If you're a blogger, how do you find motivation to keep posting? I have about a hundred posts in my Draft folder, some of which have been there for a couple of years, and obviously by now, will never see the light of the day. I still take photos of what I cook or read, just in case I decide to blog a recipe or write a book review, but more often than not, I just can't be fussed about it.
Today I've been looking at the photo folders on my iphone, trying to clear out some of the food photos, when I realised I've never posted a recipe for the aubergine traybake. Lo and behold, the actual list of ingredients was thankfully recorded. That is another one of my blogging problems, I think I would remember how I cooked something, but then I forget. I look at some photos, trying to decipher just what exactly went into the dish, but nope, I can't recollect.
One of the Degustabox boxes (before last Christmas) included a sachet of Santa Maria Latin American Kitchen Venezuelan Coconut and Lime sauce.
Ideally it is used in a chicken dish. Since my husband is not eating meat any longer, I need to rethink a lot of family meals and recipes.
I was wondering what kind of Venezuelan vegetarian dishes I could cook. Having a quick search online, I came upon a recipe for Venezuelan Eggplant with Green Beans.
What I cooked is a bastardised version of the recipe, so technically it is not a Venezuelan dish, but more of Venezuelan-inspired.
Aubergine traybake with green beans and shiitake mushrooms
Ingredients:
1/2 big sweet onion
2tbsp coconut oil with turmeric
1 medium carrot
2 medium aubergines
150g sweet peppers (small size), quartered and deseeded
150g shiitake mushrooms
100g green beans
1 sachet of Santa Maria Latin American Kitchen Venezuelan Coconut and Lime sauce
fresh coriander
Finely chop half an onion, and fry it with a thinly sliced carrot in coconut oil with turmeric. (Olive oil would be fine as well but I wanted to finish off a small tub of coconut oil).
Cube the aurbergines (with skins on), add to the frying pan, and mix well. Add the sliced sweet peppers, and mix again. Spoon the contents of the frying pan into a ceramic oven dish. Mix in the contents of the Venezuela Coconut and Lime sauce.
Place it in the oven preheated to 180C. Cook for about 25 minutes, until the aubergine cubes are cooked through but still hold their shape. Add the green beans (precooked in boiling water) and shiitake mushrooms in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Serve hot with a bit of fresh coriander.
This dish is a tasty vegetarian dish, but could also make a good side dish to sausages or grilled fish.
A few weeks ago there was an interesting article in the Food magazine of the Guardian, discussing the pros and cons of salting the aubergines (see Do you have to salt aubergines?). The general consensus was that there is no need to salt the aubergines before cooking, as the bitterness has been bred out.
I agree. I used to salt aubergines, then rinse and pat dry before cooking, but these days they taste fine as they are.
Do you salt the aubergines before cooking?
When it comes to recipes I get my motivation easily if I think that I might do the dish again. Seeing my food blog as a recipe book for me, where I look for inspiration and for recipes I'm not doing that often and I need to remember the whole list of ingredients. But I do understand exactly what you mean by motivation from time to time.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, your aubergine traybake looks really good. xx
You've got the right idea, Anca, about thinking of it as a personal cook book.
DeleteI love mushrooms and could easily eat them every day, but my sons don't eat mushrooms at all.
This looks really yummi.. unfortunately my other half can't eat mushrooms which is sad, I love them!
ReplyDelete