2 Reviews: Miso Glazed Eggplant and Cheap Korean Beef

When I was at Ed Lester Farms I picked up two types of eggplant. One was a large traditional, dark purple eggplant. I planned to use it for caponata. But they also had small light purple eggplants that were labeled Chinese eggplant. I bought two of those too. I planned to make a dish dear sister has being asking me to make. Sister and all her friends love the Natsu Yaki at Sake Sushi. It is broiled eggplant with miso sauce. I decided to use the grill. I did not want to heat up the house with the broiler. I used a recipe called Miso Glazed Grilled Japanese Eggplant from Bobby Flay's Barbecue Addiction. It was delicious; it was tender, creamy and savory. Sister thought the glaze could have been a little more caramelized but the flavor was just like the restaurant version. I guess we will have to try the broiler when the temperature comes down a bit. But I think the balance of miso, mirin and sugar was just right. Great recipe!

I decided to make Cheap Korean Beef for our entrée. I found the recipe on Pinterest and have made it several times. We can all thank Elizabeth at Lizzy Writes for this recipe. It is so good; spicy, sweet and so very easy. I love the Asian barbecue flavor. I imagine this may be the first time Japanese Eggplant and Korean Beef have appeared on the same plate. I hope I haven’t broken some sort of rule but I can tell you it was really good together. I followed Elizabeth’s recipe using 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and 3/8 cup brown sugar. It was perfect for our taste but she says in her recipe you can adjust these ingredients to your liking. So spicy good! I can’t say enough about this recipe. You can whip up this recipe so fast. It is already becoming a regular menu item for me. You should really try this one.