Have You Got 50 Minutes?

Half of this recipe is almost done because it is similar to the one I wrote a few days ago, Fruit and Almond Couscous. And the sauce you have to make for this is very easy and quick. Relax! It is also a vegan recipe, because it has feta cheese. The source of it is Tesco Magazine from 2005 in London. Let’s start as you need 50 minutes and I talk too much. 😉

Aubergine Stuffed With Fruity Couscous

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 small aubergine
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and black pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp harissa paste (or any similar hot sauce you have in your pantry)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 375 ml (13 fl oz) vegetable stock
• 175 g (6 oz) couscous
• 30 g (1 oz) raisins
• 30 g (1 oz) chopped dried apricots
• 30 g (1 oz) toasted sliced almonds (optional)
• small bunch spring onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp green olives, chopped
• 50 g (2 oz) crumbled feta cheese

For the spiced yogurt sauce:

• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
• salt
• ground black pepper

Method:

• Bring a large pan of water to the boil; add the aubergines (in batches if necessary) and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove from water, halve lengthways and scoop out flesh leaving a 2 cm (1 in) shell. Chop the removed flesh and set aside.
• Place ten aubergine shells on a baking sheet. Brush with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven at Gas 6, 200°C, 400°F and bake for 5 minutes or until just golden.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a saucepan, add onion and gently sauté until soft. Add harissa and cinnamon and fry, stirring, for 5 more minutes. Add stock and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and add couscous. Let stand for 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
• Fluff with a fork; add the remaining ingredients (except the feta) together with the reserved chopped aubergine.
• Pile the couscous mixture into the aubergine shells, top with the feta and bake for 10 minutes until the cheese starts to brown. Meanwhile combine sauce ingredients ready to serve with the stuffed aubergine.

Bon appetite!

Before Meat There Were Vegetables

With summer here, why not take advantage of the plentitude of vegetables in season and eat something light and healthy. One of my favourite recipes is a mixture of vegetable called like that: mixed vegetable casserole. It is a Bulgarian recipe from ‘The Practical Encyclopedia of East European Cooking’, 1999. It is very tasty and quite easy to make plus it won’t keep you in the kitchen for long, mostly for preparing. After that you just ‘forget’ it for about an hour and everything is done. Read hear how it’s made and enjoy.

Mixed Vegetable Casserole

Serves 5

Ingredients:

• 1 aubergine
• 115 g (4 oz, 1/2 cup) okra, halved lengthways
• 225 g (8 oz, 2 cups) frozen or fresh peas
• 225 g (8 oz, 1 1/2 cups) green beans, cut into 2,5 cm (1 in) pieces
• 4 courgettes, cut into 1 cm (1/2 in) pieces
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 450 g (1 lb) old potatoes, diced into 2,5 cm (1 in) pieces
• 1 red pepper, seeded and sliced
• 397 g (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 150 ml (1/4 pint, 2/3 cup) vegetable stock
• 60 ml (4 tbsp) olive oil
• 75 ml (5 tbsp) chopped fresh parsley
• 5 ml (1 tsp) paprika
• salt
• 3 tomatoes and 1 courgette for topping

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/ 375°F/ Gas 5. Dice th aubergine into 2,5 cm (1 in) pieces. Add the vegetables to a large ovenproof casserole.
• Stir in the canned tomatoes, stock, olive oil, parsley, paprika and salt to taste. Stir well.
• Level de surface of the vegetables and arrange alternate slices of tomatoes and courgette attractively on top.
• Put the lid on or cover the casserole dish tightly. Cook for 60-70 minutes. Serve either hot or cold with wedges of crusty bread.

Bon appetite!

Imam bayildi

Long time ago I was curious about this recipe and I wanted to find out if I would faint too. It is a Turkish recipe that means “the Imam fainted” or “Imam Bayildi” in Turkish, because they say that he was overcome by this delicious meal. I discovered it in  “Coriander – A Book of Recipes” from 1997 in London. It was 2006 when I tried it out and I have to say that it was exquisite. Plus it is made with one of my favourite vegetable. It is not a difficult recipe and smells heavenly. For a special treat and something vegetarian, go into the kitchen and try not to faint.

Imam bayildi

Vegetarian Stuffed Aubergine

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 aubergines, halved lengthways
• 60 ml (4 tbsp)olive oil, plus extra if needed
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 green pepper, seeded and sliced (or any other favourite colour)
• 400 g (4 oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 45 ml (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
• 5 ml (2 tsp) ground coriander
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh chopped coriander
• salt
• ground black pepper
• crusty bread, to serve
• coriander sprigs, to serve

Method:

• Using a sharp knife, slash the flesh of the aubergines a few times. Place them in a colander, sprinkle the cut sides with salt and leave for about 30 minutes. Rinse well and pat dry. From my experience, there is hardly any juice left and they turn quite dark so rub the flesh of the aubergines with lemon juice after you halved them.
• Preheat the oven to 190°C, 375 °F, Gas 5.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the aubergines, cut-sides down and fry for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and place in a shallow ovenproof dish.
• Add the onions, garlic and green pepper to the pan, with extra oil if necessary and cook for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
• Add the tomatoes, sugar and ground coriander with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes until the mixture has reduced. Stir in the chopped coriander. Now it smells divine.
• Spoon this mixture on top of the aubergines. Cover and bake for about 30-35 minutes.
• Serves it hot with crusty bread or naan bread and Greek-style  yogurt or chilled with just the bread and garnished with coriander springs.

Bon appetite!

Mousaka with Gruyere Cheese

I feel so relieved! My exams are over. So is my stress. I can continue writing here, without thinking that I have an exam tomorrow or I have to learn for one. So I add today the recipe I put some weeks ago in Romanian. This is the English recipe of mousaka, the Greek type . But this one comes with a twist: it has Gruyère cheese in it. I loved it the moment I put my eyes on it, as it has cheese and aubergines, one of my favorite vegetables. Plus, it is traditional to make with aubergines, not potatoes. I have made mousaka with potatoes some years ago just to see how it tasted, but I didn’t like it. My fave is this one. If you are lucky to have this book: Josceline Dimbley “Marvellous Meals with Mince” – 1982, than you can just skip this.

What I like about this recipe is that it has exotic spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, that add a special flavour and fragrance to the dish.

Mousaka with Gruyère Cheese  

Ingredients:

• 550-675 g (1 1/4 – 1 1/2 lb) aubergines (approx. 3)
• lemon juice
• 2 onions
• 25 g (1 oz) butter (80-82 unsalted butter, if you find)
• 450 g (1 lb) lamb mince (you can add half lamb and half beef mince if you like)
• 1 tsp (5 ml spoon) ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 6 tbsp water
• a good handful of parsley, chopped
• 200 g (8 oz) Gruyère cheese, sliced thinly (the original recipe states 100 g, but my experience has shown me that it is not enough, plus I love cheese, so there is never enough for me)
• salt and pepper

For the topping:

• 50 g (2 oz) butter
• 50 g (2 oz) plain flour
• 450 ml (3/4 pint) milk
• a little grated nutmeg
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp single cream
• salt and black pepper

Method:

• Peel the aubergines, slice into 1/4 – 1/2 inch (5 mm – 1cm) rounds and immediately smear with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Then rub all over with salt and leave in a colander in the sink for half an hour, to drain away the bitter juices. I can tell you that there won’t be much or no bitter juices.
• Peel and chop the onions. To do this I have discovered in London the excellent Alligator Onion Cutter. I hate cutting onion so I have purchased one there. I saw it in Selfridge and other stores. It is worth it having one, believe me. Heat the butter in a large frying pan and cook the onion over a gentle heat until softened. Add the minced lamb and fry over a rather higher heat, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon until it is separated and sealed. Stir in the ground cinnamon and  a good seasoning of salt and pepper. Then stir in the tomato purée and water and bubble until the water is absorbed. Turn of the heat and stir in the chopped parsley.
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil and empty the aubergine slices into it. Cover the pan and boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
• In a 2 1/2 – 3 pint (1,4 – 1,7 litre) ovenproof dish (a glass one shows tha layers attractively) make layers of aubergine slices, mince mixture and Gruyère cheese, starting and ending with a layer of aubergine.
• To make the topping, melt the butter in a saucepan, remove from the heat and stir in the flour. Stir in the milk, gradually at first. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time and then bubble gently, still stirring, for about 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt and black pepper add a little grated nutmeg. What a lovely flavour!Remove from the heat.
• Whisk the egg yolks with the cream and gradually add the white sauce, stirring in thoroughly. If the sauce is al all lumpy, whisk until smooth and then pour on tp of the aubergine and meat layers.
• Heat the oven to Gas Mark 4/ 180°C, 350°F and bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes, until a rich golden brown on top.

Bon appetite!