Pasta with Aubergine & Mozzarella

Aubergines (eggplant) are in scarce supply at the moment, due to adverse weather conditions in Europe, and the quality has been quite variable. However, I spotted some lovely plump specimens in Tesco's the other day, so came up with this recipe to use them in.

This is a really simple, vegetarian pasta dish. The aubergine  takes a little while to cook, but everything else can be thrown together in minutes.

You could swap the aubergine for courgettes, mushrooms or whichever vegetables are cheap and in season.

Serves 4

• 2 large aubergines, sliced thickly
• 1 ball of mozzarella, roughly torn
• 500g packet of fresh pasta
• olive oil for frying

For the herby dressing:

• 4 large cloves of garlic, sliced
• 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• a handful of fresh basil
• a handful of fresh parsley
• ½ tsp dried mint
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 small chilli, optional
• salt and pepper to taste

Fry the aubergine in batches until soft and brown in colour (alternatively, brush with oil and bake in the oven.). Remove from the pan and chop roughly.

Make up the dressing by whizzing all the ingredients together in a mini-blender until fairly smooth, like a pesto. Warm the dressing through, in the pan which you cooked the aubergine in, while the pasta is cooking. Do not allow the garlic to colour, as this will give a bitter taste.

Cook the pasta and drain.

Mix the pasta, aubergine and dressing together. Top with the cheese.

Pop under a hot grill/broiler for a few minutes or microwave for 1 minute, if you want to warm the cheese though.

Serve with a seasonal salad.

Vegan option: Replace the cheese with some toasted pine nuts. For extra protein, add a drained tin of chickpeas to the dressing to warm through, before combining the remaining ingredients.

Variations: For a tomato sauce, simply add a can of chopped tomatoes to the dressing. Simmer for 10 minutes, before combining with the pasta and cooked aubergine.
Swap the mozzarella for feta.

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Gemista; Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers with Potatoes

Gemista (pronounced yemista) is one of my favourite Greek vegetarian dishes. It normally consists of a large tomato and a pepper stuffed with a herby rice mixture and baked in the oven. However, it sometimes contains minced beef or pork, so be sure to check before ordering this dish in Greece!

My version is vegan, but it is traditionally served sprinkled with grated cheese.

Serves 4-8 depending on appetite. 

For the peppers

• 8 small-medium bell peppers
• 1 cup risotto rice
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• ½ cup water/stock (plus more to top up)
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp each of dried oregano and dill
• 2 tbsp each of chopped fresh parsley and mint
• a good pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• Salt and pepper to season

For the potatoes

• 10-12 small-medium potatoes, peeled and cut into haves or quarters, depending on size
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped or crushed
• 1 lemon, cut into quarters
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup water/stock
• ½ cup Kalamata or Halkidiki olives
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4

First prepare the peppers, by slicing the tops off (reserve these) and de-seeding.
Place in a large, deep, heat-proof dish.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan.
Sweat off the onions and garlic for a few minutes on a low heat.
Add the rice and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir well.
Simmer with the lid on for around 7-10 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is half cooked. 
Spoon the rice into the raw peppers (they should be about ½-¾ full).
Fill each pepper to just below the top with boiling water or vegetable stock and pop the 'lids' back on the peppers.

Prepare the potatoes and scatter randomly amongst the peppers.
Top the potatoes with the chopped tomatoes and other ingredients.  
Drizzle the peppers and potatoes with the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. 
Check after an hour to see how tender the potatoes are; turn the potatoes carefully and if not tender, recover and bake for a further 15-20 minutes.
When the potatoes are soft, uncover and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, to colour up.

Serve with a seasonal salad.

Top tip: This recipe is easy to scale up  to serve a large crowd and can be prepared in advance and cooked when needed.

Not suitable for freezing.

I'm linking this post to Karen's latest Cooking with Herbs linky at Lavender & Lovage. 

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Boureki - Greek Potato & Courgette Bake

This is another Cretan vegetarian recipe, which is filling and warming - great for the winter months ahead. It does take a long time to cook, so I would suggest making two and freezing one for another meal.
Traditionally, boureki is made with mizithra cheese which is difficult to find in the UK, so I've used feta instead.

Serves 4

• 2lb/900g (unpeeled weight) baking potatoes
• 1lb/450g courgettes/zucchini
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped mint or 2 tsp dried mint
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped dill leaves or 1 tsp dried dill
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8oz/200g pack of feta
• black pepper, to taste
• ½ pt/280ml hot vegetable stock (made with a stock cube)

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/160C Fan/325F/Gas 3.

Peel and slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. This is best done using a food processor or mandoline slicer.
Thinly slice the courgettes the same way.

Grease an oven proof dish (approx 25x20cm) generously with olive oil and place a layer of courgettes in, slightly over lapping. Repeat with a layer of potatoes and another layer of courgettes. Crumble half of the feta over, and sprinkle with black pepper, half of the mint and half of the dill.
Continue layering up the vegetables, finishing with a layer of potato.

Mix the rest of the herbs into the stock and carefully pour the into the dish over the vegetables.
Top with the remaining cheese, an extra sprinkle of mint and drizzle the remaining olive oil over.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and place in the oven.

Bake for 2-2½ hours until the potatoes are soft (insert a sharp knife into the potatoes, to see if they are tender) - believe me, it will take this long to cook, as I have tried to reduce the cooking time and ended up with under cooked potatoes! 
If liked, remove the foil for the final 10-15 minutes, to brown the top of the boureki. Allow to cool for around 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Serve with seasonal vegetables or salad.

Seasonal variation: Try swapping the courgettes for sliced squash, pumpkin or celeriac.

Vegan version: Swap the feta for a vegan feta-style cheese. When topping the bake, mix the crumbled 'feta' with the remaining olive oil before sprinkling over the potato, to help stop it from drying out too much.

Slow cooker version: Although I haven't tried this, I reckon this dish could also be cooked in a slow cooker. Follow the recipe above but reduce the amount of stock by half. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. Brown under the grill before serving. Do let me know if this works!

I'm linking this recipe up to Ren Behan's Simple and in Season event for October.

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Mixed Bean and Basil Hummus - Suma Blogger's Network

Here's my second post for the Suma Blogger's Network. I decided on a variation on hummus using mixed beans rather than chickpeas, and Italian flavourings instead of the traditional Middle Eastern ones. I must say it worked really well and tastes great with crudites or fresh crusty bread.

• 1 tin of mixed beans, rinsed and well drained (I used Suma organic mixed beans)
• a good handful of basil, roughly chopped
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts

Blend all ingredients, except for the pine nuts, until smooth. Season to taste.

Drizzle with olive oil and top with the toasted pine nuts.

Chill until needed.

Will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Integrity Statement

As a member of the Suma Blogger's Network, I will receive a selection of complimentary products from Suma every two months, to use in recipe development, and will blog an original recipe for the Network. 

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