Yes, it's an ode of sorts. A dedication. Or something like that. Aubergines (or eggplants as we also call them) have become a bit of an obsession of mine. How are they so good? I don't know, but they are. There's something so fantastically earthy about them, and when roasted simply, with just a bit of salt to pull out the bitter juices, they can't be beat. Roasted aubergine puree makes a great mezze and is a fantastic addition to my favourite homemade curry.
But my favourite weeknight meal has got to be an aubergine, sliced lengthways, topped with homemade coriander pesto and a bit of feta. (I've made it nine times in a month, if that's any indication of my passion.)
Roasted aubergine with coriander pesto and feta
(serves 2)
2 aubergines, sliced lengthways
100g reduced fat feta
for the coriander pesto:
2 handfuls of coriander pesto, chopped
25 g pine nuts
1 chilli, deseeded and chopped fine
2 tsp olive oil
a pinch of sea salt
freshly ground pepper
To make the pesto: combine all of the ingredients in a pestle and mortar and beat to a fine paste.( This will keep in a jar in the fridge for up to a week, so can be made before.)
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Salt the aubergines and allow the bitter juices to be drawn out. Rinse and top with _ of the pesto. Place in a foil lined baking tin and roast for 45 minutes.
With about 15 minutes left, top with the feta (25g per half) and the rest of the pesto. The cheese will soften in those last 10 minutes.
With the last 10 minutes to go, prepare any side veggies you may want to serve - green beans or a tomato salad would work really well.
Other combinations? Mozzarella works well - and you could always use plain basil pesto. But there's something about the fiery chilli, zingy coriander and earthy pine nuts that bring out the best in the royal purple aubergine.
Showing posts with label aubergine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aubergine. Show all posts
Saturday, 16 August 2008
Tuesday, 3 June 2008
get your freeze on
As you may have noticed, I’ve been having trouble keeping up at the moment, as evidenced by my almost month-long absence from the site. With work, husband’s work, budgetary concerns, and other matters, my creative spark seems to have eluded me.
But that might not be it. Instead, my creative spark eludes me after I get off of the bus at 6:30pm every weekday. What I had imagined cooking when I made my shopping list the week before just sounds like a chore. I’m too tired.
I imagine I’m not the only one to whom this happens. But after a month of it, I’m bored with not cooking, either. So what do I do?
After getting some good advice and having a spare Saturday afternoon, I finally come to a good solution: make it ahead, and freeze it.
Now of course this isn’t always a good option. Freezing pasta would just be silly. (Or at least I think it would be.) But sauces, soups and curries – now that’s a whole other story. So a couple of Saturdays ago, I concocted a lovely aubergine and red lentil curry, but didn’t have it until just this past Saturday, after a long day out. Whilst we paraded around London, our little curry sat at home, defrosting, waiting for us to come home and love it.
Love it we did, too. It was gorgeous! I think that week in the freezer did wonders for it.
So for the time being, I’m on the lookout for great meals I can make and freeze ahead of time. Any ideas? Try this one while you ponder.
Aubergine and red lentil curry
(serves 2 medium-sized portion or 1 large, 1 small portion)
1 aubergine, sliced lengthways
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tin of water
100 g carrots, julienned
1 large onion, quartered
2 tbsp groundnut oil
75g red lentils, dried
50 g creamed coconut
3 tbsp lime juice
3 spring onions
1 chilli, seeds removed
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp fennel seeds, ground
1 tsp cayenne
150 g wholegrain rice
3 tbsp fat-free natural yogurt (optional)
2 tbsp lime pickle (optional)
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Spray a foil-lined roasting tin with a couple sprays of olive oil. Salt the halves of aubergine and place face-down on the tin. Roast for 45 minutes.
In a food processor, chop up the spring onions, lime juice, chilli, and garlic.
To prepare the curry, heat the spices in a large pot over med-high heat. Add the onion and stir to coat the onion with the spices. Add the oil and saute for about 3 minutes. Then add in half of the food-processed mixture.
Add the chopped tomatoes in slowly, so that the tomatoes bubble over the high heat. Add the water too. Once it’s all in, mix and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the red lentils as per the packet instructions (Generally, this just involves bringing to a boil and reducing to a simmer for about 25 minutes.)
When the lentils are ready, drain them. Add the coconut to the food processed mixture, and chop/combine again. Then add this mixture to the red lentils. Set this to the side.
When the aubergines are ready, remove from the oven and use a fork to scrap out the flesh. Chop up if necessary, and then add to the curry. Then add in the coconut lentil mixture and stir through. Check the seasoning, and add any as required.
If you’re freezing for later, stop here, allow the curry to cool, and then transfer to a freezable container.
When eating, just bring back to a simmer and allow to heat through. Serve with rice, with bits of yogurt and lime pickle on the side. (To ensure that everyone’s properly full, consider serving naan bread as an extra.)
Calories: 1 small serving (1/3 of the curry, 50g rice (dry weight), 1 tbsp yogurt and 1 tbsp lime pickle): 680
Let me tell you, this made my Saturday night. I ate happily, knowing I’d created a fabulous, wholesome meal, but barely had to lift a finger.
But that might not be it. Instead, my creative spark eludes me after I get off of the bus at 6:30pm every weekday. What I had imagined cooking when I made my shopping list the week before just sounds like a chore. I’m too tired.
I imagine I’m not the only one to whom this happens. But after a month of it, I’m bored with not cooking, either. So what do I do?
After getting some good advice and having a spare Saturday afternoon, I finally come to a good solution: make it ahead, and freeze it.
Now of course this isn’t always a good option. Freezing pasta would just be silly. (Or at least I think it would be.) But sauces, soups and curries – now that’s a whole other story. So a couple of Saturdays ago, I concocted a lovely aubergine and red lentil curry, but didn’t have it until just this past Saturday, after a long day out. Whilst we paraded around London, our little curry sat at home, defrosting, waiting for us to come home and love it.
Love it we did, too. It was gorgeous! I think that week in the freezer did wonders for it.
So for the time being, I’m on the lookout for great meals I can make and freeze ahead of time. Any ideas? Try this one while you ponder.
Aubergine and red lentil curry
(serves 2 medium-sized portion or 1 large, 1 small portion)
1 aubergine, sliced lengthways
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tin of water
100 g carrots, julienned
1 large onion, quartered
2 tbsp groundnut oil
75g red lentils, dried
50 g creamed coconut
3 tbsp lime juice
3 spring onions
1 chilli, seeds removed
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp fennel seeds, ground
1 tsp cayenne
150 g wholegrain rice
3 tbsp fat-free natural yogurt (optional)
2 tbsp lime pickle (optional)
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Spray a foil-lined roasting tin with a couple sprays of olive oil. Salt the halves of aubergine and place face-down on the tin. Roast for 45 minutes.
In a food processor, chop up the spring onions, lime juice, chilli, and garlic.
To prepare the curry, heat the spices in a large pot over med-high heat. Add the onion and stir to coat the onion with the spices. Add the oil and saute for about 3 minutes. Then add in half of the food-processed mixture.
Add the chopped tomatoes in slowly, so that the tomatoes bubble over the high heat. Add the water too. Once it’s all in, mix and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the red lentils as per the packet instructions (Generally, this just involves bringing to a boil and reducing to a simmer for about 25 minutes.)
When the lentils are ready, drain them. Add the coconut to the food processed mixture, and chop/combine again. Then add this mixture to the red lentils. Set this to the side.
When the aubergines are ready, remove from the oven and use a fork to scrap out the flesh. Chop up if necessary, and then add to the curry. Then add in the coconut lentil mixture and stir through. Check the seasoning, and add any as required.
If you’re freezing for later, stop here, allow the curry to cool, and then transfer to a freezable container.
When eating, just bring back to a simmer and allow to heat through. Serve with rice, with bits of yogurt and lime pickle on the side. (To ensure that everyone’s properly full, consider serving naan bread as an extra.)
Calories: 1 small serving (1/3 of the curry, 50g rice (dry weight), 1 tbsp yogurt and 1 tbsp lime pickle): 680
Let me tell you, this made my Saturday night. I ate happily, knowing I’d created a fabulous, wholesome meal, but barely had to lift a finger.
Thursday, 11 October 2007
boats of butternut squash
About a year ago, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall published an excellent set of recipes in which the butternut squash, cut in half, acted as a ‘boat’ to hold additional tasty passengers.
Lentils and blue cheese (preferably in my mind, blue vinney) were the best two ingredients he recommended. So last night, I used a combination of lentils, blue vinney, red onion, and rosemary in my mixture.
It takes time, but the preparation of the recipe is extremely simple. Simply cut the squash in half, prick with a fork, and roast for about 45 minutes. Remove most of the squash, leaving about a 1cm rim around the whole of the squash, and mix with the cooked lentils, onion and rosemary. Add the mixture back into the squash, top with blue vinney, and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Absolutely delightful.
But don’t stop with squash – aubergine works a treat too. I remember a Rosemary Conley recipe (a bit naff but nonetheless commendable for her low-fat tricks) from years ago recommending stuffed aubergine with lentils and tomatoes. Topped with Swiss or Parmesan, it makes a fabulously simple meal.
Lentils and blue cheese (preferably in my mind, blue vinney) were the best two ingredients he recommended. So last night, I used a combination of lentils, blue vinney, red onion, and rosemary in my mixture.
It takes time, but the preparation of the recipe is extremely simple. Simply cut the squash in half, prick with a fork, and roast for about 45 minutes. Remove most of the squash, leaving about a 1cm rim around the whole of the squash, and mix with the cooked lentils, onion and rosemary. Add the mixture back into the squash, top with blue vinney, and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
Absolutely delightful.
But don’t stop with squash – aubergine works a treat too. I remember a Rosemary Conley recipe (a bit naff but nonetheless commendable for her low-fat tricks) from years ago recommending stuffed aubergine with lentils and tomatoes. Topped with Swiss or Parmesan, it makes a fabulously simple meal.
Thursday, 4 October 2007
pasta autunno
Pasta with aubergines, blue vinney and rocket: one of my favourites. I've made it several times before. I've learned that tweaking it slightly can make a very noticable difference. This week I'm adding stilton instead of blue vinney (one of my purchases from the cheese festival last Saturday) and using tricolore fusilli to give it the feeling of autumn.
I've prepared the aubergines several ways - roasting, sauteeing, a combination of the two. Roasting large chunks works best - fleshy, soft, but not too oily.
Blue vinney naturally has about 30% less fat than other blue cheeses, so be careful not to overuse stilton.
I've prepared the aubergines several ways - roasting, sauteeing, a combination of the two. Roasting large chunks works best - fleshy, soft, but not too oily.
Blue vinney naturally has about 30% less fat than other blue cheeses, so be careful not to overuse stilton.
(serves 2 - one large and one small portion)
300 g tricolore fusilli
75 g rocket
2 medium aubergines, sliced into rounds and quartered
20 sprays olive oil
100 g stilton
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Place the aubergines in the roasting tin and spray with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes.
About 15 minutes before the aubergines finish roasting, bring a large pot of water to boil. Allow the pasta to boil for 7-8 minutes.
Crumble the blue cheese and set to the side. Remove the aubergines, spray with a bit more olive oil, season with pepper and set to the side as well.
Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the aubergines, rocket and 3/4 of the blue cheese. Mix together.
Divide into two bowls and top with the remaining blue cheese. Serve immediately.
The colours add a stunning autumn touch to the dish. Serve it on a weeknight or as a first course at a dinner party.
Saturday, 19 May 2007
aubergine and blue cheese pasta with rocket
This is a dish I've made a couple of times before, with some variations. I didn't have any outside inspiration for it - it was just the production of a random night in the kitchen.
When I first mentioned this dish I'd designed to a colleague, her first reaction was 'aubergines with blue cheese - ugh!' I was taken aback - to me it sounds excellent. Blue cheese is a strong flavor, and it pairs well with other vegetables - mushrooms and spinach, for example.
An excellent weeknight meal, it's fast and it's healthy. To my husband, it 'tastes too good to be healthy,' which is ideal!
Just because I'm trying to eat healthily doesn't mean I shouldn't get to taste the creamy blue cheese and the slippery texture of the roasted aubergine. It's PORTION SIZE that's key here: while most of us are used to gigantic bowls of pasta, it's not necessary to the success of the dish or the capacity of our stomachs.
Bulk this dish out with lovely peppery rocket - or as much aubergine as you'd like. The only things to limit are the pasta and the cheese. Here's how:
-use wholewheat pasta. (you can use penne, spaghetti, fusilli, they all work well)
-try blue vinney cheese. (this is a regional dorset blue cheese that naturally has 1/3 less fat than stilton.)
-use a spray olive oil. (you often will never need as much olive oil as recipes call for)
A central tenet of my healthy cooking: always try reduced fat options. Some low-fat alternatives taste revolting, but reduced fat is a good compromise.
(serves 2)
200 g aubergine (1/2 of a large one), chunkily diced
1 pack of rocket (or as much as you'd like)
300 g wholemeal penne (100 g for me, but 200g for the husband)
40 g sprays of olive oil
approx 100 g blue vinney cheese
Preheat the oven to 200C. Dice the aubergine and put into a foil-lined roasting tin. Spray with 1/2 of olive oil spray. Roast for approximately 30-40 minutes, spraying more as necessary throughout.
With have about 10 minutes left of roasting to go, boil the pasta. Since I want to make sure I only have a specific amount of pasta, I sometimes boil it separately than the rest after I weigh my portion out. Otherwise, if it's an easy ratio to figure out, I can boil it all together and then separately after (i.e., 1 scoop for me, 2 scoops for him, 1 scoop for me, 2 scoops for him, etc).
Drain the pasta. Return to two separate pots for finishing. Fold in the rocket - the heat of the pasta will soften it, so there's no need to cook it. Scoop the aubergine into the bowls from the roasting tin, splitting evenly between the two bowls. Add the cheese to the pasta. For me, I keep it to 50 g only. Crumble and mix into the pasta. For him, I don't bother weighing it out. I add a little olive oil to his if it seems like it needs it.
--
This dish is easily adaptable - if he decides he wants more cheese, it's easily added without much fuss. If I want more rocket, there's just no problem. These types of meals are crucial when 1/2 of the household is watching what it eats - and that 1/2 is the one doing the cooking.
For me, according to the WLR database, the dish is 525 calories - very low cal. But it's so easily bulked up - if I need more pasta, I can have it. On its own, though, it's an extremely suitable meal.
When I first mentioned this dish I'd designed to a colleague, her first reaction was 'aubergines with blue cheese - ugh!' I was taken aback - to me it sounds excellent. Blue cheese is a strong flavor, and it pairs well with other vegetables - mushrooms and spinach, for example.
An excellent weeknight meal, it's fast and it's healthy. To my husband, it 'tastes too good to be healthy,' which is ideal!
Just because I'm trying to eat healthily doesn't mean I shouldn't get to taste the creamy blue cheese and the slippery texture of the roasted aubergine. It's PORTION SIZE that's key here: while most of us are used to gigantic bowls of pasta, it's not necessary to the success of the dish or the capacity of our stomachs.
Bulk this dish out with lovely peppery rocket - or as much aubergine as you'd like. The only things to limit are the pasta and the cheese. Here's how:
-use wholewheat pasta. (you can use penne, spaghetti, fusilli, they all work well)
-try blue vinney cheese. (this is a regional dorset blue cheese that naturally has 1/3 less fat than stilton.)
-use a spray olive oil. (you often will never need as much olive oil as recipes call for)
A central tenet of my healthy cooking: always try reduced fat options. Some low-fat alternatives taste revolting, but reduced fat is a good compromise.
(serves 2)
200 g aubergine (1/2 of a large one), chunkily diced
1 pack of rocket (or as much as you'd like)
300 g wholemeal penne (100 g for me, but 200g for the husband)
40 g sprays of olive oil
approx 100 g blue vinney cheese
Preheat the oven to 200C. Dice the aubergine and put into a foil-lined roasting tin. Spray with 1/2 of olive oil spray. Roast for approximately 30-40 minutes, spraying more as necessary throughout.
With have about 10 minutes left of roasting to go, boil the pasta. Since I want to make sure I only have a specific amount of pasta, I sometimes boil it separately than the rest after I weigh my portion out. Otherwise, if it's an easy ratio to figure out, I can boil it all together and then separately after (i.e., 1 scoop for me, 2 scoops for him, 1 scoop for me, 2 scoops for him, etc).
Drain the pasta. Return to two separate pots for finishing. Fold in the rocket - the heat of the pasta will soften it, so there's no need to cook it. Scoop the aubergine into the bowls from the roasting tin, splitting evenly between the two bowls. Add the cheese to the pasta. For me, I keep it to 50 g only. Crumble and mix into the pasta. For him, I don't bother weighing it out. I add a little olive oil to his if it seems like it needs it.
--
This dish is easily adaptable - if he decides he wants more cheese, it's easily added without much fuss. If I want more rocket, there's just no problem. These types of meals are crucial when 1/2 of the household is watching what it eats - and that 1/2 is the one doing the cooking.
For me, according to the WLR database, the dish is 525 calories - very low cal. But it's so easily bulked up - if I need more pasta, I can have it. On its own, though, it's an extremely suitable meal.
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