Melanzane al Sumac & Couscous Ebraico con Zenzero, Zaffarano & Crespini
Sumac-Spiced Eggplant on Israeli Couscous with Saffron, Ginger & Barberries
It
seems that there is no end of what you can do with eggplants- they are
so mild and versatile that you can flavor them and prepare them in a
million and one ways! And yet... somehow... people don't!
I
wanted to try something a little different this evening and decided to
see how well tart and tangy sumac would work with them- and I have to
say, yes! It works wonderfully! I wish I had tried it out earlier!
I
love pickled eggplant- which is one of my favorite ways that it is
prepared back in the Old Country and so it really was not that much of a
surprise that I enjoyed this so much. But it is a very different kind
of sourness that sumac brings- it is rich and flavorful and brings out
the best in the eggplants own flavor... and I like that!
For
my little experiment, I had 1 medium sized eggplant, 1 teacupful of
Israeli couscous, 1 shallot, a little fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons of
barberries, 1 tablespoonful of sumac and 1 teaspoonful of saffron. Oh,
and 1 nice, big sprig of parsley- especially for the stem which I love
to add to my dishes as you know- no exception here!
With
saffron, ginger and barberries to give the couscous a slightly Oriental
flavor, this was a great, exotic and yet simple meal. It took just 30
minutes to make and using some good common sense I managed to get things
done quickly and efficiently- and I will share my little trick with
you, that allowed me to do so, right now!
The
first thing I did was to cut the eggplant into quarters lengthways and
then to make lots of cuts into it down its whole length. I then bent the
slices back gently, to open up the sections I had cut and lightly
sprinkled the quarters with salt. I let them sit that way for 5 minutes
whilst the salt did its stuff and got busy with the rest in the
meantime... including turning on the oven nice and hot and boiling up
some water for the couscous...
I finely chopped about 1" of ginger and the stalks of the parsley and sliced the shallot, ready to go into the couscous.
I
used my tajine to cook my dish in, but a saucepan will work just fine
too. I put in the couscous, parsley, shallot, barberries and saffron,
along with a good sprinkle of salt and pepper.
I
then put the eggplant quarters on top, sprinkled them generously with
sumac and pepper, poured in plenty of boiling water to cover the
couscous and let it boil/steam away for 10 minutes with the lid on.
After
10 minutes, the eggplant was half-cooked from steaming, so I lifted it
carefully out and placed it on a baking tray, ready for the oven. I
drizzled it with a mixture of mainly olive oil, but also a few drops of
sesame oil, before popping it into the oven at 180°C for 10 minutes.
I topped up the couscous with a little more water as most of it had
been soaked up, added plenty of freshly chopped parsley and popped it
back onto the stove top, put on the lid, but turned off the heat... the
residual heat from the hot stove and the clay tajine was enough to
finish off steaming it by the time the eggplant was done.
10
minutes later, the eggplant was done, but to make it extra-delicious, I
added just the lightest drizzle of honey and popped it back into the
oven, under the broiler and gave it an extra 3-4 minutes to get as
golden and gorgeous as you can see here!
A
great new way to serve eggplant and a nice-looking, quick cooking, easy
and delicious one at that! Maybe not a traditional dish of any
particular cuisine... but an original dish of my own cuisine- and one
that I am proud of too!
Dare to be different and dare to eat different!
Minestra Veloce & Semplice di Pasta Integrale & Verdure
Quick & Easy Vegetable Soup with Whole Wheat Noodles
On
a cold Autumn or Winter evening, when you get home cold, tired and
hungry... nothing is better than opening a can of soup, warming it up
quickly and relaxing right?
Wrong!
You deserve better
than that- and you can DO better than that! With just the simplest
handful of ingredients and in just 30 minutes or so, you can make a bowl
of all-natural, delicious soup which is so much better for you than
those store-bought, artificially flavored concoctions!
There
are certain "convenience" products that I have no problems with-
pastries for example, or canned beans... but soups or sauces? No way!
There's just no need for it... plus- you will never get a store-bought
version that tastes anywhere near as good as home-made!
With
just 1 stalk of celery, 1 carrot, 1 shallot, 2 handfuls of whole wheat
pasta and 2 handfuls of these tiny cherry tomatoes i was lucky enough to
buy... I managed to make 2 yummy bowls of sensible, simple, home-made
soup! A little basil, parsley and a bay leaf added depth and richness to
the broth and a good olive oil made for a lovely Mediterranean touch...
and made a soup you will enjoy again and again! No doubt about it!
Sure
it's simple, but it is satisfying and healthy- and of course you can
add other vegetables to it, or even a little bacon or chicken if you so
wish... but the basic method I used is what makes it quick, easy and
fun! Pull up a chair and let me show you...
Start
off by chopping the celery stalk and the carrot into a relatively fine
dice... make the shallot a little finer if you can... and as for those
parsley stalks- you know me! Don't be throwing them out! Cut them up
nice and fine too! The tomatoes need to be cut, so that they will cook
more quickly- mine were small, so I simply halved them, but if yours are
larger, you may want to cut them into quarters.
Start
off by frying the shallot, carrot, celery and parsley stems in a little
olive oil until they are almost halfway cooked and are just beginning
to stick a little to the base of the saucepan... that is all great
flavor that we will make use of in the next step!
Add
just enough water to cover the vegetables, the bay leaf, salt and
pepper and let them boil away... basically until the water has boiled
away! You just want to get the vegetables cooked quickly and keep all of
the flavor right there and getting more concentrated as you go.
Next,
add the noodles, the tomatoes and a good handful of shredded basil
leaves, cover with plenty of boiling water and allow everything to cook
together at a gentle simmer for the next 10-15 minutes. Add a little
more salt and pepper according to the amount of water you have just
added.
Let
the noodles cook through thoroughly... this is a soup after all and the
last thing you need is for them to be "al dente"! By the time they are
done, they will have doubled in size, soaked up plenty of that broth and
thickened it too with the starch they give off- which is excellent!
Add the finely chopped leaves of the parsley, plenty of pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil and serve piping hot!
It's
the simple things that are often the best- and this kind of
old-fashioned soup is one of them! I don't know about you... but to me-
this is all I need to be happy on a cold evening! Hope you enjoy it as
much as I did!
Vermicelli di Riso Croccante, al Forno, Cavolo Verde in Agro, Salsiccia Cinese Dolce & Pepe "Sichuan"
Crispy, Baked Rice Noodles, Vinegar Kale & Sweet Chinese Sausage with Sichuan Pepper
This
evening I went a little crazy in the kitchen I guess... thank goodness!
That's when I come up with the really cool ideas that make all the
experimentation I do so worthwhile!
This is the kind of meal I
would watch other people eating (if it were to actually exist elsewhere,
that is) and then NOT order, because there would be a lot of frying and
oil involved- you know how I am! But made THIS WAY, it a yummy and
delicious revelation that is too good not to share!
Crispy
noodles are a crazy idea in themselves and tugging them apart a tricky
and sometimes messy affair- but tasty and fun I know! But I couldn't
help but think to myself that a high, dry heat and a fraction of the oil
would work to the same effect as deep frying... and this evening was
the time that I put my theory into practice! And as you can see...
hurray! It works just great!
So
my dinner consisted of 1 small head of kale, 2 sweet Chinese sausages
that somehow just happened to be sitting around in my freezer, 1 portion
of brown rice noodles, 1 shallot, a little fresh ginger, some Sichuan
pepper and some salted peanuts for an added, savory, extra crunch!
I
decided to make the kale sour with vinegar to compliment the sweet
sausage- what an excellent idea that turned out to be! The bitterness of
the kale, the sweetness of the shallot and sausage... all finished with
a sprinkle of Sichuan pepper- well it was every bit as awesome as it
sounds folks!
One
thing I have learned about rice vermicelli, the really thin ones, is
that it is really adequate to soak them in cold water before frying or
cooking... boiling them will tend to overcook them very quickly indeed!
So that is what I did- I let them soak in cold water for 15 minutes.
I wanted to keep the flavors nice and pure and opted for Sichuan pepper only as an accent... freshly ground of course!
Once
the noodles were soft, I drained them well and then seasoned them with
some Thai fish sauce (nam pla) and gave them a good drizzle of sesame
oil... that still means no more than 1 tablespoon- that's plenty! Stir
them together well so that they are all nicely seasoned and nicely
coated in oil and then put them into a non-stick pan. Fry them without
stirring for 3-4 minutes, then transfer them to
the oven and pop them under the broiler at maximum heat, also for 3-4
minutes, until they are crispy and golden brown. You will see that they
come out every bit as golden and crispy and wonderful as when they are
fried! The trick I use when putting my plastic-handled pans into the
oven is to cover the handle with aluminum foil- as long as they are not
in there for hours you will be fine!
The
sausage went into another non-stick pan with no oil- it has plenty of
fat of its own! I fried it with the shallot for 4-5 minutes until it was
crispy and golden, popped it into the oven to keep warm with the
noodles- and used the fat in the frying pan to fry the kale in...
obviously! Why add more?
In
went the grated ginger first- about a teaspoonful and as soon as it
began to brown, I added the kale leaves, which I had plucked from the
tough stems into bite-sized pieces.
I tossed it with a good
splash of soy sauce until it began to wilt down and once it had changed
color, added a good splash of malt vinegar, then kept stirring until it
began to slightly turn brown at the edges... at which point it was ready
to serve everything up!
First of course, that crispy nest of golden noodles!
Then the kale- which tastes too incredible to be believed... if you love salt 'n' vinegar crisps- this is for you!
Some chopped, salted peanuts for an extra blast of seasoning, crunch and general deliciousness...
...
and then that juicy, sweet Chinese sausage and the golden shallots-
topped with a sprinkle of Sichuan pepper- an absolute feast! And such a
nice change from the same old thing all the time!
Halwa di Carote, Cocco e Fiocchi d'Avena al Forno con Cardamome, Zenzero Candito, Mirtilli Americani & Pistacchi
Carrot, Coconut & Oatmeal Baked Halwa with Cardamom, Candied Ginger, Cranberries & Pistachios
This
weeks breakfast dish is... well, it's not a breakfast dish! But it does
have some oatmeal in it- haha! But being as my day got off to a late
start, I decided to make this crazy little thing for a sweet-treat later
on...
I adore carrot halwa and hadn't eaten any for ages- it
is hands-down my favorite Indian dessert! But today, I decided to create
a little invention of my own... which turned out to be pretty delicious
as well!
Sweet,
tender carrot with cardamom and cinnamon, cooked down in milk and
enriched with cashews and raisins- what could be more lovely? In a
word... this!
For
my variation on the theme of an Indian carrot halwa, to make 3 small
portions I needed 3 carrots, 3 cardamom pods, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 3
tablespoons of coconut flakes, 3 tablespoons of oatmeal, 1 slice of
candied ginger, 1 handful of cranberries, 1 handful of pistachios, milk
as required and honey to taste.
The
baking is not really necessary to be honest- it just adds a touch of
toasted aroma to the coconut and oatmeal that I like... and also gave me
a chance to use the little cake form that I once bought and have never
used! But you have to admit- it did make this look rather pretty too!
The
preparation work was minimal... grate the carrots, chop the candied
ginger finely and grind the cardamom pods ready to toast in a dry
saucepan... which is the first thing you need to do!
Add
the carrots and stir them over a high temperature until they begin to
give off their juice and to change color, then add half of the coconut,
the cranberries (which I also sliced) and the cinnamon.
After
3-4 minutes of stirring together, add enough milk to cover the carrots
bring to the boil. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the
oatmeal.
Add
a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of honey... stir it through, taste it
and add more honey (or sugar) until it is sweet enough for you. I
stopped at 1 tablespoon as I prefer a milder sweetness... and because I
like to add more honey at the end!
Once
almost all of the milk has been absorbed and you have a nice, compact
mass, ready for baking, stir in the halved pistachios and you are ready
to go! I like to cut them in half to expose that beautiful green
interior!
Butter
and sprinkle whichever baking forms you decide to use- or
alternatively, simply your tray and press down the halwa, ready to be
baked for 20-25 minutes at 200°C.
Once
the surface is golden and slightly crispy and you can see the halwa
shrinking away from the outer edge of your baking dish- it is ready to
be enjoyed! Mind your fingers though- those little devils get really
hot!
Serve with a last trickle of honey... and swoon over the perfumed fragrance that will be filling the room! Delicious!
Moist, fluffy, fragrant and simply delicious! All you need to do now is to enjoy!
