Taro And Cassava Chips With Eggplant Dip Recipes

Steps:

• Peel 2 medium taro roots and slice 1/8 inch thick with a mandoline. (You want them to be thin but sturdy.) Arrange in a single layer on 2 foil-lined baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees F until browned in spots and crispy, 15 to 25 minutes. Season with salt. Let cool.

Steps:

• Heat the grill. Meanwhile, in a blender combine 3/4 cup olive oil, the oregano, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend until you have a rough purée, 2 to 5 minutes depending on how strong your blender is. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed. Purée should be well seasoned.
• Split pita breads in half along their seams to make 6 flat rounds. Brush both sides of each pita round with herb purée.
• When grill is hot, cook the eggplant, whole, until skins are shriveled and flesh has collapsed, about 8 to 12 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
• Grill pitas until crisp, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. Let rest for a minute or two until cool enough to handle but still very warm, then slice each round into 6 wedges.
• Peel eggplant and put flesh in a food processor with remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Purée, then taste and add more lemon or salt (or both) if needed. Serve the dip spread on a plate, drizzled with more olive oil and garnished with mint, dates and pomegranate seeds if desired.

Steps:

• For the chips.
• Peel the root vegetable and slice very thinly using a mandoline or food processor.
• Heat the oil until it just starts to smoke.
• Place the dried chips in a wire basket and in batches of about a handful, plunge into the hot oil and cook for about 90 seconds until crisp and golden.
• The timing will depend on the temperature of the oil and the thickness of the chips.
• Before beginning the second and subsequent batches, bring the temperature up again, as cool oil does not allow the chips to become crisp and light.
• Drain well and sprinkle with a little salt.
• For the eggplant dip.
• Bake the eggplant at 180°C until very tender.
• This should take about 40 minutes, depending on the size.
• Finely chop the onion and cook in a frying pan with the oil until the onion is soft and golden.
• Near the end of the cooking process add the finely chopped garlic and chilli.
• Take the cooked eggplant and scoop out all the flesh, discarding the skin and stem.
• Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl and gently stir to break it up.
• Add the onion mixture and lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Stir through the fresh coriander and pile into a serving bowl.
• Serve with taro, cassava or potato chips.

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix the soy, garlic, ginger, lemon juice oil, and chile together. Marinate the fish for 30 minutes. In a saucepan on high heat, lightly coat with canola oil and caramelize the onions. Add the guavas and deglaze with sake. Reduce by 50 percent and add juices. Reduce by another 50 percent and transfer to a blender. Blend until smooth and lift with macadamia nut oil. Season and check for flavor.
• In a fryer at 300 degrees, blanch the taro until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towel, un-seasoned and set aside. Heat canola in a deep pan to 400 degrees F. Pull fish out of marinade and dredge in rice flour. Fry the fish with the taro until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Season with pink salt.
• On a large platter, place fish and taro down and serve with sauce in a small bowl. Garnish with guava slices and parsley.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel taro root and thinly slice into 1/16-inch-thick slices using a mandoline. Lightly brush two 12-by-17-inch baking sheets with olive oil and spread chips evenly onto each. Brush tops of chips with olive oil and bake until crisp, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer chips to a paper towel to cool and sprinkle with salt.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Place taro disks in a 1- to 2-inch deep dish. Brush disks evenly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops of chips are crisp, about 15 minutes; flip chips and continue baking until second side is crisp, about 15 more minutes.