Iron Chef OOT 3/8-3/18

[StevieG]

<font color="green">Asparagus Tapas</font>

Here are what I considered to be the meatier, entree type tapas.

Lamb Chops in Asparagus Puree
Baked Eggplant and Asparagus with Spanish Mahon
Squid Stuffed with Asparagus with Lentils
Grilled Asparagus




Baked Eggplant and Asparagus with Spanish Mahon

2 baby eggplants
2 cups ripe tomato, chopped
1 cup asparagus tips
1 red cherry pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp paprika
2 T shredded Spanish Mahon cheese
1 galic clove, minced
1 T olive oil

So when I prepped some asparagus to be steamed and pureed for the liquid ravioli and the lamb dish, I reserved some of the tender tips for this dish. I salted the eggplant (essential to remove bitterness) and, separately, the tomato, and set them all aside for a while.



In a sauce pan, I sauted the garlic in the olive oil, then added the bay leaf, cherry pepper, and tomato. Soon after I threw in the eggplant, and let it all simmer. The tomato reduced completely to make a sauce, and the eggplant grew tender. Only after that did I add the asparagus, so that it would not get mushy.



I threw the mix into a couple of ramekins, topped with the cheese, and then baked at 350F for about 20 minutes.


Lamb Chops in Asparagus Puree

2 Lamb chops
1 T extra virgin olive oil
3 T pureed asparagus
rosemary sprigs
1/2 T lemon juice
1/2 T chopped parsley
salt
pepper
red and yellow bell pepper for garnish

Season lamb chops with salt and pepper. Dress with olive oil and rub with rosemary sprigs. Grill until medium rare.

Mix asparagus puree with lemon juice and parsley. Cut small strips of bell pepper for garnish.


Squid Stuffed with Asparagus

3/4 lb squid, bodies and tentacles, cleaned
1/3 - 1/2 cup of diced asparagus
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T breadcrumbs
1 egg

For the lentils:
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dry lentils
1 T diced carrot
1/4 tsp oregano
1 clove garlic
1 T olive oil

Cook the lentils in water. Add oil, oregano, garlic to pot. 15 minutes before they are done, add carrots. Rinse and plate.

Remove the fins from the body of the squid. For the stuffing, heat 1T olive oil and saute 1 minced garlic clove. Then cook tentacles and fins. Should only take a few minutes, else they will get rubbery. Let cool. Separately, saute 1 minced garlic clove in 1T olive oil. Mince cooked squid, then mix with asparagus, egg, and bread crumb to make stuffing.

Stuff squid bodies and close up with toothpick. Dress with remaining olive oil and garlic, then grill.


Grilled Asparagus

Real simple, I snapped off the bottom third of the asparagus, washed, let dry. Then dressed with minced garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Then grilled. Probably my favorite way to prepare and enjoy asparagus, and it matched the rest of what I wanted to do.


Here is a shot of everything on the grill.