Allotments 4 All

.. is that you don't get much say over what turns up on the doorstep. Roll on productive allotment :D

However, this week the veg box has an aubergine in it. And I haven't the faintest idea how to cook it. Please help.

Sally

Sliced & fried crispy - moussaka - ratatouille - sweet & sour with mint - sauce for pasta - etc etc!

Cut it into chunks and roast with peppers and onions - lots of olive oil, bit of salt, bit of mint and rub the roasting tin with garlic, slosh of balsamic vinegar if you like it and whack it all into a fairly hot oven for 30-40 mins, stir it if you remember.  Cut up a couple of tomatoes and add them 5 mins from time.  If you've got it, add fresh parsley/coriander/anything at the end.

I actually like not knowing what I'm going to get in my box of veg - makes every Thursday a bit like Christmas  :)

We tried to support Riverford's excellent service for a while, but we always had at least one of the items here.

Well yes, I do enjoy the variety - just don't always know what to do with things when they arrive. ???

And it's difficult to tell if an item is in good condition, if you've never tried cooking it before. It seemed very dry and lightweight to me, and the texture was quite spongy. Is that right? It didn't look like there'd have been much reward from sprinkling with salt, as I don't think there was any liquid to remove. (We don't use salt, except for bread and pickling)

I did ratatouille since we had courgettes and peppers too. Not an unqualified success, but not totally rejected either.

Thanks for the ideas.

Sally

Sounds as if you could do with a good recipe book! You can pick up veggie cookery books for a couple of quid in charity shops. Or just Google the vegetable name for ideas on cooking it (for example: aubergine+recipe). Works every time for me!

As you say, Sally, spongy. That's why I always grow the long varieties. Much denser.
Salting? People still do it, despite the fact that there is no bitterness in home grown fruit.  But it is also supposed to reduce oil intake. I'm not convinced on that.

Rat? Some still treat it as a ragout - yuk! Delia's way is probably as good - & easy - as any. So that it's all identifiable. Or I sometimes do each veg separately, till just right, & then amalgamate.

If grilling or roasting slices, it is best to brush with oil rather than cook in it.

Ratatouille? Aubergine is regarded as a traditional vegetable (fruit?) in the dish, but I will confess to preferring courgettes ... this is obviously an individual thing that we all develop.

I prefer aubergines cooked 'au naturelle'. perhaps pan fried with a drizzle of oil, and a couple of slices of tomato, and the garlic for me of course. Salt? Not needed with the garlic in my opinion. Again, personal choice ...

I can recommend stuffing them ----

Slice in half an Aubergine per person, scoop out innards to form a boat shape. Roast in oven at 200c for 15 minutes to soften. Meanwhile chop Aubergine flesh into cubes and fry in olive oil; in seperate pans fry to soften halved a punnet of plum cherry toms, and a red onion chopped finely. Mix onion, toms, and aubergine flesh with a ball of mozarella chopped into cubes. Stuff Aubergine boats with mixture, and drizzle with pesto. Bake in oven at same temp as before for approx 25 mins.


Delicious!

My favourite Aubergine recipe is to chop it in cubes, and roast it in a hot oven along with a couple of courgettes, a punnet of cherry toms, a chopped pepper, and a red onion or two.

The aubergines will need 30 minutes to an hour.

Layer in this mix in to a lasagne dish, top each layer with a bit of bechamel sauce, then fresh lasagne sheet. Top the final lasagne sheet with more bechamel and then some cheddar or parmesean and bake at 180 deg C for around half an hour.

You won't even miss the meat!

Can also reccomend Madhur Jaffrey's world vegetarian for interesting ideas with veggies (and pulses for that matter). Also the riverford veg box site lists lots of recipes to answer the 'what do I cook with this?' question.

You are right about not missing meat with good vegetarian food, Moggle. I had some vegetarian friends who worked pure magic in the kitchen, we were always well fed and never felt any need to 'top up' when we got home. I always tried to return the compliment when entertaining, but could never match their expertise ...

Try grilling it whole, about 6inches from the grill, turning occasionally until it is completely blackened all over and deflated and floppy.

Then peel and mush up the flesh with a fork.

Mix with shallots, garlic, coriander leaves, mint, chili, all chopped /crushed quite small, plus lemon / lime juice and s&p.

Leave to go cold and let the flavours blend for as long as you like. Can stick in the fridge.

Aubergine salsa if you like - yummy as a cool accompaniment to curry.

My two favourite aubergine dishes are Imam Bayildi, a Turkish specialty which translates as 'the priest who fainted' (presumably because it was so delicious), and Baba Ghanoush, a smoky dip which makes a nice change for hummus. Claudia Roden's 'A new book of Middle Eastern Food' has recipes for both, but you should also be able to find recipes by googling the names.

Ah Baba Ghanoush, food to die for in my opinion. We ate out recently with friends, and there was Baba Ghanoush on the menu ...

Going to Turkey for holiday this year (Aegean coast) so will probably have copious quantities while I am there ...

I have just started using Abel & Cole veg boxes..and they have a whole section on their website for what to do with the produce! There's a whole list of veg and just click on there and hey presto...recipes!

Home grown has to be best though!!

;D

Hi Curry,
I am going to Turkey this year too, what is Baba Ghanoush made from and what do you have it with?  Dandelion said is makes a change from Hummus which I have never had either although I have seen it before.
Donna xx

It is a paste made from roasted Aubergines and tahini oil. It is eaten with pitta bread, and makes an awesome snack or a meal with salad.

Hummus is similar, but made with chick peas ...

Right, gonna try that then and I love chickpeas so gonna try Hummus too!
Thanks Curry !!! :D

Some houmous recipes here:

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,57/topic,17801.0

And a recipe for Baba Ganoush here:

http://www.waitrose.com/food_drink/recipes/recipesearch/recipe/0407038-r04.asp

I make a whole meal out of houmous by having a big blob with a pita or two and some carrot, cucumber and pepper sticks. Might not be very authentic, but makes it feel like more of a meal.

I had the left-over ratatouille with cheese on - very tasty  ;D

Our veg box tends to have the same item for a few weeks, so might get another one tonight. Quite hoping we will, with all these recipes to try now.

Thanks for the link to the houmous recipes too. It's about time I had another attempt to make it - it's defeated me every time so far.

Sally