May 01 2014.
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It’s an intimate thing, cooking for someone; you’re practically serving yourself up on a silver platter, fingers and toes crossed in eager anticipation.
Dear Diary, I realized recently that starters and sides have a quiet dignity and power that can mean all the difference between ‘can-sorta-cook’ to ‘belongs-in-masterchef’. I mean, a starter is the First Impression you give your diners— of your food and of yourself. Why not make it a lasting one? Paying a little more attention to your starters and sides can heighten your food experience from excellent to sublime.
It was my mom’s birthday last Sunday and I wanted to do something simple-special. I focused on making a killer starter and a few flavorful sides to accompany a rather uncomplicated main. The menu was something like this:
Starter:
Baba ganoush with grill marked bread
Sides:
Prawns with Romesco sauce*
Tzatziki*
Mains:
Basmati Rice with Cardamom
Char-grilled Chicken*
Chickpea Curry with Cilantro
Dessert:
Fruit compote*
Brownies with Chocolate Ice-cream
*Will be in my upcoming Foodie’s Diary entry
So let’s break it down now; Baba ganoush has Middle Eastern roots and is made from eggplants, olive oil, and a variety of seasonings. Its ridiculously easy to make and its smooth-salty texture makes it the ideal spread or dip for Veggies, Arabic bread, Naan and even those little rice crackers. There are a literally a million recipes out there. Some like to oven roast their eggplants (30 mins at 400o) some like to roast it whole on a charcoal grill; yours truly, likes this particular method.
Equipment
Food processor/Blender
Large saucepan
Wooden spoon
Kitchen towels and newspaper
Ingredients (Generously Serves 10)
Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of Roasted Cumin powder/seeds
600gms of Eggplant -cubed
3-4 cloves of garlic -minced
Handful of Cilantro/Coriandor leaves -chopped
Balsamic Vinegar/Lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste
Tahini Paste (optional)
Method
1. Cut the eggplant.
Top and tail your eggplant and roughly cube into regular sized pieces to ensure even cooking time. Sprinkle generously with salt and set aside for 10 minutes. You can peel the eggplant for a very smooth finish but I find that the purple skin gives it added colour and texture.
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2. Mince your garlic and chop your coriander - set aside.
3. Rinse the eggplant and squeeze out excess water.
We want to remove as much water as possible to increase shelf-life as well as get rid of any bitterness - the eggplant seeds are to blame.
4. Heat oil and cook eggplant.
Heat 2-4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the recently squeezed eggplant and stir, make sure each cube is coated in olive oil.
5. Add the roasted cumin and garlic and stir to combine.
You can always add cumin (powder or seeds) to the hot oil, but my cumin powder was already roasted— so I added a pinch after the eggplants were sautéed.
6. Cover with a lid.
Reduce the flame. This should only take 10 to 15 mins. When the eggplant is soft and lightly browned take it off the heat. Set aside and allow it to cool to room temperature.
7. Add the eggplant to the food processor/blender.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar/lemon juice into the work bowl. Add as much olive oil as you need to achieve desired consistency—it should be firm and not runny. Finish off by adding salt to taste and the chopped cilantro.
8. Make grill marked bread.
Trim your favorite type of bread (I like to use both wholemeal and white), and butter generously on both sides before putting it in a sandwich griddle.
9. Serve with cilantro.
By Hasulie Dias Abeyesinghe
0 Comments
Kumudini says:
May 03, 2014 at 12:00 amHaving tasted the dish, i can honestly say that it was absolutely delicious. I am looking forward to see more and more receipes in your coloum.