Aubergine dip

As a kid, aubergines used to be my nightmare, disgusting tasteless black pieces in a ratatouille, or even worse, main ingredient in a moussaka (mousskaka!!). So you can imagine my trouble as I received the two fat aubergines pictured above in my vegetable basket!

What the hell was I going to do with them? So I raised up to the challenge, went through all my cookbooks and tested 2 recipes. This dip was inspired by a recipe in Louise Pickford's 5 fruits et légumes par jour, which I pimped up a bit, avoiding the raw garlic and the coriander and adding cumin.

Result: a great summer dip, which has had a lot of success, even with aubergine-haters! Now I am even buying aubergine on purpose.. who would have believed it?

[version française ci-dessous]

AUBERGINE DIP

Makes one bowl - inspiration from Louise Pickford's 5 fruits et légumes par jour, Marabout

1 aubergine, peeled, cut lengthwise in 5mm slices

3 TB olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 plain greek yogurt

1 TB fresh lemon juice

[1] Mix the olive oil, cumin and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Brush the aubergines slices with the mixture on both sides. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick paper.

[2] Grill 5 minutes on each side, using the grill function of the oven.

[3] Let cool and cut in small pieces. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the yogurt and lemon and season to taste.

[4] Store at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.

Serve with crackers.

Sorry for the bad fridge picture, I made this recipe already 4 times but it seems to disappear before I can get my camera out!

DIP À L'AUBERGINE

Recette pour un bol - inspiré de Louise Pickford 5 fruits et légumes par jour, Marabout

1 aubergine, pelée et coupée en tranches de 5mm d'épaisseur

3 CS d'huile d'olive

1 cc de cumin moulu

1 gousse d'ail pressée

1/2 yaourt grec natzre

1 CS de jus de citron

[1] Mélanger l'huile d'olive, le cumin et l'ail, poivrer et saler. Badigeonner les tranches d'aubergines avec ce mélange. Placer sur un papier sulfurisé sur la grille du four.

[2] En utilisant la fonction grill du four, griller 5 minutes de chaque côté jusqu'à ce que l'aubergine soit tendre.

[3] Laisser refroidir et couper en petits dés. Transférer dans un bol et mélanger au yaourt et jus de citron. Corriger l'assaisonnement si nécessaire.

[4] Placer au moins 30 minutes au réfrigérateur avant de servir avec des crackers.

Strawberry jam

Strawberry jam - Makes 4 small jars

700 g ripe strawberries

1 small apple (optional)

1/2 organic lemon, washed under warm water

500 g white sugar

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[1] Rinse the strawberries carefully and cut them in halves. Peel the apple and cut in small cubes. Cut big slices out of the lemon peel.

[2] Place the fruit, sugar and lemon peel  in a pot. Add a squirt of lemon juice.

[3] Cook 20-30 minutes or until the fruit is tender. Remove the lemon peel. If you like pieces in your jam, leave it as it is, otherwise you can mix or mash it.

[4] Sterilize 4-5 glass jars and their lids in a big pot of boiling water. Fill in quickly the hot jam, close the lid tightly and place upside down. This will help keep the jam "sterile".

N.B. Can't really bring myself to call anything happening in a kitchen 'sterile'.. but I guess that's the best we can do - anyone here who ever tried to autoclave jam?

Courgette carbonara

Des courgettes, encooore des cooourgettes!! Love this twist on the classic carbonara, inspired by Jamie Oliver. The trick is to make a really thin julienne with the courgettes, i.e. cut the flesh and skin in very long and thin stripes, almost like spaghetti themselves. Enough talking, grab your mandoline and get started!

Courgette carbonara - serves 4
2 fresh eggs
125 ml cream
a handful grated parmesan
half a pack bacon, chopped
1/2 finely chopped shallot
one medium-large courgette
1/2 lemon, zest grated and juice reserved
salt&pepper
olive oil
450g pasta / spaghetti or linguine is best
more parmesan to serve
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[0] Before attacking the courgette slicing, serve yourself a nice glass of wine, this can take some time if you don't have the right accessories..
[1] Cut the courgette in half lengthwise, spoon off the seeds and discard them. Using a sharp knife or a mandoline, julienne the courgette in long thin stripes. Reserve.
[2] In a bowl, beat the eggs with the cream, parmesan, salt and pepper.
[3] Cook the pasta al dente according to the pack instructions.
[4] In a very large pan on medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Add the shallot and fry a further 2 minutes. Add the courgettes to the bacon and shallot and allow to wilt.
[5] When the pasta is cooked, drain it, and add to the pan, tossing to combine with the courgettes. Remove from the heat and add the egg mixture. Gently combine, allowing the sauce to thicken. Season to taste.
[6] Serve immediately, scattered with the lemon zest, a small squeeze of lemon juice and the remaining parmesan.

PS: For a vegetarian version, you could try replacing the bacon with pimenton and olive oil to still have a smoky flavor.