NEPA ~ Off Topic ~ Chatting Thread ( New ) (Philadelphia, Reading: abandoned, fair, machine)

[mr.magoo]

My feelings exactly Mike..
I feel I know quite a few of you personally here even though we have never met in person.

[East Coast Wanderer]

Originally Posted by mr.magoo

My feelings exactly Mike..
I feel I know quite a few of you personally here even though we have never met in person.

I'm always looking for people to hang out with. The "locals" here think excitement/entertainment is bar hoping to see how drunk they can get. Don't get me wrong, I go to a corner bar every so often but it's not my idea of entertainment/excitement.

[mr.magoo]

In October I am going to my place in Rincon, Puerto Rico..

I post on the 'American Territories' site the Puerto Rican threads and found out one of the posters lives only 5 'klicks' away from my place, on the same main road..they been there 20 years.

Gonna hook up with them at a local ocean front bar on a Sunday.
small world.

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by mr.magoo

Yeah,
with you there..Mom and Pop stores rule..the people used to live above the stores and work long hours..
The kids( our generation) don't want to put in those hours and all want to live in nice houses,
I mean, can't blame them..
that is what killed the Chambersburg ( Trenton) Restaurant scene that thrived from the 1950s-90s.
I love Mom and Pop stores, bodegas, restaurants all over the world.

There was a a deli near Toms River, they had a lot of Greek exports, and made their own Greek pastries and Feta.

They closed last March..retired back to Greece..

I got a great recipe from them..;

Take some Jersey grape or cherry tomatoes, slice them in half..
heat up some chopped garlic in some olive oil, throw in tomatoes and sauteed til the skins start to loosen,..
put in a few teaspoons of capers...
Take a nice size square or chunk of Feta cheese, place it in the center an oven proof or baking pan..place the tomato mixture around the cheese..

put under the broiler til cheese gets a nice crust...
good appy, or lunch with some stick bread.

stay tuned for the eggplant parm recipe my sister and I came up with when we grew weary of the local 'mushy' local version...

Does the cheese get melty? I've only ever eaten feta cold. Spell check tells me melty in not a word. It is now.

Other than dip, I don't like mushy eggplant. Someone posted a recipe in Food which involved boiling cubes. I couldn't think about that for long.

[mr.magoo]

yes..Feta can be creamy smooth and sweet...or tangy crumbly and salty..all depends if it is from goats milk, sheeps milk, or cows milk, and of course, how long it has been aged.

This one I used was tangy and crumbly and a bit salty..paired up nicely with the sweetness of the tomatoes and vinegar cured capers.

Egglant recipe to follow.
the Feta gets a lovely golden crust and melts a bit too.

[mr.magoo]

//www.city-data.com/forum/membe...107-image.html
Eggplant Parm...
peel and slice a medium sized eggplant about 1/8 inch slices..
same with a couple of fresh tomatoes.

dip egglant slices in flour, egg, and seasoned breadcrumbs.

Fry in veg. oil til golden..put on paper towels to drain.
Get a baking dish, put a bit of oil on bottom just to moisten.

preheat oven to 350.

layer the eggplant, some shredded mozzarella, a layer of tomatoes..(one pice of eggplant, one slice of tomato...like a stack..(see pic,) on top of the tomato, a slice of that lovely proscuitto pictured..

another layer of the same, third layer is slightly different, instead of shredded mozzarella, a slice of 'wet' fresh mozzarella and some basil leaves.

Final layer of eggplant is topped with grated Reggiano parmesean.
baked 1/2 hour or so til cheese is melted..

(it's good to push out the juice and seeds of the sliced tomato so it isn't too wet.)

the pic was taken after we had eaten some..with no sauce added..
I Usaully put some marinara or bolognese sauce on the bottom of the plate..or on the top..your preference.

The eggplant is cooked through but not mushy..and the crispy crust is heaven..

[mr.magoo]

//www.city-data.com/forum/membe...5106-image.jpg
oooops, forgot the picture of the lovely parma ham or proscuitto

the 'tayans' around my way pronounce it 'bras-shoot' :-)

[Gerania]

That sounds great! Decades ago, my friend told me to order the eggplant parm at an Italian? restaurant. It was a mess of soggy eggplant, smothered in sauce topped with cheap mozzarella. I haven't eaten it since.

[mr.magoo]

stick with me, my little Grasshopper...

I will never point you down a perilous nor unrewarding road.

[East Coast Wanderer]

They have a fair selection of cheese here and it's not too far.

The Riehl Deli and Cheese Shop - Reading Terminal Market