Aubergine, butternut squash and tinned peach curry

As I was sorting the recycling today, I noticed just how many tins I have used in the last couple of weeks. Being in the lockdown and not being able to go out shopping whenever we need some fresh produce, we rely on tins a bit too much.
Also I promise myself, after all this ends, and if I am here to tell the tale, I am not going to eat pasta for a long-long time. I'm sick just of the sight of it.
I try to vary different sauces, and pasta shapes, but it's still stodge.

Last time I went out shopping, I managed to buy a nice aubergine and a pack of cubed butternut squash and sweet potato. I do like chickpeas in a curry, but they are as rare and valuable these days as loo rolls.

Aubergine, butternut squash and tinned peach curry
Ingredients:
1 medium aubergine, cubed
1/2 red onion
4tbsp olive oil
350g butternut squash and sweet potato
1 cube Knorr stock pot kaffir lime and ginger
1tsp mild curry powder
1 tin (227g) of chopped tomatoes
1 tin (160ml) coconut cream
1 tin (410g) of peach halves in juice

Start by heating up half the oil and frying the finely chopped red onion. Stir for a couple of minutes, then add more oil and cubed aubergines (I keep the skin on, but peel it off if you prefer). Add the cubed butternut squash and sweet potato.
Season with sea salt and spices and add the Knorr stock pot.
Next add the tinned tomatoes (chopped or plum), coconut cream and stir well. Slice the peaches and add to the curry. Bring to boil, then lower the heat and cook, simmering, for about half an hour, stirring occasionally, until the aubergines and squash are soft but still hold the shape.
If the curry is too thick, you might want to add some of the juice from tinned peaches.

Serve hot, with rice or/and flatbreads.

This is a variation of a vegetarian curry, which I cook quite often. You can swap ingredients - for example, use a dairy-free coconut yogurt or plain yogurt instead of coconut cream/milk. No tinned peaches? Add raisins or chopped apricots for a sweet note. Flaked almonds or chopped cashews for extra texture.
Make it more tomatoey by using two tins of tomatoes instead of a combination of tomatoes and coconut cream. Again, play around with whatever curry spices you have.

This curry has a lovely combination of flavours, and is easy to make.

In this recipe I used a pot of Knorr Kaffir Lime & Ginger stock, which was one of the products in March Degustabox.
Knorr's range of veggie flavoured stock pots are an easy way of adding depth of flavour to meat-free dishes. They are gluten free and suitable for vegans.
You can substitute it with whatever type of ginger you have - grated fresh root, or ginger paste in a squeezy tube or from a jar.
Also add a squeeze of lime, if you have it.

Be creative and stay safe!

Aubergine, okra and red kidney bean casserole

This vegetarian dish is ready in under an hour. With an addition of a spicy paste pot to the combination of aubergines, okra and kidney beans you can make it extra warming, thus  perfect for colder days... And so far March has been as fickle as Verdi's "la donna ѐ mobile", giving us sunny spells, then blowing cold winds.

Very Lazy Smoky Spanish Stew slow cooking paste pots was one of the products in February Degustabox. It's a concentrated paste with paprika, red pepper, ground cumin, ground Cayenne and garlic puree. This product is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
I decided to use it in a vegetarian casserole, or ragu, or stew, it could be called any of these.

Aubergine, okra and kidney bean casserole
Ingredients:
3tbsp olive oil
1 shallot
1 medium carrot
1 medium aubergine
1 x 175g pack of okra
1 x 300g  tin of red kidney beans in water (drained weight 180g)
1 tomato
500g passata
1 x 25g pot of Very Lazy Smoky Spanish Stew
1/1tsp sugar
a 150ml pot of Greek yogurt
fresh coriander
basmati rice

Heat the oil in a heavy-based deep frying pan. Fry a finely chopped shallot for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a peeled and chopped carrot, and cubed aubergine. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes.
Slice okra into 3-4 pieces, and add to the vegetables. Drain and rinse red kidney beans and add to the mix. Finally add a chopped tomato and pour passata. Add a pot of Very Lazy Smoky Spanish Stew paste. Stir, lower the heat and cook for 30+ minutes. You might need to add some  water, and a bit of sugar (optional).
In the final minutes of cooking, stir in a pot of Greek yogurt. And add some chopped fresh coriander or parsley.
Serve with basmati rice.

Verdict? The Spanish stew pot definitely packs a punch. When the stew was almost done, I tried a spoonful and gasped, it was rather hot. To make the heat mellower, I added a small pot of Greek yogurt. My husband also commented later that it was on the hot side.
I suppose, it depends on your tastebuds. If you enjoy hot food, use a whole pot, if you prefer milder flavour, perhaps use half of the pot. That's what I will do with the remaining two pots in the pack. I will use half a pot at a time.

Sweet and sour aubergine ragu with oyster mushrooms

November is being hailed as a World Vegan Month. While no-one in our family is a vegan, I cook lots of vegetable dishes that just happen to be vegan-friendly.
Aubergines and potatoes are my most favourite vegetables, I am happy to eat them as often as possible.
A few years ago I tried to grow my own aubergines, but there was one plague after another - slugs, caterpillars, some kind of mould etc, so I've not succeeded. After that gardening disaster I just buy them in the shops.
I rarely peel the aubergines (unless the recipe asks for that specifically). The modern varieties are not bitter, and I don't pre-salt them either to remove bitterness.
Sweet and sour aubergine ragu with oyster mushrooms is a tasty comfort food.

Sweet and sour aubergine ragu with oyster mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 red onion
5+tbsp olive oil
2 medium carrots, grated
2 medium aubergines
1 sweet pepper
1-2 clove of garlic
2 big tomatoes
3-4tbsp fresh lemon juice
2tbsp Clarks maple syrup
a punnet of oyster mushrooms
fresh dill (optional)

The sweet pepper is listed in the ingredients list, but is missing in the photo, as I added it after I took the photo

Start by frying a finely chopped red onion in 2 tbsp olive oil, keep stirring for 3-4 minutes, then add grated carrots, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Cube the aubergines and slice a pepper, add to the onion and carrot mix, with more of olive oil.
Aubergines tend to absorb quite a lot of oil, so if you're counting calories, add a dash of water, and cook stirring frequently.
Add a finely chopped clove of garlic, chopped tomatoes, lemon juice and maple syrup. You might need a big glug of water. Cover the pan with the lid, and cook simmering, on low heat, for half an hour or so, until the aubergines are soft.
Add the mushrooms in the last five minutes of cooking.
Serve with rice, or as a side dish to a meat course. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, like dill or parsley.
If you don't like oyster mushrooms, they can be easily swapped for chestnut mushrooms.
I served the ragu with the arancini (rice balls).

In this recipe I used Clarks Original maple syrup, which was one of the products in the latest Degustabox food box. It's a natural blend of Pure Canadian maple syrup and carob fruit syrup. It's suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.

If you enjoy cooking with aubergines, check out the following recipes:

Aubergine curry (Indian recipe)

Aubergine ikra (Russian recipe)

Caponata (Sicilian recipe)

Pasta 'ncasiata (Sicilian recipe)

Freekeh with aubergines and cashews

What are your favourite aubergine-based recipes?

Aubergine traybake with green beans and shiitake mushrooms

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?

Souk by Nadia Zerouali and Merijn Tol (book review) & Stuffed Aubergines

Souk: Image Credits - Smith Street Books

"Imagine a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon with long tables casually filled with delicious mezze - cold and hot sharing plates that together form a delicious and inviting meal in themselves. Here, family and friends enjoy the abundance of the sharing table - from carrots with arak and dishes of silky-soft hummus to fried kibbeh balls and tabouleh or fattoush".

This wonderful description brings back memories of the years, when I was newly wed and when we lived in a tiny house in Jericho, Oxford. We used to visit the local Lebanese restaurant Al-Shami. It was there that I tried mezze for the first time. I was hooked. I loved all the cold and hot appetisers and sharing plates. I haven't been in that restaurant this side of the millennium, but I believe it still exists.

Souk by Nadia Zerouali and Merijn Tol (Smith Street Books, released 1 April 2018; £25) is a colourful, soulful homage to the Middle Eastern way of life.
The authors say: "Throughout our time in the Middle East, it became clear to us that mezze is equal to the generosity and hospitality of the Levantine people".

This beautiful edition includes over 100 inspiring recipes to fill the table with Nadia and Merijn's version of a mezze feast. There are recipes to appeal to both flexitarians and vegetarians.
It is well written, with short personal stories and reminiscences about food.

Photographs by Ernie Enkler are simply stunning. As a food blogger, I always pay attention to styling - beautiful fabrics and china used in the photos.

Labne, Souk: Image Credits - Smith Street Books

Just look at those splashes of colour - don't you want to grab a flatbread and just dip into that pepper sauce?!

I also absolutely loved little embroidery samples by Anneke Koorman at the beginning of each chapter, they are deceptively simple and so charming. They make me feel like going back to embroidery again.

Such pretty little pieces, I can easily see them on napkins and tea towels. And they make a lovely quirky touch to the cook book.

Recipes include drinks and cocktails, cold and warm mezze, the grill and after dinner (desserts).
I have bookmarked several recipes, which I am going to try this summer, like this gorgeous Pistachio and semolina cake with meringue...

Souk: Image Credits - Smith Street Books

or Armenian stuffed carrots in tamarind, pomegranate and coffee sauce

I'd be happy to try a sour cherry sorbet and olive oil sorbet with rosewater, rice pudding with turmeric, tahini and pine nuts, stuffed vine leaves with pomegranate, barberries, grapes and bulghur, buttery date and sesame cookies, and many more delightful recipes.

This book will be a welcome addition to any foodie's cook book collection.

So far I have tried one of the recipes from the book. I love aubergines in all guises and disguises, as you might have seen from my blog.

I was inspired by the recipe Stuffed Eggplant with bulghur, walnuts and mint. I have adapted the recipe, first of all by halving the quantities, and then using a different way of cooking.
Quite a lot of recipes in this book do not mention prep or cooking times, so you'll have to improvise.

Aubergines stuffed with bulghur, walnuts and mint
Ingredients:
2 aubergines
3tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion
2 small carrots, peeled and grated
50g bulghur
1tsp vegetable stock powder
a handful of walnuts
1tbsp chopped fresh mint
1tsp paprika
a dash of pomegranate molasses
sea salt

Slice the aubergines in half lengthways and place on a baking tray, drizzle about 1tbsp olive oil over them and season with salt. Place the tray in the oven preheated to 180C.
Bake for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, finely slice the sweet onion and grate the carrot. Fry them with the olive oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the chopped walnuts and mint, as well as paprika and molasses, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Place dried bulghur in a small pan with water and stock, bring to boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. The times will depend on the bulghur you are using.

The original recipe in the book suggests combining bulghur with chopped onions, walnuts and mint and then putting them in aubergine boats, and cooking all together. I didn't want the topping to be burnt if you cook for too long, or the aubergines to be uncooked, so cooked the dish differently.

Take out the aubergines, and let them cool a bit before handling them. Cut out the inside, making "boats". Cube the inside flesh and add to the bulghur mix, then scoop the mix and put inside the aubergines. You will have some of the stuffing left.

Stuffed aubergines before being roasted

Place the tray with aubergines back in the oven and cook for another 20 minutes, until the aubergines are cooked through.

Serve with the yogurt on the side. I grated a small cucumber, and added it to the yogurt with a bit of salt. If you're a vegan, obviously use the dairy-free yogurt.

It was a very tasty vegetarian dinner. I will definitely cook it again.
If you are a meat eater, this dish will make a great side dish, just serve 1/2 aubergine per person.

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are my own.

Shakshuka with falafel

This morning my husband invited me to have a cup of coffee at the vegan cafe. I have passed it by many times, as it's in a very central location, but haven't visited it, since it was rebranded. It used to be a funny little place called Chomsky (loved that name. Having studied linguistics at Uni, I found that name endearing and quirky). Can't say I was a frequent visitor either, but I've been there a few times.
Now it's a cafe called Eden, which serves vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals.
We ordered a coconut latte and a slice of pistachio cake. Alas, we were't impressed with the coffee, it tasted bitter and even sour.
The pistachio cake was dry and insipid.

While waiting for our lattes, I was browsing the latest issue of PlantBased magazine. I haven't seen this magazine before, and was curious to have a look. There were quite a few recipes which caught my eye, including a shakshuka with falafel. I believe the recipe comes from Aine Carlin's new vegan cook book called Cook Share Eat Vegan.

Shakshuka (or shakshouka) recipes that I know of always have eggs as one of the main ingredients. Being vegan, this recipe swaps eggs for falafels.
I'm not vegan, and have no plans to go vegan, but I do enjoy trying new ideas. I was very curious to give it a go.
I love aubergines, so any new recipe with them is a big magnet for me.

I tried to google the exact recipe to add the link here, but I couldn't find it.

What I cooked is a simplified version of Aine's recipe. She served it beautifully with pomegranates and a tahini dip on the side, and also authentic flatbreads, while I bought a pack of mini pittas.

Shakshuka with falafel
Ingredients:
4tbsp olive oil
1 red onion
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped finely
1 aubergine
2 cloves of garlic
a pack of tomatoes (225g)
1tsp paprika
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp cumin seeds (optional)
1/2tsp caraway seeds (optional)
a pinch of sugar
400g passata (e.g. Mutti passata)
1tbsp tomato paste
1tbsp pomegranate molasses (optional)
a pack of sweet potato falafel

Start by frying one finely chopped red onion in 1tbsp of olive oil. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, then add a deseeded and chopped chilli pepper (or use chilli paste instead).
Peel and cube the aubergine, add to the frying pan with more oil. Season with sea salt and all spices and add chopped garlic. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, stirring, until all the cubes are coated in onion oil mix.
Place tomatoes in a pan, pour hot boiling water over them and leave for half a minuted, then drain the water and pour cold water over them. The skins will be easy to remove then.
Chop the tomatoes and add to the aubergine, stir well. Cook for a couple of minutes, then pour in the contents of passata bottle, tomato paste and pomegranate molasses. Add a dash of water to the sauce and stir. Bring to boil, then lower the heat and cook simmering for about 25 minutes until the aubergine is soft.
Molasses add depth to the sauce, but could easily be omitted, or swapped for balsamic vinegar.

Pour the sauce in a deep ceramic dish, insert the falafels in and cook altogether in the oven at 180C for about 10 minutes.
Serve hot with pitta bread (or flatbreads).

The sauce was very tasty, and I will be doing it again. I used Mutti Passata, which was delivered with the latest Degustabox. It has a velvety texture and sweet, intense tomato flavour.

Fruity aubergine and chickpea curry

It was the hottest day of the year yesterday (so far), and I was cooking a curry for dinner, rather than having a light salad and an iced tea. I had two aubergines in a bowl on the kitchen window, and quite a few tins in the pantry to choose from. This is a variation on a curry I cook quite often, changing and swapping some ingredients, like a dairy-free coconut yogurt (or just coconut-flavoured dairy yogurt) instead of coconut milk, adding flaked almonds or cashews, raisins or tinned peaches etc, so it's a very much flexible recipe, depending on what you have and like.
It could be either vegetarian (if you use milk-based yogurt) or vegan, or if you can't live without meat, chicken would be really nice in this curry too.

Fruity aubergine and chickpea curry
Ingredients:
2 red onions
6tbsp olive oil
1 red chilli
2 cloves of garlic
1tsp mustard seeds
2 aubergines
2tsp Sri Lankan masala
1tsp turmeric
a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
about 100g soft dried peaches and mango
1 tin of chopped tomatoes (Polpa finely chopped tomatoes)
1 tin (400ml) light coconut milk
1 tin (400g) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Start by frying finely chopped onions in 2 tbsp of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the mustard seeds, garlic and chilli, as well as aubergines. Slice aubergines in half, then in half again lengthways, and then chop into chunks. As these aubergines are young, I didn't peel the skin.
Add more oil, and season well with sea salt, then sprinkle with all spices. Cook stirring for another 5 minutes, until the aubergines chunks are coated with the spices, oil and onion mix.
Next add the halved cherry tomatoes and chopped dried peaches and mango slices. After cooking for another couple of minutes, pour in the contents of tinned tomatoes and coconut cream.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas before adding to the curry. Bring to boil, then lower the heat and cook, simmering, for about half an hour, stirring from time to time. The aubergine chunks should be very soft, but still hold the shape.

Serve hot, with rice or without (I'm trying to cut down in carbs, so ate my curry without any rice).

This is a delicious, melt-in-the-mouth curry, not too hot, but very fragrant and flavourful.

I didn't specifically plan for this meal to be vegan, it just happened that the products I used were all vegetables and the cream is plant-based too.
I used the last of the Sri Lankan Masala curry mix from Steenbergs in this recipe, but any good masala mix will work. Next week I'm planning to go to the garden centre, where they have a lovely food shop, and I've seen Steenbergs' products there. If I can't find it there, then I'll have to order it online. Love the fruity flavours and aroma of this curry mix.

Mutti Polpa (Finely Chopped tomatoes) is one of the products from the latest Degustabox. This is a new Italian brand for me. Usually I buy Cirio tomato products. Mutti are winners of a prestigious Great Taste Award. Tinned chopped tomatoes were sweet and ripe, and worked beautifully in a vegetarian curry.

As I've finished the delicious curry mix, I'm adding this recipe to #KitchenClearout at Madhouse Family Reviews, hosted by lovely Cheryl.

Aubergine curry

I so admire people who plan their meals a week in advance, and know exactly what and when they would be cooking. I'm rather disorganised when it comes to dinners.
Often I have a vague idea of what I might be cooking, but it would depend on my mood and what I might find on offer. I suppose it doesn't help that I go grocery shopping every day.
I don't drive, and there is so much I can carry home, plus we do love freshly baked bread.
And I do often have a change of plans when I see something tempting.

The other day, while looking for some greens in Waitrose, I came across a big pile of aubergines at a reduced price (29p each) and grabbed three. One of them I used to make a pasta sauce.

Today I cooked an accidentally vegan dinner. I didn't plan for it to be vegan, but it just happened that way.
This recipe is a variation of an Indian recipe for aubergine curry (Baingan bharta).

Aubergine curry
Ingredients:
1 medium carrot
5tbsp+ olive oil
1 big red onion
1 chilli
2 cloves of garlic
1tbsp turmeric
1tsp Sri Lankan Masala
1tbsp ginger paste
2 aubergines, skinned and cubed
350ml tomato sauce (e.g. Cirio Cuor di Pelato)
a handful of raisins
170g coconut yogurt (e.g. The Coconut Collaborative coconut milk dessert)
flat leaf parsley

Peel and chop a carrot, and finely chop an onion. Heat 2tbsp oil in a big frying pan. Fry the onion and carrot for about 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the chopped and deseeded red chilli and garlic, as well as all spices.
Peel and cube the aubergines. Add them to the frying onion, carrot etc. Stir well, so that the aubergines are well coated. Add more oil, and a dash of water.
Pour in the tomato sauce.
I used a bottle of Cirio Cuor di Pelato tomato sauce with vegetables, which was one of the products in the latest Degustabox food box.
If you don't have this particular product, any good quality tomato sauce, or passata will work, or just tinned tomatoes.
Add a handful of raisins and cook simmering on low for about half an hour. For an extra creamy taste add a small pot of coconut yogurt.
You might need to add a little bit of water, if the sauce becomes too thick.

Serve hot with basmati rice. I added a tablespoon of dried barberries to rice.

Freekeh with aubergine and cashews

Since my husband announced he doesn't eat meat any longer, I started  searching for more varied vegetarian meals rather than the usual suspects like pasta, pizza or soups.
I have a huge library of cook books, yet I could never resist looking at newly published cook books.

New Classics by Marcus Wareing (Harper Collins) has a selection of attractive recipes, and I might buy it, once it appears in The Book people or Sainsbury's.

One of the recipes which has caught my eye was a Vegan aubergine, freekeh and cashew tagine (you can find the full recipe at Great British Chefs site).

I have adapted the recipe, skipping some ingredients, and adding the other. The overall dish is a tasty and flavourful vegetarian/vegan meal, so many thanks to Marcus for the inspiring recipe (please check out his full recipe and step by step, following the link above).

I have never cooked freekeh before, and didn't know what to expect, but taste-wise it is similar to the Italian grain farro.

Freekeh with aubergine and cashews (serves 4-5)
Ingredients:
100g cashew nuts
200g freekeh
a good glug of mild olive oil
1 big onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 big tomato, sliced (optional)
1tbsp ginger paste
2tbsp tomato paste
400ml of passata
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
250ml vegetable stock (made with 2tsp of vegetable bouillon powder)
a big handful of raisins, or sultanas
a handful of dried apricots, chopped (optional)
2 aubergines, skinned and cubed
1tbsp maple syrup (optional)
fresh mint leaves
sea salt
for the spice mix:
2tbsp ground cumin
1tbsp fennel seeds
1tsp coriander seeds
2tsp ground turmeric
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp smoked paprika
1/2tsp sea salt
2tbsp plain flour

First place the cashews in the oven preheated to 180C and bake for about 6 minutes until golden.
Remove from the oven, chop and set aside.
Cook the freekeh following the instructions on the box in 500ml water, for half of the stated time. I didn't drain it, as there was not much liquid left.
In a deep frying pan heat up 2tbsp of olive oil and add the chopped onion, saute for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and passata (I used Cirio), a chopped tomato, vegetable stock, vinegar, chopped apricots and raisins.

The original recipe asks you to heat fry the spices and then crush them with a mortar and pestle. I used the spices without crushing them.
Mix together all the spices with salt and plain flour, and pour them over skinned and cubed aubergines, and mix well so that the aubergine is coated on all sides.

In a deep frying pan heat up the oil (a very generous glug, as aubergines soak up the oil, and not the suggested 2tbsp, that wouldn't be enough). Cook the aubergines, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes.

Pour the tomato and onion sauce over the aubergines and add the freekeh. Mix well, bring to boil, then lower the heat and cook on low for about an hour, stirring often, until the grain is soft.
Serve hot, with a few chopped cashews on top and a bit of chopped mint (coriander or flat leaf parsley).
While the freekeh was cooking, I tried the sauce and found it slightly on the sour side. I was debating in my mind whether to add a teaspoon of sugar or maple syrup, and opted for the maple syrup.

I have completely skipped saffron and black treacle from the recipe. Black treacle has such an overpowering taste, I don't think it would necessarily work in this recipe, though it would add a sweet note. And saffron would also quite disappear among the other strong spices.

Cashews could possibly be swapped for flaked almonds. If you cannot find freekeh, use quinoa or farro.

In this recipe I used Greenwheat Freekeh from Artisan grains which I found in the local health shop.
It is lightly toasted, cracked grains of young wheat with a distinct nutty taste. It is a source of fibre and is high in protein. This re-discovered ancient grain is one of the latest food trends.

Have you tried freekeh? Which other recipes using this grain would you recommend?

Aubergine Ikra

It's been over a week, since my Mum flew back home, and I miss her so. I talk to her every day on the phone, but it's not the same, is it?! I am trying to think positively, and convince myself that with each passing week it means that it's one week closer to the next time we'll see each other.
The truth is, of course, that we never know, if the next time will happen.
My Mum is in her 70s, her health is not getting better. And due to my circumstances, I haven't travelled to Russia for over 13 years. I cannot fathom taking a long flight with our older son who has autism, and is always anxious travelling. Even a relatively short flight to Italy is fraught with anxiety and stress. Airport check-ins and waiting are stressful even for neuro typical people, for autistic people they are extra tough.
I wish my Mum lived closer to us, and we could see each other often. But it's not going to happen. Thousands of miles separate us. Sad, but there is nothing we can do about it.
Whenever she comes, I ask her to cook some Russian food for me - familiar dishes and flavours that take me back home.

We went shopping together recently, and I picked three beautiful aubergines. I should have probably just chosen three purple ones, as the skins are peeled off for the recipe anyway, but they looked so pretty, I couldn't resist.

Aubergine ikra is a Russian answer to a Sicilian caponata. This Southern Russian dish is known as a poor man's caviar. There are many different variations, and even my Mum doesn't stick to one particular recipe. Ingredients might remain the same, but the amounts differ.
Aubergine ikra is something in between a spread, a side dish and a dip. It could be eaten hot or cold. I prefer it cold. I think it gets tastier on the 2nd or even 3rd day, kept in the fridge, when all the flavours merge together and mature.

Aubergine ikra
Ingredients:
3 aubergines
4 sweet peppers
2 carrots
1 big white onion
tomatoes (mix of 3 big and a handful of cherry)
sunflower oil (about 1/3 bottle)
sea salt

Mum chops and slices all ingredients first, and fcooks them separately.

Skin the aubergine and chop into small cubes. Add about 70ml sunflower oil to a deep frying pan and fry the aubergine cubes until soft and golden, stirring them frequently, for about 10-15 minutes. Once cooked, place the aubergines in a bowl.
Chop the carrots very thinly and fry with a small amount of oil. Once cooked, add to the bowl with aubergines.
Next chop the onions and saute in oil until soft and translucent.
Fry the sweet peppers, chopped into small pieces. Again, add to the bowl with the other cooked ingredients.
Add the chopped tomatoes to the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Place in a bowl, mix all the ingredients well and return to the pan. Cook it for another 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. season with sea salt at the very last stage, when all the ingredients are combined.

Before serving add some chopped flat leaf parsley (optional).