Mediterranean thoughts on a cold day
I’m still in England, but my mind is in the Med. Plus a vegetarian recipe for stuffed aubergines.
It’s been a busy few days and I’m in England until tomorrow, but I thought I’d drop in and say hello and share with you this aubergine recipe which reminds me so much of the Mediterranean.
Having said that, it’s sunny today in County Durham and, meanwhile in the South of France, our dog sitter is borrowing my sweaters and scarves because it’s so cold. The brocante I was planning to go to before we had to come home for my mother-in-law’s funeral was cancelled because it was too windy and wet. Last night – according to our neighbourhood Facebook group and later, the regional paper, Midi Libre – there were the rumblings of some kind of seismic event which occurred near Perpignan and could be felt and heard as far as Marseillan, 120km away.  This is what happens when I’m not watching the shop.
To give you a sunny taste of France in Spring, I’m also sharing with you some photographs from the Sunday market at Mèze, just along the étang from us, which I took a couple of weeks ago.
Back to France tomorrow, on a ridiculously early flight which will reward me by, hopefully, getting me back to the village early enough to enjoy May Day and to get my hands on a few pots of muguet (lily of the valley), the traditional way to mark the day.
Sunnier days ahead I hope, for all of us.
Sunshine aubergines with tomatoes and feta
This makes a versatile vegetarian main course. I often use bags of precooked grains for this. In England, I use Merchant Gourmet, in France often this Léa Nature brand. For this recipe, I used the wheat, wholegrain rice, quinoa and green lentil combination, but you can use whatever you like. If you have some cooked rice to use up, or a few lentils, or some chickpeas, you can certainly throw together your own mixture. Using lots of herbs gives these aubergines great vitality. I like the combination of parsley, coriander, dill and mint, but if you hate dill – and I know some people do – just use basil instead.
Serves 4
2 large aubergines
3 tbsp olive oil, plus a little more for brushing the aubergines
1 large onion, about 300g, diced
1 bay leaf
4 garlic, halved, any green germ removed and minced
2 tbsp tomato purée
1x400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 x 250g bag of mixed grains or cooked rice or pulses
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, about 400g
1 x 200g feta cheese, chopped into 1.5cm cubes
40g pine nuts, lightly toasted until golden in a dry frying pan
20g parsley, leaves and fine stalks only, roughly chopped
3 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves
3 tbsp roughly chopped fresh dill leaves
1 tbsp roughly chopped mint leaves
A good pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To finish
A few more chopped herbs
Heat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
Halve the aubergines lengthways. With a small, sharp knife, cut a border around the edge of the aubergine halves, about 1cm in, and then make cross hatching cuts into the flesh (see photograph). Brush the tops with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Place them in a roasting tin – or you can do this in the gratin dish you’re going to finish the aubergines in if you want to save on the washing up – cut-side up, and roast them for 25-30 minutes until the flesh is tender.
While the aubergines are roasting, prepare the rest.
Warm the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, bay leaf and a good pinch of salt. Sauté gently, stirring from time to time, until the onions are very soft and translucent, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute. Remove half of the sautéed onion and garlic to a bowl.
Remove the aubergines from the oven and carefully scrape out the cross-hatched, cooked aubergine flesh being careful not to break the skin and leaving a small layer of flesh around the base and sides. Brush the insides with olive oil and return them to the oven to bake for a further 10-15 minutes, until the interior is lightly golden.
Put the pieces of flesh from the hollowed out aubergine into the pan with the onions and sauté until very tender and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato purée and stir for a minute, then add the tinned tomatoes and half of the cherry tomatoes, season well with salt and pepper, and simmer gently over a low heat for 15 minutes.
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the filling for the aubergines. Empty the grains and pulses into the bowl with the onion and garlic, add the feta and pine nuts along with the herbs, chilli flakes and the remaining tomatoes and give everything a thorough stir. Taste and add salt and pepper.
Pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of an ovenproof gratin dish and place the aubergine halves on top. Fill them generously with the grain mixture and bake for 35-40 minutes, until they are lightly golden and the filling is very hot. Scatter over some more herbs and then serve immediately, with a green salad.
Now, look here, you know perfectly well we all wanted a squizz at the underwhelming Spar offerings from a drizzly part of County Durham and never mind mentions of your freakish sunshine (what even is that?) let alone plump spring vegetables in foreign climes!
Sunnier days to you and S x