Chicken salad lunch with okra, Japanese eggplant and rice

Chicken salad made by making chicken stock, then cooking rice in the fat.. see below. Poached white meat, chopped, added Mayo, mustard, pickle relish (sweet) some romaine ribs because Cassie does not like celery, a little onion. walnuts and raisins.

I tried making this rice with medium grain rice and in the rice cooker. It came out very wet. I used too much liquid for the amount of rice. Long grain rice would have been less sticky too.

ARROZ A LA MEXICANA  (Mexican rice) from Diana Kennedy's The Art of Mexican Cooking

1 1/2 C unconverted long-grain rice

1 C finely chopped unskinned tomatoes

2 T. finely chopped white onions

1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1/3 C. safflower oil, melted chicken fat or melted lard

3 1//2 C. light chicken broth

1/3 C. carrot rounds, (optional)

1/2 C. fresh peas or diced zucchini (optional)

1/2 C. chopped giblets (optional)

1 large sprig parsley (optional)

2 serrano chilies, left whole (optional)

sea salt to taste

Put the rice into a bowl and cover with very hot water.  Stir and leave to soak for about 10 minutes.  drain, rince in cold water, and drain again.

Put tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a blender jar and blend until smooth. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy pan.  Give the rice a final shake and stir into the fat.  Fry over fairly high heat until it begins to turn a light golden color. Strain off any excess oil, stir in the tomato puree, and fry, scraping the bottom of the dish to prevent sticking, until the puree has been absorbed- about 8 minutes.  Stir in the broth, vegetables and giblets, if used, add salt to taste and cook over fairly high heat, uncovered, until all he broth has been absorbed and air holes appear in the surface.  Cover the surface of the rice with a towel and a lid and continue cooking over very low heat for about 5 minutes longer.  Remove from the heat and set aside in a warm place for the rice to absorb the rest of the moisture in the steam ans swell-about 15 minutes.  Dig gently to the bottom and test a grain of rice.  If it is still damp, cook for a few minutes longer.  If the top grains are not quite soft, sprinkle with a little hot broth , cover, and cook for a few minutes longer.

Before serving, turn the rice over carefully from the bottom so that the flavored juices will be distributed evenly.

Grilled Japanese Eggplant

1. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
2. 4 teaspoons lemon juice
3. 2 teaspoons olive oil
4. 4 Japanese eggplants (about 1 pound)
5. 1/4 cup katsuobushi, dried, shaved bonito flakes (a type of tuna), optional

Whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, and olive oil in a bowl to make the dressing; set aside. Score the stem end of each eggplant, making a circular cut in the skin (this will make the eggplant easier to peel). Poke a few holes into the eggplants with a skewer or fork to allow steam to escape as they grill.

Preheat a grill to medium. Grill for about 8 minutes, turning the eggplants a quarter turn every 2 minutes. Try to grill the eggplant all around. Test the eggplants for doneness by pressing against their sides with a pair of tongs. If the eggplants give easily, they're ready. Transfer the eggplants to a plate.

As soon as the eggplants are cool enough to handle, carefully peel off the skin (the skin comes off more easily if the eggplant is warm; don't let it cool completely). Once you've removed the skin, remove the stems, and slice each eggplant into 4 pieces, cutting on an angle. Transfer the eggplant slices to a platter. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle with the bonito, and serve.

Classic Iron Skillet Southern Fried Okra

©From the Kitchen of Deep South Dish

1 pound of small okra pods, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1/2 cup of cooking oil, more or less, divided

3/4 cup of all purpose cornmeal

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

Kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper and Cajun seasoning (optional), to taste

Rinse okra in a colander and let drain. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Combine the cornmeal, flour, salt and pepper and Cajun seasoning, if using, in a paper bag or medium sized bowl. Toss the okra to coat evenly and transfer to the skillet using a large slotted spoon to shake off excess. Cook in batches, allowing to fry on one side until lightly browned, then begin to stir fry, moving the okra around the skillet and scraping the bottom of the skillet to avoid burning. Transfer to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with sea salt or kosher salt, to taste. Prepare next batch, adding additional oil to skillet as needed between batches. Serve hot.

Cook's Notes: Choose smaller pods about 3 to 4 inches in length as they are the most tender. Any larger than that and they just get woody and tough. Substitute frozen okra if desired; simply place it in a colander, rinse well and allow to drain.