Aubergine with Tahini Sauce

The tahini sauce is very versatile and goes incredibly well with so many things. Pork or chicken kebabs, roasted vegetables or best - some spiced roast chicken. I’ve paired it here with aubergine because I had a lovely plump one sitting around.

I tried to write something funny about aubergines, but my head didn’t work today, so I put ‘aubergine jokes’ into google and found this…

‘An aubergine walks into a bar and buys a pint of lager. The barman says to him ‘we don’t get many aubergines in here’ and the aubergine goes ‘at 4 pound a pint, i’m not surprised.’

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! rofl.

Thanks internet!

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First we do the aubergine, for which you’ll need…

1 medium sized aubergine

pierce it a few times and put it in an oven at 200 for 40 minutes. right. done that…

The tahini sauce…

4 tbsp tahini paste

juice of half a lemon

touch of olive oil

a handful of chopped fresh parsley

salt

a few tbsp of water to loosen it up

Combine everything bar the water, stir, then add the water slowly until you get the right consistency. I like it about the thickness of cream. Cover and set aside.

To finish, pull the aubergine out of the oven and split it down the middle. Throw some feta in there if you want. I did. Top with the sauce and then some fresh coriander.

Oh, hang on. I just thought of a joke…

‘Knock knock’

‘Who is there please?’

‘Aubergine’

‘What?’

‘I’m an aubergine’

‘Why have you got a voice?’

‘…aubergine’

‘Fuck off!’

Thanks brain!

Bbq Season : Lamb Kebabs.

It’s bbq season, or at least it was last weekend when i made this. Over the next few weeks i’ll try and cover as much as i can before the tiny window of opportunity closes once more. I like bbq a lot because i like to get drunk and cook, and it never seems quite as appropriate when i’m alone in a kitchen at three o’clock on a wednesday afternoon.

This is a pretty good recipe to pull out if you’re getting tired of the 3 for 2 deals, the 20 burgers for a high five deals, or the quails legs dipped in food colouring offers in your local supermarket. It requires a modicum of effort and is guaranteed to make people rethink bringing a bag of dog cocks from Iceland to your table. Here’s what you need…

a good helping of minced lamb, lets say 500g.

1 tbsp each of cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and ras-al-hanout.

salt and pepper

olive oil

coriander stalks

Just like the previous lamb recipe, you need to toast your seeds for the spice mix, so get to it. Once cooled, add them to a mortar with the ras-al-hanout and salt and pepper and give it a pounding. Add this spice mix to the meat and mix well, add your chopped coriander stalks and form into sausage shapes. To finish your prep, coat them with a little olive oil once they’re formed so they don’t stick together between the time you make them and the time they go on the grill.

I serve these in turkish flatbread or pitta with tzatziki. the recipe for which is as follows…

a cucumber

few tablespoons worth of yoghurt

a twist of lemon juice

tablespoon of good e.v olive oil

chopped coriander and mint

salt and pepper

Split the cucumber in half horizontally and then take one piece, take a peeler to the skin and split it vertically. Spoon out the seeds and mince with a knife or grate it. Put it in a sieve over a bowl and throw some salt over it to extract the water. Let it sit for 20 minutes or so, then wash the salt off and squeeze out as much of the juice as possible.

Combine this processed cucumber with the rest of the ingredients and season to taste.

Now go and get drunk.

picture coutesy of http://findmatthewcoleman.tumblr.com/

Braising Recipe Number 2 : Lamb Shoulder.

This is a nice little recipe that reminds my stomach that i am its closest confidant, dearest friend and most despicable lover. It’s quite a nice way to prepare lamb, and it’s easy as shit to pull off. I’ve paired it here with a little yoghurt carrot salad that a friend of mine wants the recipe for. When he isn’t getting blazed and hitting bongs, he’s constantly pestering me for it. I’ll come to that later. First the lamb; for which you’ll need…

half a lamb shoulder
harissa paste, a couple of tbsp
coriander seed
cumin seed
fennel seed
ras al hanout
salt
pepper
oilive oil

First you need to roast the spices, so take a spoon of the fennel, coriander and cumin seeds and put them in a dry pan. Dry fry until they start to toast slightly, smell a lot and pop a little. Take them out and throw them in a pestle and mortar or a grinder or something heavy and grind that all up. Add the ras al hanout, salt and pepper and give it a mix.

Throw the lamb in a roasting dish apply plenty of olive oil and rub in the spices and the harrisa. Drop some unpeeled garlic around it, a few shallots if you want them and then cover with foil and put in the oven you should have preheated to 140C before you started the prep.

Leave this in the oven for a few hours. Let’s say three or a little more. Four tops. You can do five if you want, but i probably wouldn’t. Turn up the oven for the last 20 minutes or so if you want it to crisp a little, but please keep an eye on it.

In the meantime you might want to make the carrot yoghurt salad. You should. It’s nice. You’ll need...

grated carrot

yoghurt

lemon juice

olive oil

salt, pepper

Fry the carrot in good olive oil until softened and a little lighter in colour. I added a little of the roasted garlic from the lamb at this point. It’s optional. Allow to cool. Put in a bowl with some yoghurt, more olive oil and a touch of lemon if you need it, then season.

After such trials you’ll have a big chunk of sweet, moist meat and a pan full of fat. Set the meat aside and drain as much fat away as you can. There should be a rich pool of meat juices you can salvage underneath. Either make it into a gravy or spoon a little as is over the meat. I served as is, the meat, the salad and some pitta, but i wouldn’t be adverse to a good pilaf or some well made couscous to accompany. You could have it with chips…i don’t really care.