Aubergine and ricotta dumplings in tomato sauce.

These are like melanzane all parmigiana in meatball form. 

They are gloriously rich and cheesy. 

Some lightly cooked greens would go well with them. 

Serves 4

90g fresh breadcrumbs, ideally sourdough (ie, from 2-3 slices)
4 aubergines, cut into roughly 2½cm cubes (1kg net weight)
150ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
100g ricotta
75g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
2,5 tbsp parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 whole egg, plus 1 yolk extra
1,5 tbsp plain flour
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
4 tbsp basil leaves, roughly chopped
600g tinned peeled plum tomatoes (ie 1½ 400g tins), blitzed smooth
1,5 tsp tomato paste
1,5 tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp chilli flakes
¾ tsp paprika
2 tsp fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
45g pitted kalamata olives, torn in half

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/390F/gas 4. 

Spread out the breadcrumbs on an oven tray and bake for 12 minutes, until lightly browned and dried out. 

Remove, leave to cool and turn up the oven to 240C (220C)/465F/gas 9.

On a large oven tray lined with baking paper, toss 

- the aubergines in 75ml oil, 

- half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. 

Spread out on the tray, bake for 30 minutes, tossing once halfway, until golden brown, then chop into a chunky mash and put in a large bowl. 

Mix in the 

- ricotta, 

- parmesan, 

- parsley, 

- egg+extra yolk, 

- flour, 

- breadcrumbs, 

- a third of the garlic, 

- two and a half tablespoons of basil, 

- a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper.

 

With lightly oiled hands, shape the mix into 16 golf-ball-sized dumplings, each weighing about 55g, and compress so they hold together.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large, nonstick frying pan on a medium-high flame, and fry half the dumplings for three to four minutes, turning them until golden brown all over (adjust the heat if they’re browning too much), then transfer to a plate and repeat with the rest of the dumplings.

Heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in the same pan, fry the remaining garlic for a minute, until fragrant, then stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, chilli, paprika, oregano, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for eight minutes, or until thickened slightly. 

Pour in 400ml water, bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Add the dumplings and cook for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Remove from the heat, scatter over the olives, the last of the basil and a grating of parmesan, and serve straight from the pan.

Sour lentil soup by Yotam Ottolenghi.

- How to make soups with real flavour and texture | Yotam Ottolenghi | Food | The Guardian
Adas bil hamoud (aka sour lentil soup)
Versions of this soup, in which lemon is king, are found all over the Arab world.
Mine is ever-changing, depending on what kind of stock I have in my freezer, or herbs in my fridge, so feel free to play around with the ingredients as you see fit.
I like my soup super lemony, but adjust this to your taste, too.
If using vegetable stock, consider adding a couple of teaspoons of miso paste to enrich the broth.
Prep 25 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4-6

200g brown or green lentils
110ml olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1½ tbsp cumin seeds
3 lemons – finely shave the skin off 1 into 5 wide strips, then juice all 3 to get 75ml
Salt and black pepper
3 firm, waxy potatoes, such as desiree, peeled and cut into 4cm pieces (650g-700g net weight)
400g Swiss or rainbow chard, leaves and stalks separated, then roughly sliced
1 litre vegetable stock (or chicken or beef, if you prefer)
1½ tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced on an angle

Put the lentils in a medium saucepan, cover with plenty of cold, lightly salted water and bring to a boil.
Turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are nearly cooked but still retain a bite, then drain.

While the lentils are cooking, put 80ml oil in a large, heavy-based pot for which you have a lid, and put on a medium heat.
Once hot, add the onions, garlic, cumin, lemon skin, two and a quarter teaspoons of salt and plenty of pepper.
Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and golden.
Stir in the potatoes, lentils and chard stalks, pour in the stock and 800ml water, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and leave to cook for 20 minutes, or until the potato is soft but still holds its shape.

Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and chard leaves, and leave to cook in the residual heat for two or three minutes, until wilted.
Divide between four bowls, drizzle over the remaining two tablespoons of oil, garnish with the coriander and spring onion, and serve hot.

Open kibbeh, plus pearl barley tabouleh with marinaded feta recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi.

- Open kibbeh, plus pearl barley tabouleh with marinaded feta recipes | Yotam Ottolenghi | Food and drink | Food | The Guardian

- Open Kibbeh - The Happy Foodie

Ricotta and oregano meatballs by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Serve four.

5 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1cm dice (optional)
2 large stalks celery, cut into 1cm dice (optional)
8 whole sprigs fresh oregano, plus 10g chopped oregano leaves
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
500ml chicken stock
Salt and black pepper
500g minced beef
100g freshly made breadcrumbs
250g ricotta
60g grated parmesan
1 egg
20g chopped parsley

First, make the tomato sauce.
Heat half the oil in a large sauté pan for which you have a lid.
Add half the onion, half the garlic and all of the carrots, celery and oregano sprigs.
Place on a medium-high heat and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring a few times, until the vegetables have softened without taking on any colour.
If need be, put the lid on the pan, to help prevent the onions from catching and burning.
Add the tomatoes, sugar, half the stock, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper.
Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring from time to time, to give the sauce a chance to thicken gradually.

Meanwhile, make the meatballs.
Put the remaining onion and garlic in a large bowl with the beef, fresh breadcrumbs, cheeses, egg, oregano leaves, parsley, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper.
Mix together with your hands, then shape into 12-14 balls weighing about 70g each.

Heat a tablespoon and a half of olive oil in a large frying pan and, when hot, add the meatballs.
Sear for two minutes on each side.
(Depending on the size of your pan, you may have to do this in two batches, adding the remaining tablespoon of oil before cooking the second batch.)

Remove the whole oregano sprigs from the tomato sauce, then gently press the seared meatballs into the sauce.
Pour over the remaining stock, or just enough almost to cover the meatballs; top up with a little water, if need be.
Cover the pan and cook on a very gentle simmer for 30 minutes.
If the sauce needs to thicken more after this time – you want a thick, pasta sauce-like consistency – remove the lid and increase the temperature a little so everything bubbles away.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with orzo or tagliatelle, warm or at room temperature.