Raymond Blanc’s Burnt aubergine salad

I watched Raymond Blanc (famous "English" chef) make this the other day on telly and thought I'd serve it to my friends last night... they went mad. They loved it...

 So easy!

Raymond Blanc’s Burnt aubergine salad

·       Nick in either end of aubergine to allow steam to escape

·       Place on pre-heated griddle over flame (must be searing hot)

·       Char on all sides

·       flesh must be translucent, press down and cool

·       slice through, scrape flesh whilst still warm from sides and roll it towards centre, then lift flesh into a bowl

·       add olive oil, a bit of lemon juice (¹/₈ wedge); season a little with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar; at this point you can serve it on toast or, to make a salad:

·       add chopped dates, (pre-cooked) chick peas, fresh mint and coriander, chopped chilli, very little garlic;

·       plate up and decorate with a little feta cheese and flaked almonds

·       a drizzle of olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar around it and a sprinkle of chilli and crispy croutons (very thin rounds of French bread toasted)

I omitted the extra chilli on top as the tiny bit of chilli I used in the salad was very hot indeed! Also, the dates I had in the house weren't very moist so I used chopped apricots instead. Perfectly acceptable alternative. Oh yes, I also didn't have any feta but I did have some Wensleydale in house which was getting quite old so had just the right sourness for using as a substitute for feta.

Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

Adapted from Epicurious to what I had available today. Ella ate half of mine and then a plate of her own. She said, "It's the best food you've ever made!" I made it without the banana peppers but will be adding them when I have it for lunch tomorrow.

1 1/2 cups red quinoa
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed if canned (1 can)
1 1/2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked corn (cut from about 2 large ears)
3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (1 medium)
2 pickled banana peppers, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
finely chopped fresh coriander (ie cilantro which I hate so I used a little fresh basil and fresh parsley instead)


Dressing:
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste
1-2 tsp fresh ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp avocado honey
1/3 cup olive oil

Put quinoa with 3 cups water in saucepan. Bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer 15 mins until all water is absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, in a small bowl toss beans with vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, make dressing: whisk together lime juice, salt, honey, coriander seeds and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking.

Add beans, corn, bell pepper and herbs and toss well. Add quinoa and toss some more. Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

The result:


Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quinoa-and-Black-Bean-Salad-12245#ixzz0wAJMpbFf

Raspberry Goat's Cheese Salad

We had this recipe at the home of our friend Charissa and loved it:

"It's the easiest recipe . . .
Mixed salad but make sure it has rocket (rogula)
Roasted pecans
Goat's cheese
Pomegranates
Raspberries (optional)
Raspberry vinegarette"

It may be easy but most delicious for an elegant dinner!

Pasta Niçoise

Using fresh lemon juice rather than the stuff in a bottle from concentrate really makes a difference. I will probably add capers next time, too. Made this for dinner on Tuesday.

1 lb (450 g) penne, curly macaroni or other tubular pasta
8 oz (225 g) green beans (haricots verts), trimmed and
cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces
1 cups (250 ml) halved cherry tomatoes
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, peeled if desired, thinly sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml) brine-cured olives, preferably pitted
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped flat-leaf parsley
6 Tbs (90 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs (45 ml) lemon juice
1-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 6 1/2-oz (185 g) can tuna, drained
2 hard-cooked eggs, quartered

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes. Add the green beans and continue cooking until the pasta is tender but still firm ("al dente") and the green beans are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold running water. Combine the pasta and green beans in a large bowl along with the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, olives, and parsley, tossing to combine. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and pour over the pasta mixture, tossing to combine. Garnish the top of the salad with the tuna and eggs and serve at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6.

Ramen Coleslaw

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodles, crushed, seasoning packet reserved (whatever flavor you like - Nissin Top Ramen brand Oriental flavor is vegetarian)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/4 cup sliced/slivered almonds
1/2 medium head cabbage, shredded (or buy the bagged shredded cabbage/carrot mix)
5 green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar,
sugar, ramen noodle spice mix, salt and pepper to
create a dressing.

Place sesame seeds and almonds in a single layer on
a medium baking sheet and the ramen on another
baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven 10 minutes,
or until lightly brown.

In a large salad bowl, combine the cabbage, green
onions and crushed ramen noodles. Pour dressing over
the cabbage, and toss to coat evenly. Top with
toasted sesame seeds and almonds.

Original recipe yield: 4 servings