I figured out how to make Anong's Spicy Eggplant and it's super easy

OK, for me it's Anong's, the megamillion dollar Wyoming chain of swank Thai restaurants, for you it's some other random Thai restaurant in your much sadder state with less-fancy things. But every good Thai place has a salty, sweet, spicy grease bomb like this stir fried eggplant I dream about when I haven't ordered it for a while, right? Well, here it is.  Save your cash, and you're welcome.

Spicy Thai Eggplant Stir Fry

Serves 4

3 medium-sized Chinese eggplants, halved and chopped into 1"-1.5" pieces
1 large red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 carrot, thinly sliced

4 oz. white mushrooms, thickly sliced

2-3 green onions, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped into large pieces
3 serrano chiles, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons grated ginger
a generous handful of fresh Thai basil leaves, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons mild-flavored oil, like peanut or grapeseed

Sauce:
2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup warm water
2 teaspoons corn starch mixed with 4 teaspoons cold water

Mix fish sauce, soy, water and brown sugar; set aside. Heat large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and eggplants. Fry for 2 minutes on either side, or until they begin to brown and turn soft. Remove from pan.  Add 1 additional tablespoon of oil to wok. Add onions, garlic, chiles, and ginger and fry for 6-7 minutes, or until soft and glossy. Add all remaining vegetables and cook until crisp-tender, stirring constantly. Return eggplant to the wok, and toss to combine. Add sauce to the wok, stirring for 1 minute. Toss in basil. Add corn starch, cooking until the sauce becomes thick and coats the vegetables. Serve immediately over hot rice.

PS--I threw some oven-baked tofu in mine, too.

Make it at Home: Chicken Osso Buco

Osso Buco is traditionally a dish made with veal shanks and dribbling with marrow, but I like the lighter version made with chicken.  It's a great way to use cheaper dark meat and keep it super tender, and osso buco, after all, is country Italian food, so I think this is a respectable way to honor the most likely purpose of the dish (namely, feeding people on the cheap).

Altitude Chophouse in Laramie, WY has a great chicken osso buco, and so does Trapper's in Parker, CO. But this is an easy dish to set up and allow to stew at home, and it makes great leftovers, so it's crazy to not just do it yourself.  Here's my version.

Chicken Osso Buco

Serves 8

8 medium (about 2 1/2 pounds) chicken thighs
2 tablespoon(s) canola oil
Salt
1/2 bag(s) (8 ounces) carrots
1 large onion
1 large celery stalk
1 can(s) (4 1/2- to 16-ounce) Italian-style stewed tomatoes
Chopped parsley and grated lemon peel, for garnish

Remove skin and fat from chicken thighs. In 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat canola oil and cook chicken thighs and 1 teaspoon salt until chicken is golden on all sides. Remove to plate. Meanwhile, dice carrots, onion, and celery.

Using the chicken drippings remaining in skillet, cook carrots, onion, and celery over medium heat until lightly browned. Return chicken to skillet; stir in stewed tomatoes. Over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and grated lemon peel.

Serve with cooked pasta or rice.

Make it at Home: Lentil Loaf

I appreciate a great restaurant, but I'm cheap and like eating in my pajamas, so I always want to steal my favorite recipes and make them at home. This Grinch-like spirit has inspired a series of "Make it at Home" posts, starting with this one, in which I attempt to copy some of my favorite restaurant dishes so that I won't have to change into respectable clothes.

A good lentil loaf used to be hard to find, but vegetarian cafes like Chicago Diner and Sweet Melissa's in Laramie, WY have figured it out. This is a simple, lightened up version of the old 1970s brick that turned so many of us off of vegetarian eating in the first place, and it's just as homey and comforting as a greasy meatloaf made with low-grade meat and filler, without having to ingest cartilage.


Hearty Lentil Loaf

Serves 6

● 1 1/2 cups lentils
● 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
● 2 onions, diced
● 2 cloves garlic, minced
● 3 tablespoons olive oil
● 2 cups cooked rice (I like jasmine)
● 1 teaspoon salt
● 1/4 cup barbecue sauce or ketchup
● 1/2 teaspoon sage
● 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large soup or stock pot, simmer the lentils in water or vegetable broth until cooked, about 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly then mash the lentils until they are half mashed.

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft. Combine the onions, garlic and olive oil with the mashed lentils and add the rice, salt, ketchup or barbecue sauce, sage, and Italian seasoning.

Gently press the mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan. Drizzle a bit of extra ketchup on top if desired.  Bake for 1 hour. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Goes great with horseradish mashed potatoes (just mash some potatoes with garlic, olive oil, and horseradish.).