Very Simple and Versatile Roasted Harissa Aubergine

Once prepared you can use the aubergine in many different ways

I love aubergines and I only really started eating them in the last few years because many recipes I found put me off by saying they must be salted or that they soak up a lot of oil. The first time I tried cooking it myself I simply stir fried it and it was bland and chewy. I realised that it suited slow cooking and that, like with the oil, it suited big flavours it could soak up.

I now use it as a main ingredient all the time in curries, cut into long strips in lasagna, pasta sauces and now even simply on its own as a side dish. I don’t really know how I came up with this idea other than the fact that I had a lonely aubergine in my fridge and not much else. I wanted to make some cous cous for my lunch and I thought I could use the aubergine to jazz up the cous cous.

I also had a jar of Harissa paste and this idea just came to me. I was pleasantly surprised with how it worked out as the aubergine flesh became full of flavour, quite spicy and incredibly soft. I used a spoon to scoop out the flesh and then I stirred it into cous cous.

Other ways to enjoy an aubergine like this could be topped with raita yoghurt and served with a salad, scooped out and spread into a flat bread as a sandwich, stirred into rice or cous cous, scooped out and served as a kind of spicy mashed aubergine side dish. Or just on its own.

Serves 2

Vegan, gluten-free, low-fat, spicy!

1 Aubergine1-2 tblspn Harissa paste
1 Lemon

Slice the aubergine in half lengthways, using a sharp knife score the flesh but don’t cut through the skin of the aubergine. Take a spoonful of harissa and using the back of a spoon or a knife spread the paste over the aubergine making sure it gets in all of the score lines. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top. Do this on both halves of the aubergine just on the cut side.

Place the aubergine halves on a baking tray, cut side up and bake in an oven at 180c for around 35 minutes. Leave to cool slightly then use it how you like

The Harissa is very spicy so use as much or as little as you like. You could use other pastes like Curry paste, Thai paste or Pesto.

Aubergine and Ratatouille layered bake

One of my favourite meals when we go out for dinner is melanzane alla parmigiana, it’s an Italian dish made from slices of aubergine baked in a rich tomato sauce topped with Parmesan. The only thing is that I always feel the need to get a side of veg, salad or sometimes potatoes because I like a bit more variety and substance.

This recipe came about because I decided to create an aubergine parmigiana styled bake but with a bit more substance and plenty of variety in flavour. I decided to mix in one of my other favourite recipes, ratatouille! The layers of grilled aubergines go perfectly with the soft peppers and I think it makes a delicious low carb alternative to lasagna! Maybe it’s just me but even with this recipe I still need something green on the side! I’d recommend serving with spinach or some griddled asparagus.

Bright and vibrant peppers

The preparation of melanzane alla parmigiana varies from place to place, some grill the aubergine and some deep fry it. I decided to grill it however you can prepare it however you like. Just make sure it is really soft and juicy. A lot of methods call for the aubergine to be salted before cooking, I find that grilling then baking is sufficient to get the aubergine to a suitable level of softness!

Low carb alternative to lasagna!

Serves 6

Vegan, wheat and gluten free, dairy free

2 aubergines
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
3 mixed peppers (red, yellow and green!)
1 courgette
2 cans chopped tomatoes
Handful black olives – sliced
Coriander
1 can cooked butter beans
1 cup water

Slice the aubergines thinly (around 1cm thick) and grill or griddle the slices for a minute and a half on each side so they are slightly browned and softened. No need to add oil if you are grilling them but a small amount could be added if using a griddle pan to stop them sticking. Once cooked put to one side.

Thinly slice the onion, courgette and peppers. In a large deep frying pan heat a little oil and add the sliced vegetables and crush the garlic into the pan. Stir fry for 5 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Then add the cans of chopped tomatoes, black olives, some salt and pepper and stir. Put a lid on the pan (or cover with foil) and simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes until the veg is soft and the sauce is reduced and thick. If it looks too thick then add a splash of water.

In a blender mix the beans and water. You can add herbs, garlic and seasoning or just keep it simple!

Preheat the oven to 180c

In a baking/ lasagna dish layer up the ratatouille, slices of aubergine and bean sauce. Make sure the last layer is the bean sauce. Put the bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until it is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown.

I love aubergines!

Simple Aubergine and Tomato Curry: Meat Free Monday

Whenever I’m thinking of recipes, especially curries, I’m conscious that I should be making everything from scratch including curry pastes, sauces etc but when I am throwing an evening dinner together after a busy day at work I always reach for the jar of curry paste in my fridge for convenience. Using a pre bought curry paste is not cheating it’s a perfect way to have a delicious meal when your tired and busy and just need food! Adding some vegetables and curry paste together is a lot healthier than reaching for the takeaway menu or buying a ready meal.

Aubergine, Onion, Fresh Tomatoes and Spinach make up this really easy curry

The quality of your curry paste however is important because it will be the base flavour for your whole meal. I use Patak’s range because it is vegan and they have a large selection to choose from in the supermarket. It’s not the cheapest you can buy but the quality is good so it’s worth it! Think about what ingredients are going to match the paste, for example a jalfrezi is suited to rich tomatoes and onions and a korma is more suited to a milder creamier curry. You can experiment though as I have used korma, jalfrezi and balti curry pastes in this aubergine curry and each time it has been delicious with varying levels of spice and richness.

This dish is all about being simple and easy to throw together, it’s also got a sideline benefit of being very versatile. Swap the aubergine for anything you have in your fridge such as courgette, peppers or potatoes. Swap the cherry tomatoes for quartered salad tomatoes or you can also use frozen spinach instead of fresh if you have some!

Swapping ingredients takes a little bit of understanding of how they all cook differently but once you’ve thought about that and adjusted the method it’ll be easy. For example a diced courgette will cook a lot quicker than an aubergine or potatoes may need to be par boiled before adding into the curry.

Great way to serve curry is to place a large pan of curry in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves

I don’t add any extra flavours such as garlic, ginger or chilli because the curry paste is strong enough however feel free to add what you like. Also a lot of recipes call for you to salt an aubergine but I never do this, cooking it in the paste and tomatoes will soften it up fine! Aubergine soaks up a lot of oil so don’t put too much in your pan!

Serves 4 (freezable and can easily be doubled for larger quantities)

1 Onion
1 Aubergine
6 Cherry Tomatoes – cut in half
1 tablespoon Pre bought Curry Paste
1 Can Chopped Tomatoes
Large handful or 100g Spinach
Sunflower or Vegetable Oil for frying

Dice the onion finely, heat around 2 tablespoons oil in a pan and add the onion, fry for around 3-4 minutes to soften. Dice the aubergine quite small and then add that to the onion in the pan. Continue to cook the aubergine, stirring frequently, for around 8 minutes untill the aubergine has browned. Be careful because the air also browns the aubergine, watch the skin instead of the flesh, when it begins to change colour and almost blister then you know it’s cooking.

Add the curry paste and mix everything together for 1 minute.

Add the canned tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes and about 1/2 cup of water. Turn the heat on, stick a lid on the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. I go back and check every 5 minutes or so to give it a stir and make sure it’s not drying up. If it looks dry then add more water. After 20 minutes taste a bit of aubergine, if it’s soft and easily chewed then it is ready, if it’s a bit squeaky or tough then give it longer. Larger pieces of aubergine will take longer.

Add the spinach and put the lid back on untill it has wilted. Stir to mix the spinach in then serve! This will be great with some brown rice or naan breads. If I’ve just taken a portion of this out of the freezer for dinner then I like to pop a naan bread in the toaster and it’s an instant meal, if your less lazy then boil some rice

I have submitted this recipe to The Wellness Weekend over at Diet, Dessert and Dogs!

Aubergine and Potato Curry: Meat Free Monday

I have always made tomato based currys in the past as it was cheaper to make and I understood the flavours, however I have started using coconut milk to give a different look and taste to a curry. I know a Thai curry uses coconut milk however my ingredients here are not Thai so I imagine this curry is lacking any regional inspiration…but it tastes great!

I always buy light coconut milk just because I still can’t bring myself to buy the full fat stuff, even though I now realise there is more to nutrition than high fats and low fats…there are good fats and bad fats and I think everything in moderation is good for you! Ok I’ve said the word fat too much so I’m not going to say that again! Lets just say that this curry is packed full of goodness and is a nice little treat

I love aubergines (Eggplant), I think they are so versatile and they just soak up any flavours put with them. I was tempted to add chickpeas but decided to go with potatoes because I hardly ever eat potatoes so this is a nice way to incorporate them into my meals! You can add chickpeas if you wish or lentils would probably work too!

I also added green beans and peas because I always like to have something green in a dish where I can squeeze it in, it adds interest and brings colour to the curry. They also tasted really nice and lightened the dish up a bit.

Aubergine Curry – Serves 4 (freezable)

1 Large Onion
1 Aubergine
1 Baking Potato
2 Garlic Cloves
1 tspn Curry Powder
1 tspn Turmeric
1 tspn Black Mustard Seeds
1 Red Chilli1 Can Light Coconut Milk
Large Handful Green Beans
Large Handful Frozen Peas

To prepare the vegetables:

Dice the onion. Cut the Aubergine into quite large pieces (about 1 inch big) so that they keep their shape. Cut the potato into pieces roughly the same size as the aubergine, I don’t peel my potatoes but feel free to peel them if you want.
Trim the ends off the green beans. Crush the garlic and finally finely slice the red chilli.

Soften the onion in a little oil in a large deep frying pan or a large saucepan for a few minutes then add the aubergine, potato, garlic, spices and the red chilli.

Stir to combine all the ingredients and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add the Coconut Milk, stir again and then cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the green beans and peas then cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with Rice and a garnish of coriander!

Aubergine Roll-ups with Pepper Sauce: Meat Free Monday

One of my husbands favourite meals is chicken stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in parma ham, in fact it was the first meal I ever cooked for him way back in the day! It’s quite a rich meal so it’s not one I cook often but I decided to make it for him the other day! I wanted to make myself something similar so I decided to replace the chicken and parma ham for some thick roasted slices of aubergine. I think it worked really nicely and it was nice to be eating a dish which looked similar to his just a vegetarian version!

This pepper sauce is so quick and easy to make and it will go with anything so is really versatile! You could jazz it up with some capers and parsley or even stir in some other vegetables and turn it into a ratatouille!

I use Philadelphia cream cheese (it seems less rich than other brands I’ve tried and doesn’t upset my stomach) but you can use any brand you like, you can even buy cream cheese with added herbs which would taste really nice.

Serves 2

1 Aubergine
1 Red Pepper
1 Onion
1 Red Chilli
1 Garlic Clove
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
Extra Light Philadelphia Cream Cheese
100g Spinach
Spray Oil for frying
Drizzle of good quality olive oil for Aubergine
Salt and Pepper

Mashed Potato to serve – I leave the skins on my potatoes for extra nutrients and make my mash with a small amount of low-fat margarine and some soya milk!

Preheat the oven to 200c.

Finely slice the pepper, onion and chilli. Heat some spray oil in a frying pan and soften the peppers, onion and chilli for a few minutes. Crush the garlic into the pan, add the paprika and give it all a good stir then continue to fry for 2 minutes untill the garlic is cooked. Add a can of tomatoes, season and leave to simmer for 10 minutes stirring frequently.

Slice the Aubergine thinly down the length of the aubergine so you have long sliced to roll up (around 1 – 2cm thick), place the slices on a baking tray and drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast them in the oven for 10 minutes.

Wilt the spinach by steaming or microwaving it in a bowl covered with clingfilm.

Once the aubergine slices are cooked spread the cream cheese on to the top of each slice, place some spinach on one side and then roll them up. Place them back onto the baking tray and put them back in the oven for 3-4 minutes to heat the filling through.

Plate up the mashed potato and pepper sauce then place the aubergine rolls on top and serve hot.