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!

Advertisements

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.

Save

Aubergine / eggplant with garlic and fresh herbs

Tags

Aubergine, eggplant, garlic, herbs, summer recipe

 Aubergines are in season at the moment and can be found at all the markets in abundant quantities. They vary in size from small to medium; in France fruit and vegetables are prized more if smaller as they usually are much tastier than the large-sized examples we are used to find in the US. Every magazine I buy has loads of recipes for aubergines, courgettes, tomatoes, peppers etc. and so today when I did my shopping at the market, I picked up a few aubergines and decided to cook them for lunch with a roast chicken. This is a very easy and quick recipe and very tasty.

Aubergine with garlic and fresh herbs:  serves 6

Ingredients:

3 small to medium aubergines

6 cloves of garlic, crushed

olive oil

rosemary

Salt & black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 210 Celsius /450 Fahrenheit

Rince and dry the aubergines

Remove the ends and without peeling, cut into thick slices

Place on a baking sheet next to each other

Brush the slices with olive oil

Sprinkle the garlic evenly on the slices

Add pepper and the fresh rosemary

Place in the oven for 20 minutes

Sprinkle with parsley and chives (optional)

Enjoy hot or cold!