FRIED EGGPLANT ANTIPASTO

Being under an intense heatwave at the moment I try to put on the oven only when it is really compulsory (to bake breads for the weekend or fruit tarts about once a week). Our meals consist generally of lots of raw vegetables (salads, gazpachos, dips, etc...), stir fried dishes, easy and quick pasta dishes, lots of legumes (white beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc...) and cereals (müeslis, farro, bulghur, etc..). Considering the fact that heat cuts my appetite all I want to eat are light dishes and for that reason, fresh and healthy food is what I crave when the temperatures are extremely high (33°-36° C/91°-97° F)...

Summer vegetables are wonderful and so versatile. They can be prepared in so many different manners (raw, steamed, stir fried, grilled & baked) and taste really good. There is a great amount of dishes that one can prepare during the sunny season. If, like me, you love the Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Asian cusines, then it is the time of the year when you can fulfill all your exotic cooking dreams as well as fantasies.

If I emphasize on buying seasonal fruits and vegetables it is because I want my food to be as free of chemicals as possible, rich in flavor and don't want to participate in polluting the earth more that it is already . It is for that reason that I am never bored with what I eat as I look forward to the change of seasons, thus to variation in my diet. Every season brings it's share of amazing products. I would not want to eat the same all year long. I enjoy the longing for renewal and novelty.

As I had some beautiful Geneva eggplants in my fridge and I wanted a cold accompaniment for my halloumi cheese, I thought that it would be a great idea to serve some kind of antipasto with it.

During my childhood our table was regularly graced with many different marinaded roasted vegetable antipasti - the word antipasto means "before the meal" and is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal - (Roasted Pumpkin & Bell Pepper Salad) and they were always very much enjoyed by my whole family. This speciality is so versatile and can be prepared in various ways. It is perfect when served as accompaniment to bread, cheese, dried meat and salad. I don't know anybody who can resist such a mouthwatering course, the ultimate symbol of summer?

The recipe I am presenting today is a big home classic which I have adapted according to my culinary influences. To the original recipe I have added sumac, red tabasco, onion powder, white balsamic vinegar and smoked paprika. This results in an antipasto which is full of flavor, well-balanced and has complex aromas. Very addictive!

~ Fried Eggplant Antipasto ~
Recipe by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

For 4 people.

Ingredients for the "Fried Eggplant Slices":
2 Medium Eggplants
Olive oil, for brushing the eggplant slices
Ingredients for the "Marinade":
The juice of 1 organic lemon
1/2 Cup Olive oil
1 1/2 Tsp White balsamic vinegar
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
1 Pinch Smoked paprika
1/3 Tsp Sumac
1 Tsp Red Tabasco
1 Tbs Finely chopped Fresh basil leaves
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method for the "Fried Eggplant Slices":
1. Slice the eggplants into rounds.
2. Sprinkle them with a little salt and leave them to rest for at least 30 minutes.
3. Rinse with fresh water and pat dry with kitchen paper.
4. Brush each piece (on both sides) with a little olive oil and heat a frying pan over medium high heat.
5. Fry the slice until golden brown on each side.
6. Transfer to a deep dish and let cool.
Method for the "Marinade":
7. Mix all ingredients together.
8. Pour the marinade over the eggplants and make sure that all sides are covered with it.
9. Put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and serve.

Remarks:
The eggplant slices should not be mushy/mashed, therefore it is important that you don't overcook them.
That antipasto can be kept (in a container) for about a week in the fridge.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with bread, dried meat and cheese or on top of a green salad.

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~ Antipasto Aux Aubergines Grillées ~
Recette par Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2010.

Pour 4 personnes.

Ingrédients pour les "Tranches d'Aubergines Grillées":
2 Aubergines moyennes
Huile d'olive, pour peindre les tranches d'aubergines
Ingrédients pour la "Marinade":
Le jus d'un citron bio
1/2 Cup Olive oil
1 1/2 CC de Vinaigre balsamique blanc
2 Gousses d'ail, écrasées
1 Pincée de Paprika fumé
1/3 CC de Sumac
1/2 CC de Poudre d'oignon
1 CC de Tabasco rouge
1 CS de feuilles de basilic, finement hachées
Sel de mer, selon goût
Poivre noir moulu, selon goût

Méthode pour les "Tranches d'Aubergines Grillées":
1. Couper les aubergines en tranches.
2. Les saupoudrer avec un peu de sel et les laisser dégorger pendant 30 minutes.
3. Les rinser à l'eau fraîche et les tamponner avec du papier de cuisine.
4. Avec un pinceau les enduire d'huile d'olive (sur les deux côtés) et faire chauffer une poêle à feu moyennement haut.
5. Frire les tranches d'aubergine jusqu'à ce que chaque côté soit joliment doré.
6. Mettre les tranches d'aubergines dans une assiette à soupe et les laisser refroidir.

Méthode pour la "Marinade":
7. Mélanger tous les ingrédients pour la marinade.
8. Verser la marinade sur les tranches d'aubergines afin qu'elles soient recouvertes de marinade de tous les côtés.
9. Les mettre au frigo pendant en tout cas 2 heures, puis servir.

Remarques:
les tranches d'aubergines ne doivent pas se défaire et être trop molles. C'est pour cette raison que les aubergines ne doivent pas être trop cuites.
Cet antipasto doit être conservé au frigo (dans une boîte hermétique) jusqu'à une semaine.

Idées de présentation:
Servir avec du pain, des charcuteries et du fromage ou décorer une salade verte avec.

ROASTED PUMPKIN & BELL PEPPER SALAD

Halloween is very close and pumpkin season is here again, so I thought that it would be a good idea to share with you the recipe for a delightful pumpkin salad that I invented on the spur of the moment, as I was asked to bring a salad on the occasion of a delectable Sardenian (Italy) dinner at Jessica & Jonathan's place (see Jessica's post here)...

I wanted a dish that would be very flavorful, vibrantly colorful, festive and Italianesque. After a long session of googling, notetaking and thinking, I finally came up with a gorgeous idea: I was going to make an antipasti-like salad that would be very versatile and could be paired easily with just any main dish and served at any occasion (picnics, parties, potlucks, Sunday meals, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc...).

Although I'm not the kind of person who likes to praise my exploits in the kitchen, I must say that this "Roasted Pumpkin & Bell Pepper Salad" was/is awesome. The flavor of the vegetables are sublimated by this dishe's delightfully garlicky, mustardy, maple-kissed, nectarous and sour dressing, and by it's nut and bacon sprinkles. With it's rich, smoky, sweetly acidulated, caramelly taste as well as it's interestingly contrasting textures (crunchy and soft), this salad will captivate your tastebuds and conquer your gourmet heart!

It feels like being on holiday in the Mediterranean...

~ Roasted Pumpkin & Bell Pepper Salad ~
Recipe by Rosa @ Rosa's Yumy Yums 2008.

Serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients for the "Salad Dressing":
6 Tbs Virgin olive oil
The juice of 1 big lemon
1 Tbs Sweet mustard (see remarks)
1 Tbs Maple syrup
1 Tsp Thai sweet chili sauce
1/2 Tsp Pimenton (or any smoked paprika)
3 Cloves garlic, crushed
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Ingredients for the "Salad":
700g Pumpkin (see remarks), peeled, seeded, and cut in 4cm (1 1/2-inch) chunks
3 Bell peppers (red and green), halved and seeded
3 Big onions, halved and sliced
A handful hazelnuts, roasted and chopped coarsely
6 Slices of bacon, fried until crispy and broken into chips

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 250°C (450° F).
2. Line a baking tray/sheet with baking paper.
3. Place the pumpkin chunks, bell peppers (face up) and sliced onions in a single layer on the baking tray.
4. Spray with some olive oil and turn to coat evenly.
5. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Roast the vegetables, turning once, for 20-30 minutes or until golden and tender (not overcooked/you might have to remove the bell pepper halves before the pumpkin chunks).
7. Remove from the oven. Wrap the bell pepper halves in aluminium foil. Set aside to cool (totally or not).
8. Meanwhile, mix together all ingredients for the dressing.
9. Peel the bell peppers and cut them into strips.
10. Cut the pumpkin into bite-sized cubes.
11. Place in a dish and drizzle evenly with the dressing.
12. Let marinade a few minutes at room temperature (if served warm) or in the fridge for a few hours or overnight (if served cold).
13. Just before serving, sprinkle with the roasted hazelnuts and bacon chips.
14. Serve.

Remarks:
If you want to use another oil (vegetable or nut), feel free to experiment (walnut, flaxseed, peanut, colza, etc...).
I used Münchner mustard (German) for this salad, but you can also use any other sweet mustard (Swedish, etc...).
Choose a variety of pumpkin which is sweet, flavorful and which doesn't disintegrate during the baking process (sugar pumpkin, butternut squash, kabocha, baby bear, etc...).

Serving suggestions:
Serve this salad warm or cold, as a starter dish or as a side dish, alone or as an accompaniment to meat, fish, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, etc...

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~ Salade De Courge Et Poivrons Rôtis Au Four~
Recette par Rosa @ Rosa's Yumy Yums 2008.

Pour 4-6 personnes.

Ingrédients pour la "Sauce A Salade":
6 CS d'Huile d'olive extra vierge
Le jus d'un gros citron
1 CS de Moutarde douce (voir remarques)
1 CS de Sirop d'érable
1 CC de Sauce au piment douce (thaï)
1/2 CC de Pimenton (ou n'importe quel autre paprika en poudre fumé)
3 Gousses d'ail, écrasées
Sel de mer, à volonté
Poivre noir fraîchement moulu, à volonté
Ingrédients pour la "Salade":
700g de Courge (voir remarques), pelée, nettoyée et coupée en morceaux de 4cm
3 Poivrons (verts et rouges), coupés en deux et nettoyés
3 Big onions, coupés (pas trop finement) en demi-lune
Une poignée de noisettes, torréifiées et hachée grossièrement
6 Tranches de bacon, grillées et croquantes, émiettées

Méthode:
1. Préchauffer le four à 250°C (450° F).
2. Couvrir une plaque de papier sulfurisé.
3. Y déposer les cubes de courge, les moitiés de poivron (peau en dessus) et l'onion - en une seule couche.
4. Sprayer avec de l'huile d'olive, de manière homogène.
5. Assaisonner avec du sel de mer et du poivre noir moulu.
6. Faire cuire au four pendant 20-30 minutes (en retournant une fois) jusqu'à ce que les légumes soit tendres (pas trop cuits/les poivrons devront être retirés un peu avant la courge) et bien dorés.
7. Sortir du four. Emballer les poivrons dans du papier aluminium. Mettre de côté et laisser refroidir (complètement ou non).
8. Pendant ce temps, mélanger tous les ingrédients pour la sauce à salade.
9. Peler les poivrons et les couper en lanières.
10. Couper la courge en bouchées.
11. Mettre les légumes dans un plat et recouvrir de manière homogène avec la sauce.
12. Laisser mariner pendant quelques minutes (si la salade est mangée tiède) et quelques heures ou toute une nuit au frigo (si la salade est mangée froide).
13. Juste avant de servir, décorer avec les noisettes et le bacon émiétté.
14. Servir.

Remarques:
Pour cette salade, vous pouvez utiliser l'huile de votre choix (noix, lin, arachide, colza, etc...). Expérimentez!
J'ai utilisé de la moutarde douce bavaroise en provenance de Munich (Allemagne), mais vous pouvez prendre n'importe quelle autre moutarde douce (Suède, etc...).
Je vous recommande de choisir une courge qui ne se désintègre pas à la cuisson, qui a du goût et qui est sucrée (courge musquée, butternut, courge baby bear, courge kabocha, etc...).

Idées de présentation:
Servez cette salade tiède ou froide, en guise d'entrée ou d'accompagnement, avec de la viande, du poisson, du fromage, des oeufs durs, etc...

MARINATED SUMMER VEGETABLES

Nothing can beat summer vegetables! Eggplants, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchinis, etc..., I love them all!

Of course, it would be pretentious to say that I only love summer vegetables, because that's not true. I believe in the respect of agricultural seasons, the natural cycles and I love what nature has to offer all year long...

Nonetheless, I have a certain craving for the above mentioned vegetables as they are particularly delicious, very delicate and multifaceted.It is a colorful time of plenty, so why should we not take advantage of it?!

A summer treat:
You'll need cooked yet crisp stir-fried (in olive oil) diced zucchinis and red bell peppers.
Once cooled, the vegetabes have to be marinated in a sauce made with olive oil, dark balsamic vinegar, crushed garlic, salt and pepper.
Set aside for a few hours so that the vegetables get well-soaked and their flavor develops.

Tips:
They can be eaten like any other antipasto (see infos) or mixed to the pasta of your choice in order to make a salad...
You can also add some baby artichokes, cubed eggplants and a sliced onion to the stir-fried vegetables.
The salad can also be enrichened with chopped fresh rosemary, baby arugula, crumbled feta or goat's cheese as well as shaved parmesan or provolone.