Last summer I have sun dried some of the excess tomato and eggplant growing in our backyard.  Kept the tomatoes in jars and hung the dried eggplant in a loose sack made out of cheese cloth.  Finally last week I had a chance to make a dish out of them, this time also using the green garlic that was pulled out of the garden.  Using the pomegranate concentrate (or molasses, however you want to address that lovely syrup) in this dish is a must, if you ask me.  Definitely brings out the taste of the eggplant and adds another dimension, which is always welcome to my palate. Sourness.

I was so careful to measure everything I put in this dish and guess what?  I lost the paper I have written. Grrr!!!

I will try to give some estimates as much as I remember.  Maybe one day that paper will come out and I can update this writing, but until then:

• 100 – 120 gr dried eggplant chunks
• 80 gr dried tomato slices
• 70 gr green spring garlic
• 1 Tbs dried crushed chilies
• 1 medium onion
• 4 – 5 Tbs olive oil
• 4 Tbs pomegranate concentrate

Put the eggplants and tomatoes in different bowls, big enough to hold them when they expand with water. Boil about 4 cups of water, pour over those bowls.  Let them sit until they are soft, about 20 mins or so

Drain the eggplants, take the tomatoes out of the water reserving the red water to add to stew.  Slice the tomatoes even smaller.
Cut the onion finely, saute in olive oil. Add the garlic pieces (cut about 1 cm) saute for couple minutes.  Add the drained eggplants and tomato slices, add 4 – 5 Tbs reserved tomatoe juice along with the pom concentrate. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and let cook for 5 – 7 minutes.

Enjoy warm or cold.  Make sure to have a bowl of yogurt with it; they do go well together.

My mom mentioned this recipe that she recently learned. Since I had some fava beans growing in our backyard, I had to try it out. Since we hardly consume rice, I used bulgur to make this pilaf. Amazing combination of 3 main ingredients: bulgur, fava beans and fresh dill. I would have never imagines such a result, but here it was.

Later I made the same pilaf, this time also adding artichokes. Try that, too if you like artichokes.

I must say that shucking the fava beans takes quite a time. Don’t spare.

• About 1 cup of shelled, shucked fava beans
• 1 cup of coarse bulgur
• 1 medium size onion
• 4 tablespoon olive oil
• 1.5 – 2 cups of hot water (use broth if you have any)
• salt to taste
• fresh fill, chopped, about 3 – 4 tablespoons

1. Cut the onions small, shell and shuck the fava beans
2. Heat the olive oil, cook the onions until translucent. Add bulgur and fava beans. Add salt and hot water, stir well and cover. Reduce the heat to medium – low, cook your pilaf until water is absorbed
3. When cooked, take off the heat. After cooled a bit, stir in the chopped dill

Serve warm or cold, either way is delicious!