garlic

melanzane parmigiana

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I have never met anyone that doesn’t love Melanzane Parmigiana. This is pretty much the recipe my Italian grandmother passed on to her children and with nearly all of my recipes I look at loads of versions of them and take the best bits from each one to create what I think is the perfect hybrid, and that’s what I’ve done with this Sicilian recipe. I really love aubergine and this version of melanzane parmigiana that I have created is great because it’s spot on in the flavour department. It’s low carb and great with meat and/or salad because its really satisfying as well as delicious. You could also serve it with pasta. Tonight, I’m testing it on friends (cooked the night before and reheated in their oven) I’ll get back to you on what they think.
Yes! They really really loved it……

Serves 6 (but you can halve the ingredients)

Ingredients:
4 aubergines sliced into thinish slices , approx one pound coin thick which can be lengthwise or in discs
2 tablespoons of olive oil plus more for the aubergines
1 red onion finely sliced
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
2 400g tins of plum tomatoes
a sprig of oregano or a teaspoon of dried
3 cloves of minced garlic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
200g of thinly sliced mozzarella
100g of freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper

How:
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Oil a baking tray, place the slices of aubergine on the tray in a single layer and make sure the upper side of the aubergine is sprayed or brushed with oil too.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until brown, you may have to do this in batches. Then set aside.
In a large saucepan, fry the onion gently in the olive oil for about five minutes.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, maple syrup and red wine vinegar.
Gently bring to the boil and let it gently bubble for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Like a lasagna, in a deepish baking dish layer the aubergine in a single layer first and then sprinkle with some Parmesan and slices of mozzarella then a layer of tomato sauce, repeat until all the ingredients are used up.
To get a crispy top, finish with a layer of the aubergine topped with the Parmesan, bake at 180°C for 40-50 minutes or until getting brown, you might want to put tin foil over the top for the first 20 minutes if you don’t want it too crispy, however I like it a bit burnt as the cheese goes a bit Welsh rarebity. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: if you want it a bit less oily, you can boil the aubergines whole for 20 minutes, allow to cool and then slice and put them in the recipe.

 

caramelised fennel salad

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This salad is surprisingly delicious. Most salads have raw fennel in them, but roasting fennel makes it lose its liquoricey taste and it becomes a different but delicious salad ingredient, also it brings out the sweetness and it becomes quite tender and a bit crispy all at the same time. Great on its own (I like it with chips) and you can also serve it with fish, chicken or meat and you have a fab low carb meal. My friends really love it and make this a lot, plus it’s pretty healthy.

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panzanella

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This traditional Tuscan salad really tastes of the summer. It’s really tomatoey because the juices of the tomatoes go into the dressing. Combine it with my aubergine spaghetti and you have a perfect dinner combo.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:
1 kilo of tomatoes chopped into smallish pieces
2 teaspoons salt
1 large sourdough loaf cut in half and chunks of the middle ripped out and put on a baking sheet (leave the crust)
10 tablespoons of olive oil
1 red onion very finely diced
2 cloves of minced garlic
½ a teaspoon of Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
A sprig of basil
A sprig of parsley

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pea mint and feta salad

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I’m a pea-a-holic and nothing thrills me more than peas in a recipe, so I made this salad as a homage to the pea, which incidentally,  is one of the highest fibre vegetables.
I eat this on home made bruschetta but if you do eat meat, it’s excellent with Lamb chops or roast chicken.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Ingredients:
1 cup of frozen petit pois, thawed overnight in fridge (by the way, they don’t need cooking)
1 small bunch of fresh mint finely chopped
1 shredded cos lettuce
Juice and zest of a lemon
2 teaspoons maple syrup
50 ml of olive oil
1 clove of crushed garlic
½ block of crumbled feta cheese

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caesar salad

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Italian immigrant Caesar Cardini invented the Caesar in 1924 in Mexico during the prohibition, when supplies were depleted and he had to make a dish with limited ingredients for the customers in his restaurant.
This salad is not only on my blog because it is a great classic recipe but because I made it for a certain special person who loved it and I know will be pleased I mentioned him….HB.

Serves 2 but you can double or triple the amounts depending on how many you are feeding.

Ingredients:

1/2 clove of garlic
3 eggs or 12 quails eggs
A loaf of sour dough bread
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of good quality Mayo
3 tablespoons of Greek yogurt (or Alpro Greek yogurt or Oatly creme fraische)
3 anchovies fillets tinned in oil and drained (or a tablespoon of vegetarian fish sauce)
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan (there are plant based versions) plus more for grating on top of salad
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cos lettuce

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sugo

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Sugo is a great classic Italian sauce made with slowly simmered tomatoes to have simply on pasta, with some Parmesan and fresh basil, as a base to a bolognese or lasagna, on pizza or in soup. You can also freeze it. It is a hundred times better than any thing you can buy in a shop. It is also perfect with pasta for a vegetarian dinner party with my avocado bruschetta as a starter.

Enough for 2-3 as a pasta sauce.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
1 onion finely chopped
2 minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons of maple syrup or sugar to taste
1/3 cup of chopped basil leaves
½ teaspoon of dried oregano
½ to one red chilli (not chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste

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gremolata

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This genius Italian condiment of parsley, lemon zest and garlic is sprinkled on meat, traditionally Osso Buco, fish and vegetables after they have been cooked. It can turn even bland food into a thing of wonder. You can even scatter it over pasta, with olive oil and Parmesan or chuck it over a salad. Great if you are cutting back on salt too.

Makes half a cup.

Ingredients:
1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, washed and dried
Zest of 2 lemons
1-2 cloves of garlic

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caponata

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Like pesto, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven when I first tried caponata. It’s the most delicious Italian aubergine stew that’s served at room temperature. It’s great with antipasti, on bread or as part of a salad. You could even leave it hot and serve it on pasta with lots of Parmesan. Even nicer the next day after its cooked.

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons maple syrup or sugar
5 tablespoons olive oil
A few aubergines cut into 1 inch chunks
1 medium onion finely cubed
4 garlic cloves minced
1 400g tin of chopped plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
2 tablespoons of baby capers
A handful of pine nuts
A handful of chopped basil

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tomato bruschetta with garlic paste

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This bruschetta is Italian meets Lebanese (like us). A traditional tomato bruschetta perked up with a Lebanese garlic paste called Toum. This is a fantastic starter or snack for garlic fans.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
4 thick slices of sourdough bread
2 heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup of light olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
Pepper to taste
Micro leeks or cress for decoration (optional)

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