The eggplant is by far my favorite vegetable. I can have them every day in summer: breakfast, lunch and dinner. But people around me do get tired of eating the same main ingredient every single day. So I have to trick them and find creative ways to use my beloved eggplants, and that’s when the Feedfeed comes in handy.
Founded by Julie Resnick and her husband Dan, Feedfeed is a social media platform for people who love ingredients, cooking, inspiring others and being inspired. Julie certainly knows how to cook (she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City), but some days she was looking for a little inspiration, not a formal recipe. Thus Julie came up with the idea for Feedfeed, an online space where users can submit photos of breakfasts, lunches and dinners to share with other home cooks.
Looking at what other users make fosters creativity, along with the advantage of cook-to-cook discussion that can promote an online sense of togetherness. Personally, sitting at Feedfeed’s virtual table has changed my dining experience since their application acts as a tool in that you can curate and customize your feed according to your preferences and special diets.
Julie and Dan make it a point to shop locally and have been dedicated subscribers to the historic community-supported agriculture program at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, NY since 2009. Promoting local farmers and small-scale food producers is such an important part of their mission that they have recently collaborated with Brooklyn-based Nunu Chocolates to create a Mexican themed meal. On the menu, chicken mole tacos (pictured above) made with Nunu Chocolate’s pink peppercorn and cacao nib bark, served with chocolate mint margaritas made with Nunu’s dark chocolate buttons.
Feeling inspired? Julie generously shared her mole negro recipe with us. Make at home, follow with @thefeedfeed and bon appétit!
Mole negro made with Nunu Chocolates’ pink peppercorn and cacao nib bark
(adapted from a Stephan Pyles recipe)
Ingredients
2 cups chicken stock
8 roma tomatoes, charred
4 tomatillos, husked and charred
1 red onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup sherry cooking wine
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sliced blanched almonds
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon of thyme leaves
2 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
8 ounces of Nunu Chocolate’s pink peppercorn and cacao nib bark
1/4 pineapple, cored and cubed
1. Char tomatoes and tomatillos on the grill or in an oven on broil, turning often. Set aside.
2. Toast coriander, cumin seeds, thyme, allspice and cloves in a dry sauté pan until fragrant; remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. Then in the same pan toast sesame and pumpkin seeds with the almonds until lightly browned. Set aside.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a large sauté pan until lightly smoking. Add in onion, carrot and celery. Cook over high heat for 7 minutes (or until well caramelized) stirring often. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add sherry to deglaze the pan cooking until the mixture is reduced to a syrup. Add charred tomatoes, tomatillos, pineapple, chicken stock, raisins, toasted herbs, seeds, nuts and peppers. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add chocolate and simmer 10 more minutes and season with salt.
5. Transfer to blender or food processor, puree and set aside.
6. Toss mole in pulled chicken (or pork) and serve in tacos topped with lightly pickled seasonal veggies and a chocolate margarita.
