Richard Olney’s aubergine, tomato and ricotta gratin.

- Rachel Roddy’s recipe for aubergine, tomato and ricotta bake | A kitchen in Rome | Food | The Guardian
Serves 4
800g aubergine (ideally, the small elongated variety)
Olive oil, for frying
1 medium onion, diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
500g ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt and black pepper
Sugar (optional)
250g ricotta
1 large egg, beaten
150ml double cream or mascarpone
60g parmesan, grated, plus more for topping
A splash of milk (optional)
A small handful of basil leaves

- Cut the aubergine into 3mm thick slices lengthways, or if you are using large aubergines, across.
If you wish, salt the slices.
Pour oil into a frying pan until it reaches 25mm up the sides, then set over a medium heat.
Once hot, fry the slices in batches until golden on both sides, then lift from the pan and blot on plenty of kitchen towel.
You may need more oil; don’t let it get too hot.

- Dispose of the oil, wipe the pan, return it to the heat and add 3 tbsp of fresh oil.
Fry the onion until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic, tomatoes and a pinch of salt, then cook until most of the water has evaporated away and the tomatoes are thick and saucy – which usually takes about 15 minutes.

- Mash the ricotta.
Add the egg, cream, a pinch of salt and half the parmesan.
Beat into a thick cream – it should pour slowly, so if it is too thick, add a little milk.
Taste and add salt, as needed.

- Set the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.
Line the bottom of a small, deep gratin or baking dish with the aubergine slices, season with pepper, rip over some tiny pieces of basil, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and then spoon over half the tomato sauce.
Repeat: another aubergine layer, more basil, more parmesan and the rest of the sauce.
Finish with a layer of aubergine slices, then spoon over the cream and dust with parmesan.
Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 190C/375F/gas 5 for another 15 minutes, or until the surface is set and a rich golden brown.
Rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Roast sausages with fennel & red wine gravy from Mimi Thorisson.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
12 good quality pork sausages (or any good quality meat sausages of your choice)
1 large fennel bulb, coarsely sliced
1 large onion, coarsely sliced
240 ml/ 1 cup red wine
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp mustard
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Coarse salt & black pepper, for seasoning

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F
In a small bowl, mix olive oil and mustard.
Place sausages in a baking dish, drizzle olive oil and mustard – mix well.
Let the sausages cook in the oven for 20 minutes, add fennel, onions, thyme, salt and pepper (salt very lightly as the sausages and mustard are already salty).
Cook for a further 25 minutes, stirring the pan halfway.
Add the red wine and butter, and cook for a further 10-12 minutes, until the wine has reduced and the sauce has become slightly thicker.
Serve with mashed potatoes.

Spinach & gorgonzola balls from Mimi Thorisson

(for 8 balls)

750 g/ 1 & 2/3 pounds frozen spinach (about 1 pack)
2 small slices of stale bread
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon plain flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 teaspoons gorgonzola cheese
Parmesan cheese, grated/to serve
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the butter sage sauce
A large handful of sage leaves
80 g unsalted butter
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Steam the spinach until soft and drain.
Squeeze out the excess water (very important otherwise the balls will be watery), and chop as finely as possible.
Place 2 small slices of stale bread in the food processor and pulse until you get fine breadcrumbs.
In a large bowl (or you can mix everything in the food processor, just pulse lightly) combine spinach, breadcrumbs, milk, nutmeg, flour, salt & pepper and mix until well blended.
Roll out approximately 8 walnut-sized balls. While shaping the balls, insert a small teaspoon of gorgonzola inside and reshape.

Heat a large saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil.
Cook the spinach balls for 8 minutes and drain.

While the spinach balls are cooking, prepare the sage butter sauce.

In a large pan, melt the butter on a medium heat.
When the butter starts to sizzle, wat until it turns light golden brown, then lower the heat and add the sage leaves.
Season with salt & pepper, and shake the pan for about 30 seconds.

Drizzle the sage butter sauce on top of the spinach ball. Grate parmesan on top before serving.

Plantia’s Tarte Tatin by Mimi Thorisson.

- Plantia’s Tarte Tatin by Mimi Thorisson Recipe | AGFG
Sweet Tart Dough:
1 1/2 cups / 180 g plain (allpurpose) flour, sifted, plus more for rolling
1/3 cup / 65 g caster (superfine) sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 large egg yolk
7 Tbs / 100 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for the pan

Apples:
1/2 cup / 100 g caster (superfine) sugar
1 vanilla pod (bean), split lengthways, seeds scraped and reserved
6 1/2 Tbs / 90 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 pounds / 900 g apples, peeled, cored and quartered
Crème fraîche, for serving

Method
Sweet Tart Dough:
Make the dough.
Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
Add the sugar, salt and egg yolk and mix slowly with your hands.
Add the butter and mix well until you have a smooth and homogenous dough.
Form it into a ball, cover with cling film (plastic wrap), and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.
Butter a 9-inch/23-cm ovenproof frying pan (skillet).

Start the apples.
Mix the sugar with the vanilla seeds.
Sprinkle the vanilla sugar over the bottom of the frying pan, scatter the butter over the sugar, and then tightly pack the apples in the pan in a circular fashion with one flat side down.

Put the pan on the stove over a medium-high heat and cook until the liquid starts to bubble, about 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat and continue to cook until the juices turn a golden caramel colour, about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch/3mm thickness.
Using a sharp knife, cut a round of dough just slightly larger than the top of the frying pan.
Drape the dough over the apples to cover and carefully use your fingers to tuck the dough between the pan and the apples on all sides.

Transfer to the oven and bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 40 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes.
Wearing oven mitts or using tea towels (kitchen towels), carefully (the caramel is hot) remove from the pan by placing a large serving plate on top and inverting the cake onto the plate.

Serve with crème fraîche.

Blueberry and Apple Jam.

- Blueberry and Apple Jam - easy and delicious recipe

German Apple Pancake.

- German Apple Pancake Recipe | Serious Eats
- Preheating the oven to a high temperature allows the pancake batter to puff.
- Precooking the apples adds caramelized flavor.
- Letting the pancake cool slightly in the pan before inverting onto a serving plate allows it to set.
- Once the pan is removed from the oven, it's normal for the pancake to deflate.

Ingredients
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup yogurt
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 to 5 medium tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1 cm wedges
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
- Adjust rack to upper middle position and preheat oven to 260C.
Whisk flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt in medium bowl to combine.
Whisk in milk, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until just combined; set batter aside.

- Stir remaining 4 tablespoons sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl.
Heat butter in 25 cm non-stick oven-safe skillet over medium heat until melted.
Increase heat to medium high and add apples and cinnamon-sugar to pan.
Cook, stirring frequently, until apples have softened and are beginning to caramelize, 6 to 8 minutes.

- Remove from heat, pour batter over apples and immediately place pan in oven.
Reduce heat to 220C and bake until pancake is puffed, just set in center, and golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.

- Cool pan on wire rack for about 15 minutes, then carefully invert pancake onto serving plate.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

- Don't Throw Out Your Sourdough Starter - Dutch Baby Pancakes | Gold Country Cowgirl
Peach Sourdough Dutch Baby Pancakes
modifying the recipe according to...
Recipe per egg:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 egg
1/3 cup sourdough starter
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. cream, 1/2 & 1/2 or milk (optional)

Pan sizes (allow 2 eggs per serving)
1 egg – 10 cm pan
2 eggs – 15 cm pan
4-6 eggs – 25 cm pan
6-8 eggs – 30 cm pan
10-12 eggs – 40 cm pan

If You use two glass pie plates:
I usually make a recipe with 3-4 eggs.
I place each pie plate in the oven without butter while the oven is preheating, and once heated, I pull them out and add 2Tbsp of butter to each plate, making sure to coat the bottom and some of the sides.
I then pour the batter into each plate evenly in the middle of the butter.
This has made my pancakes foolproof!
Hope that helps…

Giardiniera (Italian Pickled Veggies).

- Giardiniera (Italian Pickled Veggies) Recipe | Cookooree
1 small head cauliflower
1 carrot
1 celery rib
12 pearl onions
12 olives
2 red bell pepper
2 yellow bell pepper
1 small head serrano or jalapena chile
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup EVOO
water to cover the vegetables
1/4 cup sea salt to stir into the water for the brine

Remove the seeds and ribs from the red, yellow and serrano peppers. Cut into 2 inch strips and then 1/2 inch slices.
Cut the celery and carrot in quarters and cut in 1/2 inch slices.
Cut the pearl onion in half.
Cut the cauliflower in quarters and cut out the core and large stem. Break the florets into pieces about the same size of the other vegetables.
Place the green, red and serrano peppers, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower in a bowl. Stir the salt into the water and pour into the bowl to cover the vegetables completely.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day drain salty water and rinse vegetables well.
Cut the olives in half.
Mix the garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper and olives in a bowl. Pour in vinegar and EVOO and mix well. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and mix well.
Spoon the giardiniera into a liter or quart jar and seal tightly.
Refrigerate for 2 days before eating.
Gardiniera will keep in the refrigerator of at least 2 weeks.

- Giardiniera – the Chicago Way | from the Bartolini kitchens
Chicago Giardiniera Recipe
Ingredients

8 jalapeños, chopped (for more heat, serranos may be substituted)
1/2 large cauliflower, cut into florets
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 sweet banana peppers, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp celery seeds
black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil

Directions
Combine vegetables and salt.
Add enough water to cover, stir, cover, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
Strain vegetables from brine, rinse well, and set aside.
In a large glass bowl, add garlic and remaining seasonings.
To that bowl, add the vinegars and stir until well-mixed.
Whisk the solution while adding the oils.
Add the reserved, brined vegetables into the bowl and gently mix until well-coated.
At this point, the giardiniera may be left, covered, in the bowl or transferred to clean jars.
Either way, it must be refrigerated for 48 hours before serving.
Because this giardiniera isn’t canned, it must be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for a few weeks.

Fermented! Italian la giardiniera.

- The Probiotic Jar - The Probiotic Jar

- Melanzane a scapece (Marinated Eggplant) | Memorie di Angelina

- Homemade Giardiniera | Memorie di Angelina
Giardiniera is an Italian relish of pickled vegetables in vinegar or oil.
The Italian version includes bell peppers, celery, carrots, cauliflower and gherkins.


- Rachel Roddy’s recipe for pickled garden vegetables | Food | The Guardian
Italian la giardiniera, which simply means a preserved mix of seasonal garden vegetables.
This March batch included carrot, turnip, red cabbage, beetroot (leaving no doubt about colour – soft pink or absolute purple depending on proportions) fennel and red onion.
This method makes a pleasing, entry-level pickle, with both crunch and jolt, its flavour sour and assertive enough to fill your mouth in a single bite but just sweet enough not to be abrasive.
The pickle equivalent of easy-listening maybe (serious fermenters and pickle aficionados may like to stop reading now).

As a guide, 1kg of vegetables, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces, needs 750ml pickling liquid made by mixing 550ml white wine vinegar with 200ml water in a pan, then adding a heaped tablespoon each of fine salt and sugar, and whatever you fancy of the following: a crushed red chilli, peeled or crushed garlic, bay, dill, peppercorns, juniper berries or coriander seeds.
Then heat it slowly.
Once at boiling point, add all the vegetables, stir, cover the pan and leave on the heat for one minute.

And that is pretty much it.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of each of two large, sterilised jars (wash them in boiling water and dry in a low oven).
Now use a slotted spoon to lift the vegetables into the jars, cover with pickling liquid, share out the spices and screw on the lids.
If you can, wait a week, although they’re good to eat the next day.
I keep my pickles in the fridge for up to two months.
They taste better when cold anyway: brighter somehow, the sweet and sour and taste even more pronounced – especially next to a cheese sandwich, a slice of savoury pie or boiled meat, or simply savoured straight from the jar against a kitchen counter.

- Melanzane a scapece (Marinated Eggplant) | Memorie di Angelina

Rachel Roddy’s Ciambotta Calabrese (Calabrian-style tomato, potato and aubergine stew).

- Rachel Roddy’s recipe for tomato, potato and aubergine stew | Food | The Guardian

Serves 4

600g ripe tomatoes
1 large onion
1 large potato
2 red peppers
2 medium aubergines
Olive oil
Salt

Peel the tomatoes by plunging them into boiling water for two minutes, then under cold water, at which point the skins should slip away. Chop the tomatoes roughly (scooping out the seeds, if you wish). Peel and slice the onion into half moons and chop the peeled potato, red pepper and aubergines into chunks the size of a nutmeg.

In a large, wide frying pan or casserole, fry the onion in plenty of olive oil and a pinch of salt over a low-medium heat, until soft and translucent. Add the potato, stir and add a small glass of warm water so the potatoes bubble. After five minutes, add the tomato and allow to simmer gently for 30–40 minutes or until soft, rich and saucy (add a little water if it starts to look dry).

Now you have two options: you can simply add the aubergine and peppers to the pan about 10 minutes after the potatoes and cook everything together. Alternatively, in a separate pan in a couple of inches of olive oil, fry the chunks of aubergine and pepper in batches until soft and golden, draining on kitchen towel and then stir into the tomato in the last few minutes of cooking. Either way, once cooked, taste and add salt as necessary. Serve at room temperature.

Blueberry Tart Recipe by Chocolate & Zucchini.

- Blueberry Tart Recipe | Chocolate & Zucchini:

'via Blog this'

Gooseberry and almond cake - By Diana Henry.

- Gooseberry and almond cake - Telegraph

Sweet-tart and moist.
There’s sugar in this, of course, making it an occasional treat.
But it’s made partly with wholemeal spelt flour, which is both better for you than white flour and also brings a nutty tone.
You can replace it with wholemeal wheat flour, if you prefer.

Serves 8




125g unsalted butter, plus more for the tin
125g soft light brown sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
50g wholemeal spelt flour, sifted
25g plain flour, sifted
75g ground almonds (preferably freshly ground)
3-4 tsp baking powder
350g dessert gooseberries (red or green), topped and tailed
4 tbsp golden caster sugar
30g flaked almonds icing sugar, to dust

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.
Butter a 20cm (8in) springform cake tin.

Beat the butter and soft light brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
If the mixture starts to curdle, add 1 tbsp of the spelt flour.
Fold in the rest of the flours, the almonds and baking powder using a large metal spoon, then scrape into the prepared tin.

Toss the gooseberries with the golden caster sugar and spread them over the top of the cake.
Bake for 40 minutes.
Sprinkle on the flaked almonds and return to the oven for 10 minutes.
The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully remove the ring and base of the tin.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.


a cherry version…
This is just as good made with cherries.
Just pit 500g of them and throw them on to the cake just before it goes into the oven.
They’ll be soft in the time that it takes the cake batter to cook.
This makes a lovely squidgy cake.

- Tip:
Cake needs to be cooked for much longer – in my experience a fruit-heavy cake like this needs at least 45 – 50 mins in the oven, I had to keep returning to the oven and actually went on to 50 mins.
For lack of gooseberries I baked my blueberry pie!
Nice batter and tasty cake in the end though!

Sweet potato pie babka.

- sweet potato pie babka — Nik Sharma

Zuppa di orzo (Italian Barley Soup).

- Zuppa di orzo (Italian Barley Soup) | Memorie di Angelina

Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese.

- Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese - TODAY.com
Minced mushrooms are the perfect replacement for ground beef because they have the same texture and mouth-feel.
They'll take on the flavor of the sauce and are a great way to lighten-up this heavier dish. Even people who don’t like mushrooms love this dish!

Technique tip: Mincing the mushrooms in a food processor will chop them up quicker.

Swap option: Try using pre-cooked beluga lentils to the give the dish a hit of protein and a satisfactory bite.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, brushed clean
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound spaghetti
Big BOSH! tomato sauce
A handful of fresh basil leaves, to serve
Salt and pepper

Preparation
1. Put the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until very finely minced.
2. Pour the oil into the frying pan. Add the mushrooms and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly, until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are well browned.
4. While the mushrooms are cooking, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat and season with a big pinch of salt.
5. Add pasta to the saucepan and cook until al dente, following package instructions. Spoon ½ cup of pasta water into a cup and set aside. Drain the pasta.
6. Heat up your “make-ahead” tomato sauce in the frying pan with the minced mushrooms by turning up the heat and pouring in the reserved pasta water. Stir mixture and let the sauce simmer for an additional 3-5 minutes.
7. When the sauce is done, serve with the pasta and top each serving with freshly-chopped basil.

From the book: BOSH!: Simple Recipes. Amazing Food. All Plants. The Fastest-Selling Vegan Cookbook Ever.

Zucchini and Onion Quiche.

- Zucchini and Onion Quiche | Karen's Kitchen Stories

13 Homemade Vegan Salad Dressing.

- 13 Homemade Vegan Salad Dressing Recipes - Give Recipe

Tumbet recipe By The Hairy Bikers.

- Tumbet recipe - BBC Food
...is a traditional vegetable dish from Majorca.
Mediterranean Ratatouille!
Tombet combines layers of sliced potatoes, aubergines and red bell peppers previously fried in olive oil.
...add zucchini to the mixture...top with potatoes fried with garlic!

Bramble Jelly.

- Bramble Jelly | Recipe | Cuisine Fiend

Sorrel soup.

- Sorrel soup recipe - Telegraph
A traditonal sorrel soup recipe, with potatoes and cream.
Serves 6
4 tbsp butter
Olive oil
10 spring onions, chopped
½ bunch parsley, stalks and leaves finely chopped
500g floury potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
1 litre chicken stock
250g sorrel leaves, washed
2 egg yolks, beaten
200ml sour cream, plus extra to serve
Chives and fennel tops, to garnish

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and add a splash of oil.
Fry the onions and parsley with a pinch of salt until they are soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the potatoes.

Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely tender.
Roughly chop the sorrel leaves and add to the pan, then take off the heat.

Transfer to a food processor (or use a hand blender) and blend until smooth.
Season to taste.

Beat the egg yolks and sour cream together in a bowl, then stir in two tablespoons of hot soup – you are doing this to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
Very slowly whisk the egg and cream mix into the soup.
Serve warm or chilled with a few snipped chives and fennel herbs.

Paul Hollywood's Sicilian lemon and orange sweet bread.

- Paul Hollywood's Sicilian lemon and orange sweet bread recipe
This citrus-infused sweet bread, topped with toasted almonds, is based on the flavours of the Italian Colomba di Pasqua (an Easter celebration bread).






improved version!