AUBERGINE WITH TAHINI AND YOGHURT

AUBERGINE WITH YOGHURT, TAHINI AND GARLIC

So... Am not sure if you read my yesterday's recipe with the 3 green bean salad... but if you did, you would know that some sort of cook off occurred last night at the P's house...
We bought a fillet and ribeye steak from our local 3 butchers.... Moens, Ginger Pig and Dove's (I know - some would say too much meat for 4 of us, but we would disagree..)  We couldn't actually choose a winner from our two favourites - so the top 2 were unanimously the ribeye from Moens (but slightly heavier on the price) and the fillet from Ginger Pig (definitely my best - god it was good, and cooked to perfection - you clever man, I do love you!)

But every good piece of meat needs a rather tasty side dish to compliment it - and I LOVE aubergine... so I rustled this little number up.  It is a really old recipe of mine, and I haven't made it for ages, but it's definitely making a well deserved comeback.....

INGREDIENTS - for 4

2 large aubergines
3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
2 tbsp tahini paste
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Half a pot of yoghurt (about 250g)
A couple of tsp fresh ginger (finely chopped)
Sesame seeds
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Turmeric
salt/pepper
Coriander for garnish

Slice the aubergines and put in a preheated oven (around 180 deg) with some olive oil, check on them after about 10 mins and stir them around.  They will need about 25 minutes, maybe half an hour - you want them really soft and slightly mushy.  Before you take them out, scatter the finely chopped garlic over them, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more.

Once out, put them in a serving dish. In a separate bowl, mix the yoghurt, tahini, cumin, turmeric, lemon juice, lemon zest, ginger, salt and pepper - and once mixed, add it to the slightly cooled aubergine ..
Fry the sesame seeds in a dry pan for a few minutes and then sprinkle on the top - and then add the fresh coriander for garnish.  Voila!

Easy and tasty.... exactly how I like it , but just so you know, I didn't have any coriander yesterday, so the photo isn't 100% true to the recipe -

You can eat this warm or cold the next day...

Always leave a little space for choc later- or not if you have some late night surprise guests who relieved me of my entire chocolate drawer...
Thanks Bron, you both are more than welcome anytime!

AUTUMNAL GREEN BEAN SALAD

AUTUMNAL 3 GREEN BEAN SALAD - FOR 4

So... my idea of an autumnal (spell check please) salad, is one that you could eat cold in the summer, hot in the winter, and sort of somewhere inbetween for the autumn, just to ease you in gently to those looming months ahead - when eating cold food is just not an option.

I thought I would go salad today, as I seem to have a MASSIVE meat feast ahead of me tonight... we are buying steaks from Ginger Pig, and Mr and Mrs P are buying theirs from Moens - and we are having a cook off - who will win?  I shall report back with results of where you can purchase the best steaks from Clapham.

But quite honestly, after last night at The Dairy, when I think we had to order the whole menu just to satisfy my insatiable hunger, I probably don't need to eat for a week.

So with this salad, I thee wed - it is delicious, can be knocked up in seconds, you don't need any dressing, just a little toss will do the job .... (to combine all the flavours of the seeds, herbs, spices).

INGREDIENTS

250g French beans
250g mangetout
250g broad beans (or in my case - peas)
2tsp coriander seeds (crushed with pestle and mortar)
2 tsp mustard seeds
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp nigella seeds
Small red onion - finely chopped
1 mild fresh chilli - deseeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves
grated zest of large lemon
2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
A scattering of chard/lettuce leaves (optional)
sea salt


Boil some salted water.. and add the french beans/mange tout - for no longer than 3-4 minutes.  You want them still crunchy. Once drained, dab them with kitchen roll so they aren't damp, but keep the boiling water and add the peas for about 1 minute (no more!).  Add the peas to the other beans and put in a nice salad bowl/plate.

Put the crushed up coriander seeds, mustard and oil in a small saucepan and heat up. Once they start popping, pour them over the beans in the bowl.  Toss together, and then add the nigella seeds, red onion, chilli, garlic, lemon zest and tarragon, and a little salt to taste.

Just before you serve, you can gently fold in the extra leaves if you so wish.

See! So quick, and a real little pleasure on a plate!

Ps....

my little must see of the week - Sunshine On Leith - a joy (but only if you're not sitting next to Clapham's No1 nutcase)

GRILLED COURGETTE SALAD - WITH LEMON, GARLIC, CHILLI AND MINT

GRILLED COURGETTE SALAD - WITH LEMON, GARLIC, CHILLI AND MINT..

This is a super healthy and really beautiful looking salad - I've been eating far too much meat lately, and last night was no different, but if I can pile my plate full of salad first, then at least that makes me feel a bit healthier - Last night, Annika and Tim were staying again (always a joy obviously, apart from the police helicopter trying to catch a lunatic hovering over our house ALL night).. We were all downstairs again by 4 am, and quite tempted to open another bottle - but luckily good sense prevailed...)

INGREDIENTS (for 6)

4 courgettes (sliced lengthways - about 4 slices per courgette)
Juice of 2 lemons, and zest of 1
4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
Roughly chopped mint
Extra virgin olive oil

Optional Extras - raw broad beans/peas/goats cheese/parma ham

I went for the broad bean option, as they were the only thing I had in the freezer.

So, when all else is nearly ready, it will take about 5 minutes to prepare this... Once you've sliced the courgettes, then heat a griddle with some olive oil on (no worries if you don't have one, it's only to get the fancy markings on them).  Be really careful not to overcook them, as we don't like limp things in our house, and they will go limp and soggy if you leave them too long...
So just a few minutes on either side is all you need to do... they barely need to cook...
and then lay them as pretty as you like on a platter.
If you are adding raw broad beans or peas etc, then add them to the courgettes now before you drizzle anything on top..
Then you can scatter the chopped garlic and chilli over the courgettes etc... don't panic about raw garlic and chilli - because once you add the lemon juice and the mint, this lessens the impact of the garlic and chilli.
Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and then sprinkle with roughly chopped mint.
Then a little lemon zest, salt and pepper and you are good to go...

THE SUN IS OUT AND WE NEED TO CELEBRATE... So, once you've eaten a nice healthy salad - we had it with slow cooked roast lamb, rhubarb compote (hmmmm - I was rhubarb crazy yesterday) and new potatoes... I highly recommend eating an entire family pack of Revels and a box of Ferrero Roche, washed down with gallons of wine and rhubarb crumble and custard - literally....

FIG, GOATS CHEESE AND POMEGRANATE SALAD

FIG, GOAT CHEESE AND POMEGRANATE SALAD - To make us feel like it's summer!

I made this last Friday night, when we had a party to celebrate Mike's birthday - but mainly for our loveliest friends over from Cambodia, what a joy (oh, and to set up a blind date, but no more comment on that one?!). But all added to a good giggly evening with some of our favourite people (what else is life for)..
I could eat this salad every day, and not only does it look great, but tastes totally perfect as well.  I had to make it again last night, as my hand was a wee bit shaky last week to operate a camera phone -  so here goes...

No guesses for the ingredients!

INGREDIENTS (for 6)

8 figs (they are a nightmare at the moment to find in the supermarket, so try your local grocers... the second they come in, they vanish, so I tend to hover and pounce as soon as I see them being brought in)
A circular packet of goats cheese (the smokier the better)
Large packet of rocket
2 Avocados (optional)
Packet of Pomegranate seeds
Lemon juice
Black pepper
Balsamic glaze

Spread the rocket on a serving platter.  Drizzle some lemon juice over the top, and a little bit of balsamic vinegar, and black pepper. Cut figs into 8'ths and lay over the  top.  Slice the avocado and make a nice little pattern with that too.  Slice the goats cheese quite thinly and lay that around the top.  Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over the top to add a bit of crunch.  Sprinkle some more black pepper over the top, and some lemon juice, and then finish off by drizzling it with balsamic glaze.

YUM YUM

We had it last night with some grilled salmon with yuzu dressing (lemon, orange, soy, mirin, sake, garlic and ginger sauce) and noodles.... but good enough on its own or with cold meat.

BROAD BEANS, ASPARAGUS, COURGETTES AND SPINACH SALAD

BROAD BEAN, ASPARAGUS, COURGETTE AND SPINACH SALAD - SERVED WITH SEA BASS AND NEW POTATOES


Well, I feel completely useless as to have not put up any recipes for quite some time - so do not desert me, as I am back......

It is due to a mixture of being madly busy (Ana and I had a show)  - a little bit social - and not having a chance to photograph any food before it gets devoured.

We had 12 people over for Mike's birthday on Friday night, but also to celebrate our amazing friends over from Cambodia.  I literally cooked up a storm, and then had far too much to drink, so can't properly remember what it tasted like, and before I batted one of my false eyelashes,  the kids had tucked into my ridiculously delicious honeycomb and chocolate cheesecake (which as it happened still tasted good at 4am), but sadly unphotographable at that time .......

I also made a very healthy and beautiful salad of rocket, figs, goats cheese, and pomegranate with balsamic dressing, which I will have to make again as I could eat it ALL day - but I won't bore you with the stuff that I'm not writing about - and before I pass out from tiredness (another family wedding yesterday - amazing, but not quite as insane as the one from last weekend, which is a whole nother story)...

So on to a particular healthy supper, that I cooked for Holly's return from school last week, and it was her choice.  She is home on study leave (did we ever have that?!) - it's brilliant to have her home (but sometimes when she's still loitering around the kitchen at 2.30 am, I kind of think she might be better off going to bed, and not asking questions like "Why are your eyes so red? and "why are you so hungry"? The joys of boarding school!

Hugo seems to have made rather a surprise visit home too (the school didn't seem to want him there for a bit after some alcohol incident, so he's been welcomed home into the heart of his rightly or wrongly proud parents - I knew he was my son after all - Thank the Lord!

INGREDIENTS (for 6)

2 red onions
3 garlic cloves
Packet of new potatoes (cooked)
Packet of broad beans (frozen)
3 courgettes (chopped)
2 clumps of asparagus (chopped into bitesize)
Bag of spinach
Veg stock
Lemon juice

Cook finely chopped onions, cook till soft and add garlic.  Boil the frozen broad beans till they are defrosted (no longer) - literally, just till they are basically defrosted, and not soggy and grey) .  Add them to the onions and garlic. Add the already cooked potatoes (which take about 15/20 mins from cold water to boiling (so actually, although I've written it in the wrong order, you should maybe do that first.  Once cooked, drain and leave to cool.
Once the onions and garlic are soft (and not burnt), add the potatoes and the courgettes, and stir for about 5 or so minutes, add the stock, (maybe 2 cubes diluted in about 1/2 pint of water).  Add the asparagus,  and some lemon juice, (I prefer freshly squeezed), and then some salt and pepper for tasting.  Do not over cook as it starts to lose the colour (this should all take no longer than 10 mins.  Add the broad beans, and then at the last minute before serving, add the spinach - and stir for about a minute.  You can also add some herbs if you fancy.

We served this with some fresh sea bass (Moxons is a joy, and rather a handsome french man (but obvioulsy that's not my main reason for visiting his rather fine establishment.)

I think Holly was happy with her welcome home meal, but don't want her to feel that she should never return to school again, so may have to serve her some chilli feast tomorrow, just to remind her that school food has its advantages....

I do have a picture (have resorted to I phone, but it ran out of battery, and so had to wait for it to charge while we sat watching it get cold)

The filleted sea bass drizzled with a little lemon and pepper on the top, was perfect.... and we got stuck in to our hearts content.

It was kind of healthy though, and I do like a good balance in my life, so the crunchies that I bought for my chocolate and honeycomb cheesecake needed a replenishing the next morning.....
I hope you like it - please let me know if you do......

Also, I added a photo of my little elf helper on Friday night.....  I mean the Max added touch  mustn't go unrewarded!

Now, Im off to slump on the sofa while Mike is homing in his bbq skills - so we'll be eating around 5 then?!

EDAMAME SALAD WITH FETA (SUMMER FOOD NOW THE SUN IS OUT!!)

EDAMAME SALAD WITH FETA CHEESE, CUCUMBER, CORIANDER AND RED ONION AND CHILLI

Edamame is quite simply delicious - one of those crazy foods that none of us had heard of when we were younger - and now couldn't live without.

You can buy frozen edamame (soya beans) in the freezer section in most supermarkets - (Whole Foods sell really good frozen ones - but also fresh if you're lucky).  You can buy them with the shell on, but that's more for a picky snack than for a salad, so buy the shelled ones if you can....

Mike has decided to cook salmon and razor clams tonight (the fishmonger was having a clear out - and gave Mike his whole stock), so if you never hear from us again, then you can only imagine what horror has taken hold ....

I thought I better busy myself while he was whizzing up a feast, so I decided on a really simple and healthy salad - something that won't sit on my ever expanding thighs, especially as I bought a totally MENTAL skirt today, that I'm not sure that I even dare to wear out (If I am brave enough - it will have it's first outing to Tim and Caroline's Mexican coocacha on Saturday night - weyhey!!)

So....
Ingredients (for 4)

Half a bag of defrosted or fresh edamame (soya beans)
3/4 packet of fresh crumbly feta cheese
Thinly sliced cucumber
Thinly sliced red onion
Finely chopped coriander
Chopped red chilli (optional)
Lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt/pepper

Mix up edamame, chopped or crumbled feta, cucumber, onion and coriander - add the finely chopped chilli if you like - I have to have this on the side, as Max has now taken Holly's lead and seems to have developed a sort of moan when he sees chilli.

Drizzle with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper...

See.... couldn't be easier - you may want to drizzle a little soy sauce on the top too.  Max did, so I told him he shouldn't - then I tasted it, and annoyingly it tasted quite good.

Hope you enjoy it

xxxxxxx

SUGAR SNAP SALAD WITH MISO DRESSING

So... If you know that you are going to a dear friends house - the one and only Pophams - and you know that a few hours later you shall be drinking for approximately 12 hours, and behaving rather badly - then you must also know that you need to eat.

Bill and Cath supplied the ham from down the West Country, the bread came from Venn St Saturday market in Clapham (and if you haven't been there, then you are missing out - Max looks forward to his pulled pork bun with apple sauce all week)..Tim and Caroline provided the as always perfect



location, the wine, um and um oh yes - the cheese!!! And we supplied 2 salads, which luckily I managed to take a quick snap shot before the rushed journey across the common.  My hair was a total disaster and looked like I had been auditioning for a role as Bonnie Langford's little sister.  Anyway, back to the food... it was very very delicious, and obviously healthy and unfattening. So, if you don't drink gallons of wine and tuck into a ton of chocolate afterwards, you are well on your way to a delicious uncalorific feast.  And, the plus, is that it very easy, very tasty and very quick.

THE SALAD (For 8)

2 packs trimmed sugar snap peas
2 Chinese leaf lettuce
1 bag radishes
10 spring onions
4 tbsp sesame seeds (dry toasted in a frying pan)

FOR THE SESAME - MISO DRESSING

Big thumb of ginger
2 large garlic cloves
3 tbsp white miso - all good supermarkets (so not our local Tescos!)
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp honey
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp olive oil

Boil the sugar snap peas for no more than 2 minutes in salted water - you do not want them soft - you could even have them totally uncooked if you prefer.  Thinly chop the cabbage, thinly slice the radishes, thinly slice the spring onions.  Add all of them together with the barely cooked sugar snaps, give them a bit of a toss - toast the sesame seeds, and then sprinkle them on the top.

For the dressing... finely chop the ginger and the garlic.  Pop into a pot with a lid and add in all the other ingredients.  Drizzle over the salad just before serving and give it a good old mix up.

Totally scrumptious....




















I also did another salad - and if you are not too bored of bulgar wheat, then you can read on....


BULGAR WHEAT SALAD - with coriander, yellow pepper, chopped almonds, raisins, spring onions and lemon juice.

Rinse half a packet of bulgar wheat in a sieve to de -starch it... pop in saucepan and cover with water, and about an inch extra.  Add olive oil, salt and a veg stock cube.  Boil for about 3, then add the raisins and leave to stand for another minute or 2.  Drain any excess water.

Add finely chopped spring onions, chopped coriander, chopped almonds, yellow pepper, salt and pepper, and lots of lemon juice to taste.

Delicious... I was also going to add feta cheese and pomegranate seeds, but you could do that another time.

Not sure if the photos do them justice ...

The bulgar wheat salad can keep for days, and you can add a million different things to it to your liking... and if you don't have bulgar wheat, you can use quinoa (Keen-wha - for those not in the know!) or cous cous..

So, have a great sunday - I shall now be resting my head, and trying to remember if I disgraced myself yesterday, but quite chuffed that I seem to have suffered amnesia.