Aubergine parmigiana

I kind of gave myself a rather big shock yesterday. Like 9.8 on the Richter scale level of shock.


Determined to use an aubergine which I'd bought with the intention of making something for Pete (my dislike of this vegetable in ANY form is well documented, so I won't harp on it), I'd settled on aubergine parmigiana (actually called melanzane parmigiana on the BBC website where I saw this recipe). I'd done the prepping and pan-fried the sliced aubergine and made the tomato sauce and had even finished placing the aubergine-tomato sauce-mozzarella layers in the baking dish, ready for baking, when I realised something.


Well, two things, actually.


One, it was a vegetarian recipe, therefore fit to appear on my blog (never mind that nothing short of prolonged starvation would make me eat the stuff!).


Two, I'd not taken any photographs!!!


I think it was realisation No 2 that really gave me a jolt. I mean, for the last few years my camera has been as much part of my kitchen equipment as anything else... it's been splashed with sauces and dunked into flour and put away with the fruit (note that none of these and other such incidents were on purpose) and generally suffered for my "step-by-step" photos of recipes being made. I've been pretty consistent - and a tad obsessive - about taking those photos... and yet there I was, food blog forgotten and with no idea of the whereabouts of my poor abused camera.


Yep, 9.8 on the Richter scale, folks. Anyway, that's the reason for the very few photos in this post.


And yeah, I've made a mental note to neglect my food blog a little less... it's been around a while, possibly the longest I've kept something going, and with some luck and effort on my part, and plenty of encouraging visits from all you lovely foodies out there (hint, hint), this blog will keep going for a while longer yet!


As regards this particular recipe, I've no idea how it tastes. My husband was reasonably encouraging, merely remarking that perhaps the addition of some sliced portabello mushrooms layered with the aubergine would have imparted their umami flavour and made it taste less "vegetable-y" (and there speaks the carnivore!). But he liked it as it was, and said he would eat it if I made it again. That'll do me. The mushroom addition experiment will have to wait till the next time I make this.


Recipe for: Aubergine parmigiana

Ingredients:
1 medium aubergine/eggplant/kathirikkai
1-1/2 cups chopped ripe tomatoes
2 tbsp sliced black olives (I used canned)
150 gm mozzarella, sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil, shredded
1 tbsp olive oil plus more for brushing
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp parmesan


Method:
1. Slice the aubergine vertically into 1/2 cm slices. (You can sale them, place them in the colander with a heavy weight on top to let the bitterness out, but I didn't bother with this step.)
2. Brush both sides of each slice with some oil.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add the garlic, frying on medium heat until they are soft and fragrant. Then add the tomatoes, olives and cinnamon. Let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, giving it a stir now and then, until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
4. While the sauce is cooking away, heat a large frying pan or griddle. Fry the oiled aubergine slices in batches, without crowding, on both sides till they are light brown and soft.
5. When the aubergine slices are cooked, place a layer of the prepared tomato sauce in a small oven-proof casserole dish.
6. Now place a layer of aubergine on top of the sauce, then a layer of mozzarella slices and a sprinkling of shredded basil. Season the layer with freshly ground pepper and salt.
7. Continue the layers in the same order, topping it off with a layer of tomato sauce and another sprinkling of basil.

8. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top

and bake at 160C for 30-40 minutes, till the sauce is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
9. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes or so, then serve up the aubergine parmigiana with crusty buttered bread and a green salad.


RECIPE: AUBERGINE PARMIGIANA
Ingredients:
1 medium aubergine/eggplant/kathirikkai
1-1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp sliced black olives (I used canned)
150 gm mozzarella, sliced
1/2 cup fresh basil, shredded
1 tbsp olive oil plus more for brushing
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
2-3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp parmesan


Method:
1. Slice the aubergine vertically into 1/2 cm slices. (You can sale them, place them in the colander with a heavy weight on top to let the bitterness out, but I didn't bother with this step.)
2. Brush both sides of each slice with some oil.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add the garlic, frying on medium heat until they are soft and fragrant. Then add the tomatoes, olives and cinnamon. Let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, giving it a stir now and then, until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
4. While the sauce is cooking away, heat a large frying pan or griddle. Fry the oiled aubergine slices in batches, without crowding, on both sides till they are light brown and soft.
5. When the aubergine slices are cooked, place a layer of the prepared tomato sauce in a small oven-proof casserole dish.
6. Now place a layer of aubergine on top of the sauce, then a layer of mozzarella slices and a sprinkling of shredded basil. Season the layer with freshly ground pepper and salt.
7. Continue the layers in the same order, topping it off with a layer of tomato sauce and another sprinkling of basil.
8. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top and bake at 160C for 30-40 minutes, till the sauce is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
9. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes or so, then serve up the aubergine parmigiana with crusty buttered bread and a green salad.

Spinach-potato-cheese puffs

It started with two boiled potatoes. They were left over because I'd cooked too many. I had cooked too many because the potatoes were pretty elderly and showing signs of wanting to procreate, and I didn't want to waste them.

The thing was, I didn't really know what to make with the leftover potatoes. I didn't want to make the usual tikkis or bondas - apart from being boring, they weren't suitable for the food blog (because they'd already been featured some time ago).

The box grater was on the kitchen counter, and absent-mindedly I grated the potatoes. Now there was a pile of somewhat gooey grated potatoes - and no real clue what to do with it.

So I peeled an onion and chopped it. Now I had: 1. A pile of grated cooked potatoes and 2. A chopped onion. Only one thing to do thereafter, so I heated up a tsp of oil and part cooked the onion. Some spinach caught my eye and I added that in, then the potatoes, and mixed it all up with a bunch of herbs that I've got growing (basil, thyme and rosemary) on the windowsill. And I also added salt and lots of freshly milled black pepper.

It was beginning to look like tikkis were going to happen, whether I wanted it or not.

Luckily, Pete came in just then, sniffing the air because the potato mixture smelt really rather nice. He tasted the mixture and decided to improve it by adding some parmesan cheese. He tasted it again and said that there was something still missing... and that something turned out to be mustard.

Mustard loves cheese in some mysterious way, sharpening its edges and making the cheese cheesier rather than mustard-y. It's a strange alchemy that I absolutely do not want explained in any scientific manner - it's enough for me that the mustard and cheese love each other. (Food engineers please take note.) And by the way, mustard in a cauliflower-cheese bake is fabulously good!

But we're not discussing cauliflower-cheese bake in this post, so I will desist. So, back to what I was saying... at that point, I suddenly remembered the block of puff pastry in the fridge. And just like that, the fate of the potato-cheese was decided. Not tikkis, but potato-cheese puffs. What a brilliant idea that turned out to be! Of course the parmesan alone wasnt enough, so some mature Cheddar was invited to the puff party.

Ok, I didn't make the puff pastry from scratch. Sure, the shop-bought stuff has some preservatives in it, but I buy it so rarely that I figure it's not going to make that much difference to the temple of holiness that our bodies are supposed to be. I like cooking, but making puff pastry from scratch... no, I don't think so. Life is too short.

Anyway, the puffs were absolutely lovely - not TOO cheesy, but beautifully savoury. And filling, too.
Recipe for: Spinach-potato-cheese puffs
Ingredients:

1 pack shop-bought puff pastry
2 large potatoes, boiled and grated

1 cup spinach leaves, sliced or torn up
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh herbs (thyme, basil, rosemary), chopped

3 tbsp grated parmesan
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes

1 tsp medium curry powder
1 htsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped onions and herbs.

2. When the onions begin to soften (about a minute or so), add the spinach leaves.

3. Stir-fry the spinach till it's just wilted, then add the grated potatoes.

4. Mix with a light hand till the spinach is evenly distributed.

5. Turn off the heat and let the potato mixture cool. Once cool, mix in the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, the mustard and the curry powder.

6. Finally, add the cubed cheddar to the mixture. Reserve till required.

7. Now, roll the puff pastry into a rectangle. Cut it into four or five strips, depending on what size you want the puffs to be, then cut the strips in half again. Place 2-3 tbsp of the filling on one half, spreading it out to within 1/2 cm of the edges.

8. Place the other half of the strip over the filling and ensure that the filling is fully encased. Crimp the edges of the pastry to stop the filling from leaking. Use the remaining dough and filling in the same way. Make two or three slashes across the top of each puff with a sharp knife - this will make it look pretty when finished.

9. Bake the puffs in a hot oven (180C/350F) until they are golden brown and cooked.

10. Serve warm with a salad.


RECIPE: SPINACH-POTATO-CHEESE PUFFS

Ingredients

1 pack shop-bought puff pastry
2 medium potatoes, boiled and grated
1 cup spinach leaves, sliced or torn up
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbsp fresh herbs (thyme, basil, rosemary), chopped
3 tbsp grated parmesan
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
1 tsp medium curry powder
1 htsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped onions and herbs.
2. When the onions begin to soften (about a minute or so), add the spinach leaves.
3. Stir-fry the spinach till it's just wilted, then add the grated potatoes.
4. Mix with a light hand till the spinach is evenly distributed.
5. Turn off the heat and let the potato mixture cool. Once cool, mix in the parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste, the mustard and the curry powder.
6. Finally, add the cubed cheddar to the mixture. Reserve till required.
7. Now, roll the puff pastry into a rectangle. Cut it into four or five strips, depending on what size you want the puffs to be, then cut the strips in half again. Place 2-3 tbsp of the filling on one half, spreading it out to within 1/2 cm of the edges.
8. Place the other half of the strip over the filling and ensure that the filling is fully encased. Crimp the edges of the pastry to stop the filling from leaking. Use the remaining dough and filling in the same way. Make two or three slashes across the top of each puff with a sharp knife - this will make it look pretty when finished.
9. Bake the puffs in a hot oven (180C/350F) until they are golden brown and cooked.
10. Serve warm with a salad. Spinach-potato-cheese puffs

Savoury rice bake

A few days ago, when I went through this recipe in my inbox, my first thought was that the dish when finished would look about as unappetising as a train wreck. But I went ahead and tried it anyway, because it was a TNT (Tried 'N' Tested) recipe... which meant that the person who sent it to the food group must have tried it and liked it. The second reason was that I wasnt in the mood to make anything elaborate and this one-pot dish was just a god-send.

I'm glad I did try it, because it tasted wonderful - the top layers of cheese and ripe red tomatoes was like pizza... but then the rice layer came into its own, luscious with vegetables and loaded with flavours! The one change I would make the next time I make this, is to substitute flavoured cream cheese (garlic-chive, most probably) for the cottage cheese as originally specified in the recipe. It tasted fine, but I have to say the cottage cheese didnt look very nice because of its lumpy character. I ended up with little bumpy white flecks all over and I have to say that it was not what anybody would call "eye candy".

But the savoury bake tasted fantastic - and when you can get your carbs, veggies and proteins all from one easy dish, I for one wont be complaining! Along with its simplicity, the versatility of this dish is also something I like - you can add pretty much any vegetables you like as long as you make it two cupfuls. If you need to feed more than 3 people, just scale up the recipe as you feel fit, add an extra egg or two, and so on. The possibilities are many!

Recipe for: Savoury rice bake



Ingredients:



2 cups cooked or leftover rice
1 egg, beaten
2 cups mixed chopped vegetables (I used onions, bell peppers, spinach and fresh corn)
2-3 ripe red tomatoes, sliced 1/2cm thick
3/4 cup cottage cheese (or use cream cheese if preferred)
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp low-fat cheddar cheese, grated
3 tbsp sharp parmesan cheese
1 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp black peppercorns, powdered
2 green chillies, minced (optional)
2 tbp fresh herbs to taste, minced (oregano, basil, parsley, etc)
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180C.

2. In a lightly greased casserole dish, put in the rice, vegetables, cottage/cream cheese, 2 tbsp cheddar, 2 tbsp parmesan, the smoked paprika, black pepper, green chillies (if using), the fresh herbs and salt to taste, and mix well.



3. Check seasoning and adjust to taste, then pour in the beaten egg and mix again.



4. Smooth the top of the rice mix.



5. Now layer the sliced tomatoes in overlapping circles to cover the top of the casserole.



6. Sprinkle over the 1/3 cup cheddar cheese and the remaining 1 tbsp parmesan cheese.



7. Bake at 180C for about 45 minutes or till the cheese is bubbling and golden.



Allow the casserole to rest for 5 minutes, then serve hot along with steamed vegetables.

Savoury methi-mustard muffins

I like baking muffins - they're so quick and easy to do. Unfortunately I enjoy the baking part way better than the eating part, because of my under-developed sweet tooth. Pete likes muffins warm from the oven but once they cool down, they lie around neglected. And his kids, aged nearly 11 and nearly 13, dont like muffins at all - yeah, practically unbelievable, but true. So I dont do muffins nearly as often as I'd like to.

However, today I was in the mood. I had a basic recipe for herb and cheese muffins, so I decided to see what I could do with mostly Indian ingredients, but with a slight western touch. To that end, I picked about a cupful of coriander and fenugreek leaves. Then, because I didnt want to use cheddar cheese with those particular herbs (yep, methi leaves are classified under "herb" rather than "greens" for this recipe!) and didnt quite know what else to add, I rummaged around in my kitchen shelves to see what I could come up with.

That turned out to be a jar of whole-grain mustard with black pepper and white wine, with about a heaped tbsp remaining. Wondering all the time whether it was a good idea, I emptied out the mustard and added it to the batter. And still on an experimental note, I sprinkled parmesan cheese on some of the muffins, and added drained, chopped sundried tomatoes in oil to the rest, and set them to bake, hoping for the best.



Boy oh boy, it turned out to be a tremendous success - Pete liked them (didnt bother trying them on the kids - they're SO resistant to anything different, it's amazing) although, since he was expecting sweet muffins, he was taken aback at first by the savoury flavour. But he agreed that they would be perfect with soup - or even parma ham (which combination he's welcome to try - I dont touch the stuff).



As for me, I absolutely loved the muffins! They would, as Pete said, be the perfect accompaniment to soup and salad for a light, healthy meal. If I can keep my hands off them before dinner, that is.

Next time I would probably add some chopped green chillies, because I think I would like the muffins even better with some added zing. Yummm....

Recipe for: Savoury methi-mustard muffins



Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/4 cup butter/margarine
1/3 cup chopped fresh fenugreek leaves and coriander leaves
2 cups self-rising flour
1 heaped tbsp whole-grain mustard
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup low-fat/whole milk (use according to preference
Optional
3-4 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C (350F). Spray/grease a 12-cup muffin pan lightly with oil

2. In a medium bowl, beat the butter/margarine and mustard till well mixed

3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions.

4. Mix in the chopped herbs

5. Add the salt, baking soda, flour and milk to the batter and fold in quickly but gently till the ingredients are just mixed. Do NOT overbeat or the muffins will turn out tough

6. Spoon the batter into 6 of the muffin cups, leaving the tops rough. Sprinkle the tops with the parmesan cheese.

7. To the remaining batter, add the chopped sundried tomatoes, mixing lightly. Spoon the batter into the remaining 6 cups.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or till the muffins are golden brown and done.

9. Serve warm as they are, or with soup and salad.