Showing posts with label eggplant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eggplant. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Pizza Party - Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza

Pizza Party - Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza
Pizza Party - Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza


I have been crazy for pizza lately. For the last few months, we’ve had homemade pizza at least once a week. It’s often on a Sunday, sitting out in the now cooling sunshine with a beer, or a glass of wine. Or, in this case, a glass or bubbles. I love building different flavour profiles in pizza and coming up with something a little fun and novel. The bases have all been the lentil/chickpea flour bases I made in this post here. I love the extra oomph of flavour that the chickpeas give the dough. Feel free to use whatever bases you want, but there really is only a little extra effort in making your own. Mix the dough, leave it to rise for half an hour while you prep the ingredients, then roll and assemble the pizzas.

This pizza was created after a trip to Kakulas without Lance. We have a rule in our house that Lance is not to be in charge of portion control. He instigated that rule himself after he assured me that he could eat a whole mess of herring that we caught on honeymoon. I was sceptical, but cooked it all and nothing else. Just the herring. Luckily. It was a crazy amount of fish. He understood this, and now it’s up to me to decide on portion control. So I think I might have to instigate a rule that I shouldn’t go to Kakulas without Lance. He talks me down and makes me be more sensible with my cheese and cured meats purchases. Without him asking me, repeatedly, if we *really* need that AS WELL, and when will we get to eat all of this cheese, especially when we’re out for meals all weekend and the first few days of the week, well…I get a little bit ridiculous. And my basket gets piled high with various gourmet cheeses and salamis and serrano and…well, you get the idea. And I only went in to get one or two things.

But, I knew I was going to make pizza. And I knew I was going to use roast eggplant and beetroot on the pizza. So I knew that I wanted a gorgeous fennel salami. And some fetta. Do try and get a fennel salami for this, the aniseedy fennel brings out the absolute best of the earthy sweet roast beetroot. And the saltiness of the fetta makes the silky roast eggplant “sauce” come to life, so try make that a good quality one, too. I like sheep/goat’s fetta, as it has a nice creamy texture, rather than a drier, crumblier one.

This was all topped off with some of the orange hollandaise sauce I made for the enoki tacos. It’s seriously next level stuff to drizzle over this pizza. A decadent flavour boost. If you don’t have the time or inclination to make it, serving this with a lemon wedge is a nice idea.

Pizza Party - Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza
Pizza Party - Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza
Pizza Party - Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza


Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza

2 roasted baby beetroot
1 small roasted eggplant
5-6 slices fennel salami, cut into pieces
50g Greek fetta, sliced and ready to crumble
tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
sprig thyme, leaves removed
1 portion pizza dough (my go-to is this one - halve for this pizza, or double the toppings)

to serve

orange hollandaise
lemon wedge

If you don't have any roasted eggplant and beetroot, start by doing that. Heat your oven to 175 and baked whole, scrubbed beetroot wrapped tightly in foil for 45-50 minutes until tender. Roast the eggplant for 30-40 minutes, turning over halfway, until soft. Allow to cool enough to handle, then peel the beetroot and slice.


Make your dough, if you are. Or gather your pizza bases.

Preheat your oven to 175C. Sprinkle a teaspoon of coarse cornmeal on a baking tray to stop it sticking.


Roll your pizza dough out to your desired shape. I tend to go for a rustic rectangle to fit on my baking tray. Slice your beetroot, salami and fetta ready.


Cut the roast eggplant in half and use a fork to shred out the flesh. Spread this over the base of the pizza, top with the other ingredients, adding the fetta last.


Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the dough is golden.


Serve with a drizzle of orange hollandaise, normal hollandaise or a wedge of lemon.



Pizza Party - Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza
Pizza Party - Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza
Pizza Party - Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza
Pizza Party - Beetroot, Eggplant and Salami Pizza


Monday, July 28, 2014

Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi


Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
I wrote before that as a teenager, I had the dream of writing a cookbook called Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Bacon. But that seems a little restrictive these days. Chorizo also definitely has it’s place in that ‘improving vegetarian recipes’ scenario. So it’s much less catchy, and would probably sell a whole bunch less copies but maybe we should go with “Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats”. This dish is a riff on the classic dish Turkish dish Imam Biyaldi. That in itself is often already made non-vegetarian through the use of minced meat. But it is a garlic, tomato braised eggplant dish that is perfect in this cold weather. The smokiness of some fried chorizo kick up the rich creaminess of the eggplant into the next realm of deliciousness. I took some of this with me for a wintery Down South escape with friends and it was a huge hit.

The original dish is usually stuffed eggplants, so this is a lazy man’s version as well as a meated version where I’ve turned it more into a casserole. I’ve also added black rice to make it an all-in-one meal. The Nanna Shop had bags of the cutest little baby eggplants, I used 10 or so. If you only have normal sized eggplants, you’ll only need one or two for a dish for 4 people.

Serve with lemon wedges and some fresh parsley sprinkled over the top for a fresh kick. Oh, and red wine. A nice, full bodied Cab Sauv would be perfect.
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi

Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi

(serves 4)
10 baby eggplants, tops cut off and sliced lengthwise
1 chorizo sausages, sliced into rounds
Olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
1 tsp sea salt
2 big cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 chipotle pepper, soaked in warm water to rehydrate 15 minutes, minced
350g jar tomato passata
2 cups water
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp oregano
One cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 heaping tablespoons capers
1 ½ cups cooked black rice
¼ cup toasted cashews
1 tbsp cacao nibs
fresh parsley, chopped for serving
lemon, cut into wedges for serving

Heat the base of a tagine or large, lidded frypan to medium-high heat. Fry slices of chorizo until crispy on each side, and a lot of the fat has rendered out, approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove to a paper-towel covered plate. Turn the heat down to medium.
Add the eggplant halves to the chorizo oil, cut side down first. Cook until softened slightly on the edges, around 5 minutes, flip and cook for a further 3 minutes. Remove to a bowl.
If the eggplant has soaked up all of the oil from the pan, add a little olive oil. A tablespoon should do. Allow it to heat in the pan and then add the onion and salt. Cook for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, balsamic vinegar and chipotle pepper. Cook until the garlic is translucent and very fragrant.
Add the passata, water, honey, organo, cinnamon stick and bay leaf and stir it all together well. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the eggplant halves back into the pan. Put the lid on, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the eggplant is completely soft.
You can use this simmering time to cook your rice if you don't already have some cooked.
When the simmering is done, stir through the rice, capers and chorizo. Leaving for 5 minutes for the flavours to mingle and the chorizo to reheat. Stir through the cacao nibs and cashews.
Serve, with fresh parsley and a lemon wedge if desired.
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi
Vegetarian Recipes Improved by Cured Meats - Deconstructed Chorizo Imam Biyaldi

Monday, June 30, 2014

Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon

Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon

I went to the Taste of Perth Food Festival earlier in the year. It’s a bit of a different concept to your usual food festival in that the top restaurants of the city present 4 dishes in tapas size-servings so you can taste what the restaurant is all about. It was so amazing. Lance and I shared each dish so we could fit in the maximum dishes and in so doing added a bunch of new restaurants to our ‘to-visit’ list. One of the (many) stand-out dishes was Nobu’s pork belly with caramel miso sauce. Everything about the dish was perfectly constructed. The textures, the salt-to-sweet-to-umami flavours of the sauce. Heaven. 


The use of caramel sauce in a savoury dish brought back the memory of a dish I made often a few years back of Caramel Braised Pork. Another sweet-savoury dish using caramel, pineapple, sweet potato and pork. So then my head started going through what I had at home and what flavours would go well with caramel. I had bought a bag of baby eggplants from the Nanna Shop. I love the creamy texture that eggplants get when you cook them, and thought that would make the perfect vegetarian base for a caramel dish. I used pomegranate for a tart contrast and water chestnuts for a textural counterpoint. And instead of using sugar to make the caramel, I used redgum honey. I’d never made caramel with honey before, but it works just as well as sugar. It adds a subtle floral flavor to the caramel that works well in this dish. Number one rule for making caramel is to watch it carefully, because it turns from caramel to burnt mess very, very quickly. But once the caramel is done, the dish can be left to cook, just stirring here and there, making it a good week night dish to set going while you prep for the next day. The toasted nuts on top really do finish the dish, so do add them. 



Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon
Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon
Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon
Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon
Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon


Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon


½ cup honey
1 tbsp lime juice
3 tsp butter
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp fish sauce
¼ cup Chinese cooking wine
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Juice from one orange
1 tsp finely chopped red chilli
1 pomegranate, seeded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 brown onion, diced
6 baby eggplants, cut into rounds
1 tin sliced water chestnuts
¼ large green cabbage, shredded
Udon noodles
Handful roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
Pickled onion 

Start by preparing your sauce. Mix together the onion, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, Chinese cooking wine, rice wine vinegar, orange juice, chilli and pomegranate in a bowl and set aside. Prep all of your veges. 

In a large, deep frypan add the honey and lime juice and heat over a medium-high flame. Stir to combine as it warms, then as it starts bubbling, stop stirring. Swirl occasionally by the handle to keep it moving as it starts browning and turning to caramel – about 3 minutes. Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat, and stir in the butter. Watch it as it will spatter. Mix until smooth. 

Add the sauce, add back to the heat and stir well to combine as it comes back to a boil. Add the eggplant, cabbage and water chestnuts, and stir well to coat in the sauce. Leave to braise, stirring now and then until the sauce reduces and thickens, and the vegetables become tender. Around 20 minutes. 

Prepare udon as per the packet instructions, and drain well. Place in a bowl and scoop the caramel braised vegetables on top. Sprinkle generously with toasted peanuts and pickled onion, if desired.

Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon
Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon
Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon
Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon
Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon
Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon
Caramel for Dinner - Pomegranate Caramel Braised Eggplant and Cabbage with Udon

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Work Lunches - Smokey Mango Barley Salad


Not working in the CBD means my food options are extremely limited unless I take a drive to buy something. This is both a blessing and a curse. I see some Instagram feeds of the amazing food options in the city and it makes me sad that I have to really put in the effort to go into the city for them. But it means I have a better control over the food I do eat, making me eat healthier and more cheaply. So it has it’s plusses too.

To help me be prepared for the next day’s lunch, whenever I have the oven on for dinner, I’ll roast a few extra veges. Likewise, whenever I cook some grains, I will cook extra to use in lunches. This is one of my favourite take-to-work lunches. The best part of it is the combination of textures. Silky roast eggplant, soft sweet potato, chewy barley and crunchy bean sprouts all smoky and sweet and savoury and delicious. It is best served at room temperature, rather than cold. I made this batch and it lasted in the fridge for 3 days of work lunches.

Smokey Mango, Sweet Potato and Eggplant Barley Salad
1 small sweet potato
1 small eggplant
Generous splash of olive oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp chipotle Tabasco
1 cup cooked pearl barley
Handful basil leaves, torn
1/2 cup mixed bean sprouts (mung bean, adzuki bean, blue pea and lentil is the mix I use)
1/2 mango
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper to season

Dice the sweet potato and eggplant make the sweet potato dice a bit smaller than the eggplant dice so it cooks evenly. Put in a bowl and pour over the olive oil, maple syrup and Chipotle Tabasco sauce. Stir well to coat each piece. Roast for 30-45 minutes until soft. Set aside to cool.

Roughly chop the mango, add a tablespoon of butter and season. Put in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the mango has broken down. Stir well with a fork to help break it down, or puree if you can be bothered.

Combine barley, sweet potato, eggplant and stir through the mango sauce. Gently fold through the bean sprouts and basil leaves. Eat! Or take to work and eat!



Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Signs of Summer - Smokey Chipotle Eggplant and Mango with Black Coconut Rice



One of the signs of summer starting for me is when The Nanna Shop starts selling bags of mangoes. No more paying $4 each for them. Naturally, the first time you see them, you buy a bag. You get home and eat one straight away – because you can. And then you decide what to do for the rest. Given I also had a bag of medium eggplants and knowing that smokey chipotle goes amazingly well with them, this dish was born. I made this two days in a row, with leftovers for lunch both days and I’m still not sick of it. In fact, if I had any mangoes left, I’d be having it for dinner again – but with leftover chicken. You can leave out the meat entirely if you want, I just had some leftover so it went in.

The coconut rice can be made with brown or jasmine rice if you don’t have black. The second day I made it with red rice and white beans, just for something different.

The chipotles in adobo sauce can be a bit tricky to find. I spent 2 years trying to track them down in Perth without luck, so on my trip to the states in June, I bought 2 tins home with me. Since getting back, I’ve found them at IGA in Mt Lawley, Kakulas in Northbridge and Fremantle. The Re Store in Leederville sells Chipotle Tabasco as a substitute (which you should buy anyway because it’s AMAZING and goes on everything).

Given the craziness of this time of the year, I haven’t gotten around to much proper photography lately, so this is another Instagram of Yumness.
 


Chipotle Eggplant and Mango
(serves 4 with rice)
1 medium eggplant, 2cm dice
1 small zucchini (or 6 small yellow squash), 2cm diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
2 tsp adobo sauce
1 cup shredded roast lamb
2 mangoes, flesh diced
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp salt
30mL shot dark rum
1/3 cup water
1 sprig parsley
1 sprig coriander
 

Black Coconut Rice
¾ cup black rice
¾ cup coconut milk
1 cup water
¼ tsp salt
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained


First, start the coconut rice. Add the rice, coconut milk, water and salt to a small pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn to low and simmer for 30 minutes until rice is tender.

Heat a large frypan to a medium heat. Add the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, mangoes, chillis and sauce, salt, smoked paprika, rum and water. Stir it all around to fully coat everything in the sauce. Turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the lamb, and heat through for a further 3 minutes or so.

Add the kidney beans to the rice and allow to heat through for a few minutes.

Just before serving, stir the parsley and coriander through the eggplant mix. Squeeze a little kewpie mayonnaise over the top when serving

If you then have any mangoes left, you should definitely give this soufflé a try! Delicious with fresh mangoes on the side