the eggplant shells and layer them in the baking dish. If there is any sauce left over pour it in the baking dish in the gaps between the eggplants.
-Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the eggplants are soft.
-Sprinkle with the chopped mint and serve alongside a tomato salad with fresh crusty bread.

Ju bëftë mirë!
-E.
Peeling tomatoes: Boil water in a large saucepan. Cut a shallow x at the bottom of the tomatoes and place them in the boiling water for 30-40 seconds. Remove them from the water, let cool and peel with your hands.