Oven roasted aubergine/eggplant with saffron yogurt dressing

Tags

Aubergine, eggplant, middle eastern, saffron, salad

I have always loved middle eastern cuisine and ever since I went to an Ottolenghi restaurant in London, with my daughter, many years ago, I am a huge fan of his recipes. Recently, I invited our new neighbours over for dinner and decided on a middle eastern theme for the meal. I made assorted meze to start with pita then followed with a 5 hour lamb and several sides. One of the most popular, by far, was the aubergine with saffron yoghurt. It is such an easy recipe yet never fails to impress, in part, due to the amazing flavours but also, because it is visually a superb feast for the eyes with its jewel toned colours. Below is my adaptation of the recipe. The saffron sauce is great with just about anything, from fish to meat to veggies so do not hesitate to double the quantity. It will keep 3 days in the fridge – if you can resist eating it all at once.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 medium aubergines
• 1 Tsp olive oil
• 2 Tsp grilled pine nuts
• 4 Tsp fresh pomegranate seeds
• Fresh basil leaves, torn
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• Saffron yoghurt
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 Tsp hot water
• 200g / 3/4 cup Greek yoghurt
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 3 Tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tsp olive oil (optional)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 220C / 430F
• Cut the aubergine into slices about 1 1/2 cm thick then cut each slice into 3 or 4 strips
• Place the aubergine in a large bowl, add the oil, salt and pepper and toss gently to ensure evenly coated
• Lay the pieces onto a baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes until they are a nice golden colour
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool
• While the aubergine is cooking, make the sauce/dressing
• Allow the saffron to infuse in the hot water for a few minutes
• In a bowl, combine the saffron infusion with the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil (if using) and add salt to taste (I did not add oil nor salt)
• Whisk the sauce by hand or ideally use a hand blender until it is smooth
• Keep the sauce in the fridge until ready to use
• Place the cooled aubergine strips in a serving dish, drizzle over the saffron sauce, sprinkle with the pine nuts and pomegranate seeds
• Add the fresh basil and serve immediately

Bon Appetit!

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Aubergines with tahini vinaigrette

Tags

appetizer, Aubergine, eggplant, middle eastern, moroccan, salad, tahini

This delicious salad was inspired by watching a TV program on Morocco and the fact that it is prime aubergine season here in France at the moment and they are just gorgeous and ripe and purple. When choosing an aubergine or eggplant, (as they are called in the US), always look for an unblemished and shiny one and one that is heavy. If it is too light, then it means the insides are spongy and you will not get that delicious meaty goodness. Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds and is a staple in many cuisines, especially in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Arguably the most well known way to use tahini is when making hummus but it is delicious used in Baba Ganoush, an incredible roasted eggplant dip or in salad dressings and sauces. This dressing will make more than you need for the aubergine salad, but, no problem, you can store the rest in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 medium aubergines, unpeeled, cut into circles about 1 cm / 1/2″ thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of coarse salt
1 tablespoon dried origanum
1 tablespoon dried basil
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Cilantro / Coriander, fresh and roughly chopped for garnish
Tahini dressing:
1 lemon, grated rind and juice
1/3 cup / 80 ml olive oil
1/3 cup / 80 ml tahini
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 225 C / 450 F
Place the aubergine slices, the olive oil, the salt, origanum, basil and pepper in a large bowl and toss – ensure all the slices are well coated
Place all the slices on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes
Turn them around and bake another 12 minutes, until golden brown and soft
While the aubergine is in the oven, make the dressing
Place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well or whisk in a bowl until smooth and creamy (if too thick, add a little water)
Store in the refrigerator
Once the aubergine is cooked, arrange the slices on a platter, drizzle the dressing over
Sprinkle the chopped cilantro over
Eat with warm pita or Moroccan bread
Enjoy!

Ratatouille – two ways: easy, oven baked and classic

Tags

Aubergine, courgettes, fiesta friday, oven baked, peppers, ratatouille, tomatoes, vegetables

The secret of a good ratatouille is to cook the vegetables separately so each will taste truly of itself.

— Joël Robuchon, The Complete Robuchon

Ratatouille is usually served as a side dish, but may also be served as a meal on its own (accompanied by pasta, rice or bread) or even topped with a fried egg. Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with garlic, onions, courgette, aubergine, bell peppers, basil, bay leaf and thyme, or a mix of green herbs like herbes de Provence. Ratatouille can be eaten for dinner, but is also used in breakfast and lunch settings. There is much debate on how to make a traditional ratatouille. One method is simply to sauté all of the vegetables together. Some cooks, including Julia Child, insist on a layering approach, where the eggplant and the zucchini are sautéed separately, while the tomatoes, onion, garlic and bell peppers are made into a sauce. The ratatouille is then layered in a casserole – eggplant, zucchini, tomato/pepper mixture – then baked in an oven. A third method, favored by Joël Robuchon, is similar to the previous; however, the ingredients are not baked in an oven but rather recombined in a large pot and simmered. When ratatouille is used as a filling for savory crêpes or to fill an omelette, the pieces are sometimes cut very small. Also, unnecessary moisture is reduced by straining the liquid with a colander into a bowl, reducing it in a hot pan, then adding one or two tablespoons of reduced liquid back into the vegetables.

Similar dishes exist in other cuisines: pisto (Castilian-Manchego, Spain), caponata (Sicily, Italy), briám and tourloú (Greek), şakşuka and türlü (Turkish), lecsó (Hungarian).

American chef Thomas Keller popularized a contemporary variation, confit byaldi, for the 2007 animated film Ratatouille^.

The ingredients are the same no matter which version you wish to make.

 

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 medium aubergine (eggplant)
3 medium courgettes (zucchini or squash)
700 g / 26 oz tomatoes, canned or fresh (if fresh, peeled and deseeded)
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper. diced
1 large onion, diced roughly
2 garlic cloves, crushed (optional)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation: Oven baked method

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F
Peel and chop all the vegetables – I only peel the aubergine, not the courgettes
Mix all the vegetables with the herbs and oil
Place all in a baking dish
Cover and bake for one hour
Uncover, stir, season to taste and continue baking until all the vegetables are soft
If too thick add some beef or chicken or vegetable stock
Can be puréed or left chunky
Enjoy!

Preparation: Classic method

Dice all the vegetables into small cubes
Make sure to keep each vegetable in a separate bowl
Heat the olive oil in a large pan
Sauté each vegetable (they must be all al dente, slightly crunchy) one at a time in the following order: onions, peppers, aubergines, courgettes – keep in separate bowls after cooking each
Cook the tomatoes with the crushed garlic, bay leaf, thyme, dried basil and oregano for about 15 minutes
Finally, mix all the ingredients together in the pan, and season with salt and pepper
Cover with a lid and set aside till serving time

 

Variations:
Give the dish a Moroccan twist by frying the onions with 2 tsp harissa paste and stirring in 400g can chickpeas, drained. For a more intense Mediterranean flavour, add 1 tbsp capers, a handful of pitted black olives and a few chopped anchovies.  Make it into a gratin by placing in a gratin dish, sprinkling with crumbs from 2 slices bread and a handful grated parmesan. Drizzle with olive oil and grill until golden. Or add a deseeded and finely chopped chilli with the garlic for an extra kick.

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