DRIED GREEN BEAN SALAD & A BOOK REVIEW: "TIBITS AT HOME" - SALADE DE HARICOTS SÉCHÉS & UNE CHRONIQUE DU LIVRE DE CUISINE "TIBITS AT HOME"

Stomach: A slave that must accept everything tht is given to it, but which avenges wrongs as slyly as does the slave.
- Emile Souvester

When diet is wrong medicine is of no use.
When diet is correct medicine is of no need.
- Ayurvedic Proverb

He that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skill of the physician.
- Chinese Proverb

We only have one life, so we should live it right (or the best we can, at least) and not waste it. Hence it is our responsibility to handle our body with respect and care for our well-being if we want to be happy, grow old and not die prematuraly because of our careless and harmful lifestyle. As a matter of fact, one cannot pretend to look after his/her health or spiritual self if he/she treats his/her organism comparably to a dustbin.

The mortal carcass we occupy is our temple. It is precious and needs to be maintained correctly or else our anima will wither. Once you know that, you realize how wrong it is to separate matter from spirit as a sound soul cannot inhabit an insalubrious ruin or house infested with parasites and rot.

There is no doubt that we are what we eat* and this is why it is crucial to nourish ourselves as heartily as possible. After decades of bad dieting on covenient meal products, fatty, sugary and chemical junk, the Western world is at last/suddenly waking up, becoming more conscious of its hazardous food habits and aware of how wrong it was to have chosen the comfortable path of faineancy, irresponsability and autodestruction rather than that of harmony, reasonability and amour-propre.

But,  being a mindful consumer is not a novelty. As a matter of fact, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese medicine (two of the most ancient established medical practices which are still in use today) have been emphasizing on the importance of keeping a balanced nutrition plan for centuries. Both believe aliments are not just a source of enjoyment, but also an elixir of wellness; everything we swallow has a direct effect on our corporeal, psychological and metaphysical condition.

Therefore, I make it a point of honor to sustain myself correctly, cook with the best produces available as well as to prepare meals which are wholesome and take into account our individual needs. Porking out rarely occurs at my home, but if ever we decide to indulge, we still do it in a thoughtful manner (no big excesses and nothing industrially produced or additive-laden makes it to our table) and exclusively on weekends.

So, when Eva Huwiler at Blofeld Communication GmbH offered me to review a book about stylish vegetarian cooking, I was totally enthralled and could not refuse her generous and enticing proposition as the subject fits my feeding philosophy perfectly!

"Tibits At Home" is named after the tremendously popular, fashionable and relaxed concept self-service buffet Tibits which has been serving hearty and delicious hors d'oeuvres for over a decade and which was initially established in Zurich, near the Opera, in 2000 by three brothers - Christian, Daniel and Reto Frei - and the renown restaurateur Rolf Hiltl, owner of Hiltl, the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world (founded in 1898).

Following the inauguration of their first outlet and thanks to the place's increasing success, four more green gourmet ventures have seen the light of day in the oriental part of Switzerland (in Zurich Seefeld, Winterthur, Bern and Basel) and one extra canteen has been inaugurated in London's West End in October 2008 (read reviews here and there).

All cafeterias revolve around a large smorgasbord featuring more than 40 different homemade salads, hot dishes, daily squeezed juices, a large choice of fine wines and cocktails. A winning formula as, since opening a site in England, their no-fuss, ethical and sustainable approach to meat-free cuisine has become quite the trend-setting cuisine for celebrities and city folks alike.

Tibits' fame is ever growing and, over the years, an increasing number of people have been showing an interest in obtaining the methods for recreating their favorite menus and bites at home. For a long time, they continued to be jealously guarded, however in order to celebrate this bar's 10-year innaugural anniversary and for our greatest pleasure, the Frei siblings and the Hiltl family have finally decided to "lift the lids of their pans and allow us a peek inside".

The cookbook offers 50 tasty, light, fresh, nourishing, international, easy to follow and fun to make recipes for drinks, mains, sides and desserts which are classified according to seasonality, largely vegan (80 %) and suitable for those with nut and gluten allergies. Each of them highlights the purity of quality ingredients and focuses on satisfying our senses.

To top that, the sleek, elegantly contemporary and modish look of this publication is very pleasant and conveys a feeling of zenitude and inner peace to the reader. The dishes are presented in an uncluttered manner (no fuddy-duddy propping here), the layout is voguishly sober and the vibrant pictures - shot in the houses of their loyal customers - whet the appetite.

This isn’t so much a cookbook, more a guide to general well-being and contentment; it’s bringing the tibits concept home, which I for one, love.
- GlamUK 

Adventurous and knowlegeable vegetarian gastronomes might find this hardcover a little unchallenging as a majority of the fares displayed in this bestseller don't employ many unusual ingredients or come out of the beaten track ("Pea Soup With Fresh Mint", "Red Thai Vegetables", "Feta And Cucumber Sandwich", "Mixed Vegetable Antipasto", "Tabouli Middle-Eastern Style", "Vegetable Quiche Mediterranean Style", "Berry Crumble", "Poppy seed Cake", "Coleslaw", "Spinach And Feta Lasagne", etc...), yet I'm pretty sure that this lovely hardcover will enchant the fans of this establishement, beginner home culinarians as well as those who want to grace their cabinets with beautiful gastronomy tomes.

That said, "Tibits At Home" is an excellent read and nonetheless proposes a swell selection of mouthwatering and innovative chows ("Coconut And Peanut Fritters", "Tomato Soup With Lemongrass And Coconut Milk", "Tofu And Honey Melon Salad", "Goa Curry" and "Spelt Risotto With Mushrooms") which I'm eager to try in the privacy of my kitchen. Going through the book's pages has awaken my desire to travel to Bern in order to visit this wonderful noshery and feast on their colorful and flavorful lunch wagons...

Being part-Swiss (my father originates from Rances) and attached to the culinary customs/heritage of my homeland, I thought that it would be a good idea to showcase one of Tibits recipes which echoes my roots and love for rustic grub: "Dried Green Bean Salad".

Dried green beans are very common in canton of Vaud (not only though - you can also find them in other cantons of Central and Northern Switzerland) and the Vaudois natives traditionally love to serve them with "Saucisson" (or smoked ham/lard) and boiled potatoes. It is one of my all-time favorite trimmings as it reminds me of my grandparents who never failed to serve us this family classic whenever we came over for dinner.

In his garden, my "pépé" cultivated green beans (plus an abundance of other vegetables and of course, lots of fruits) and sun-dried them directly on his rabbit shacks. As you can imagine, they tasted just amazing. Anyway, nowadays if you want to prepare this exquisite speciality, then you'll have no problem buying it from any supermarket across the country.

Until lately, I had always concocted my dried green beans just like my "mémé" did (rehydrated in water, then sautéed in butter with garlic and onion, and left to stew for a short while) and have rarely dined on them in any other way, so testing Tibits' "Dried Green Bean Salad" gave me the opportunity to broaden my horizon and try something completely new.

We were definitely impressed by the refinement and delectability of this magnificent salad. As I expected, the result was mindblowing. My boyfriend P. greedily gobbled his way through his vegetables and I could not stop refilling our plates. The exhalirating aromas of garlic, onion, fresh thyme, roasted walnuts, balsamic vinegar, pistachio oil and of the greens mingled together elegantly, and the different textures (crunchy, chewy and crispy) blended magnificently with each other.

A real delight for the taste buds and a fantastic addition to any picnic, party, barbecue, lunch or brunch! 

* Of course, other factors such as emotions and environment can be at the origin of many diseases too.

Dried Green Bean Salad
Recipe slightly adapted from "Tibits At Home".

Ingredients:
100g Dried green beans
1 Tbs Sea salt
1 Small onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs Sunflower oil
4 Tbs Pistachio oil
60ml (1/4 Cup) Vegetable stock
1 Clove of garlic, pressed
100g Roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
4 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
 
Method:
1. Put the beans in a pot filled with cold water and add the sea salt.
2. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 25 minutes, until tender, but firm.
3. Drain and immediately rinse under cold running water. Set aside (in a colander).
4. In a skillet or frying pan, sauté the onion in the sunflower oil for 2 minutes or until soft and translucid.
5. Deglaze  with the vegetable stock and leave to cool.
6. In a medium bowl, put the beans and add the pistachio oil, garlic, onions, walnuts, balsamic vinegar and thyme. Mix well and leave to marinade for 10 minutes.
7. Serve sprinkled with a little extra thyme.

Remarks:
If you put the beans into cold water for 2 hours before cooking, they will look less wrinkly.
Remember that 100g dried beans = 400g cooked beans.
The pistachio oil can be replaced with rapeseed or olive oil, the vegetable stock with chicken stock (for non-vegetarians) and the thyme with a chopped fresh coriander.

Serving suggestions:
Serve with bread (pumpernickel, rye sourdough, whole wheat, etc...), crackers, roasted potatoes, legumes (chickpeas, lentils, cannellini beans, etc...), seared fish or grilled meat.
If you wish, you can also sprinkle some bacon bits over the salad.

Salade De Haricots Verts Séchés
Recette légèrement adaptée de "Tibits At Home".
 
Ingrédients:
100g de Haricots verts séchés
1 CS de Sel de mer
1 Petit oignon, finement haché
2 CS d'Huile de tournesol
6 CS d'Huile de pistache
60ml de Bouillon de légumes
1 Gousse d'ail, pressée
100g Noix de Grenoble, torréfiées et hachées grossièrement
4 CS de Vinaigre balsamique
Quelques tiges de thym frais

Méthode:
1. Mettre les haricots dans une casserole remplie d'eau froide et ajouter le sel.
2. Porter à ébullition et laisser mijoter pendant environ 25 minutes, jusqu'à ce que les haricots soient tendres, mais fermes.
3. Les égoutter et les rincer immédiatement à l'eau froide. Mettre de côté (dans une passoire).
4. Dans une poêle, faire revenir l'oignon dans l'huile de tournesol pendant 2 minutes, jusqu'à ce qu'il soit tendre et translucide.
5. Déglacer avec le bouillon de légumes et laisser refroidir.
6. Dans un bol moyen, mettre les haricots, ajouter l'huile de pistache, l'ail, les oignons, les noix, le vinaigre balsamique et le thym. Bien mélanger et laisser mariner pendant 10 minutes.
7. Parsemer la salade avec un peu de thym et servir.

Remarques:
Si vous mettez les haricots à tremper dans de l'eau froide pendant 2 heures avant la cuisson, ils seront moins ridés/ratatinés.
N'oubliez pas que 100g de haricots secs = 400g de haricots cuits.
L'huile de pistache peut être remplacée par de l'huile de colza ou d'olive, le bouillon de légumes par du bouillon de poule (pour les non végétariens) et le thym par de la coriandre fraîche hachée.

Suggestion d'accompagnement:
Servir avec du pain (de seigle, au levain, de blé entier, etc ..), des craquelins, des pommes de terre rôties, des légumineuses cuites (pois chiches, lentilles, haricots cannellini, etc ..), du poisson cuit à la poêle ou de la viande grillée.
Si cela vous dit, vous pouvez aussi saupoudrer le dessus de cette salade avec des confettis de bacon grillé.

KASHA, BLACK-EYED PEA, MACKEREL, FAVA BEAN, TOMATO & MISO SALAD - SALADE DE SARRASIN, DOLIQUES A OEIL NOIR, FÈVES, MAQUEREAU, TOMATE ET MISO

Be careful of those who pat you on the back. They might be looking for a soft spot to plant the knife.
- Anonymous

Honest hearts produce honest actions.
- Brigham Young

Those who know me are aware of the fact that I cherish honest, genuine as well as selfless beings and look for the deep and meaningful things in life. Superficiality, artificiality, triviality, egocentrism and materialism put me off. I reject all the false values that this modern and unethical society apprizes.

Calculators, manipulators and profitors are my biggest enemies. I fear them like the pest and smell them from a distance. Actually, I make it a rule to stay far away from anything that is shallow or anyone who is toxic, fake and untrustworthy as they can only be harmful to me and drain me of my life force. Negative energies and all forms of parasitism are to be avoided at any cost or they'll bring you down and suck you into their decadent spiral of chaos and destruction.

After having been psychologically abused by my tyrannical parents who exercized their maleficious control over me and could not care less about my person, but prefered to use me as a pawn in their viscious family game, and escaped from my Machiavellian sister's iron grip and mean powers of subjugation, I am finally free of all oppression so I really treasure my new found freedom and fiercely protect it with all my might. I have given enough and refuse to bleed more.

Since I have been deceived and ripped-off quite a few times by despicable individuals who are only interested in misusing others for their own egotistical purposes and evil agendas, I tend to be very careful when it comes to letting people into my existence and trusting them blindly. I pick my pals meticulously. This is the reason why I am not surrounded by hords of "friends" and definitely not the most popular girl on the block. But that's ok with me as I have my peace.

Nowadays, I listen to my heart and follow my instincts. If somebody is devious or something is shady, then I'll feel their bad vibrations and will not let them corrupt or rape my soul as I have understood that nobody can be my master nor that I am accountable to anyone. Power is in my hands and "no" is not a taboo word anymore...

Make food simple and let things taste of what they are.
- Curnonsky aka Maurice Edmond Sailland

I want a dish to taste good, rather than to have been seethed in pig's milk and served wrapped in a rhubarb leaf with grated thistle root.
- Kingsley Amis

I detest...anything over-cooked, over-herbed, over-sauced, over elaborate. Nothing can go very far wrong at table as long as there is honest bread, butter, olive oil, a generous spirit, lively appetites and attention to what we are eating."
- Sybille Bedford

When it comes to food, I love my grub to be straitforward and real. Pretentious or unnatural eats have no place at my home nor in my heart. I loathe unneccessarily complicated or pompous dishes and detest industrially processed aliments that have been deprived of their nutritional qualities and are loaded with a multitude of gruesome additives (saturated fats, artificial colorings and sweeteners, preservatives, corn syrup, etc...).

My dinners are seasonal, hearty, comforting, stripped of any chichis, yet they don't lack refinement or aromatic complexity. I try to enhance produces and get the best out of them without ever spoiling their original characteristics. This demands a little understanding of nutrition, some knowledge regarding the ingredients employed, a good dose of patience and a lot of gut feeling. Nothing very esoteric or difficult to accomplish, however it requires commitment and dedication.

Cooking is at once one of the simplest and most gratifying of the arts, but to cook well one must love and respect food.
- Craig Claiborne

Cookery is not chemistry. It is an art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements.
- Marcel Boulestin

If you are a passionate gourmet who is interested in your physical wellness, then it is absolutely not a sacrifice to relentlessly surf online in order to search for useful culinary information, to spend a few hours experimentig in the kitchen or to follow a healthy diet. Your hard labor will be rewarded and your body will be thankful for treating it like a temple rather than a dustbin. Certainly worth the effort!

Speaking of power foods, the salad that I am presenting today pretty much carries all those characteristics and is not far from perfection. It is well-balanced (contains many essential nutrients: fibers, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fatty acids, antioxidents, proteins and other compounds), extremely satiating, not expensive, fresh, easily prepared and although it appears to be simple, this harmonious tasting meal offers intricate flavors (nutty, herby, pungent, spicy, sweet, smoky, etc...) which will make your palate sing and your tummy smile.

My summery "Kasha, Black-Eyed Pea, Mackerel, Fava Bean, Tomato & Miso Salad" is ideal for a relaxed lunch or supper in the garden/on the balcony and for taking on picnics or bringing to potlucks, parties as well as work. Quirky, practical, energy-ladden and scrumptious!

Kasha, Black-Eyed Pea, Mackerel, Fava Bean, Tomato & Miso Salad

Recipe by Rosa Mayland, June 2012

Serves 2-3.

Ingredients For The "Miso Dressing":

1/3 Cup (75ml) Apple vinegar

1/3 Cup (75ml) Olive oil

2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Tbs Barley miso

1 Tbs Sweet soy sauce (Kikkoman)

1 Tbs Sweet chili sauce

1 Tsp Runny honey

1 Tsp Sesame oil

1/2 Tsp Fine sea salt
Ingredients For The "Salad":
1 1/2 Cups Raw kasha (buckwheat groats)
1 Tsp Fine sea salt
1 Cup (120g) Fresh fava beans, shelled (method)
260g Cooked black-eyed peas (cooked from scratch or canned)
2x 125g (2x 95g net weight) Canned mackerel
1x Beefsteak tomato, chopped
1 Medium onion, finely chopped
Fresh coriander, to taste

Method For The "Miso Dressing":
1. In a big salad bowl, whisk all ingredients together.
Method For The "Salad":
2. In a medium pan, lightly toast the kasha until golden.
3. Add 4 cups water (~1l) and the salt. Bring to a light boil, then immediatly lower the heat to a soft simmer.
4. Cook for about 8-10 minutes (it should still be a little crunchy - see remarks).
5. Sieve and rince with cold water, then let the water drip off.
6. Once the kasha is at room temperature, add to the bowl with all the other ingredients. Mix delicately.
7. Serve. 

Remarks:
The onion can be replaced by 2 chopped spring onions.
In case you don't have black-eyed peas at home, any legume of your choice will do (white beans, chickpeas, red beans, etc...).
You can also use other fresh herbs: chervil, parsley, basil or thyme.
Don't overcook your kasha, otherwise it'll go mushy. In order to avoid that, keep testing it while it is cooking.
If you like to eat your salad chilled, then mix all the ingredients together (minus the coriander, tomato and fish - you'll add them at the last moment) a few hours before serving and refrigerate. 

Serving suggestions:
Serve chilled or at room temperature and accompany with a glass of quality white wine (Gewürtzraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Chasselas,  etc...) or rosé (Vin Gris, Oeil de Perdrix, Weissherbst, Provence, Gamay Rosé, etc...).

Salade De Sarrasin, Doliques A Oeil Noir, Fèves, Maquereau, Tomate Et Miso 
Recette par Rosa Mayland, juin 2012.

Pour 2-3 personnes.

Ingrédients Pour La "Vinaigrette au Miso": 
75ml de Vinaigre de pomme
75ml Olive oil 
2 Gousses d'ail, hachées finement 
1 CS de Miso d'orge
1 CS de Sauce soja douce (Kikkoman)
1 CS de Sauce de piment douce 
1 CS de Miel liquide
1 CC d'Huile de sésame
1/2 CC de Sel de mer fin
 Ingrédients Pour La "Salade":
1 1/2 Coupes de Gruau de sarrasin 
1 CS de Sel de mer fin 
120g de Fèves fraîches, pelées (voir méthode) 
260g de Doliques à oeil noir cuites (voir méthode - vous pouvez aussi prendre une conserve)
2x 125g (poids net 2x 95g) de Filets de maquereau en conserve 
1 Tomate coeur de boeuf, coupée en dés
1 Oignon moyen, haché finement
Coriandre fraîche, selon goût

Méthode Pour La "Vinaigrette Au Miso": 
1. Dans un grand saladier, mélanger tous les ingrédients ensemble. 
Méthode Pour La "Salade": 
2. Dans une casserole moyenne, torréfier le sarrasin jusqu'à ce qu'il soit légèrement doré. 
3. Ajouter environ 1 litre d'eau et le sel. Porter à légère ébullition, puis immédiatement baisser le feu et laisser mijoter à feu très doux.
4. Cuire pendant environ 8-10 minutes. Le sarrasin devrait encore être un peu croquant (voir remarques).
5. L'égoutter et le rincer à l'eau très froide, puis le laisser égoutter encore une fois afin que toute l'eau se soit évacuée.
6. Une fois que le sarrasin a refroidi (température ambiante), le mettre dans le bol avec tous les autres ingrédients et mélanger délicatement. 
7. Servir. 

Remarques: 
L'oignon peut être remplacé par 2 oignons de printemps hachés. 
Dans le cas où vous n'aurez pas de doliques à œil noir à la maison, vous pouvez alors utiliser une autre légumineuse de votre choix (haricots blancs, pois chiches, haricots rouges, etc ..). 
Vous pouvez également ajouter d'autres herbes fraîches dans cette salade: cerfeuil, persil, basilic ou thym.
Ne pas faire cuire votre sarrasin à feu élevé sinon les graines exploseront et vous vous retrouverez avec une purée. Afin d'éviter cela, faites-le mijoter à feu très doux (pas de gros bouillons). N'oubliez pas de régulièrement goûter votre sarrasin afin que vous ne le cuisiez pas trop (perte de son croquant). 
Si vous aimez manger froid, mélanger tous les ingrédients ensemble (sans la coriandre, tomate et le poisson que vous ajouterez au dernier moment) et réfrigérer votre salade pendant quelques heures avant de la servir.

Idées de présentation: 
Servir bien réfrigérée ou à température ambiante et accompagner d'un vin blanc (Gewurtzraminer, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Chasselas, etc ..) ou d'un rosé (Vin Gris, Oeil de Perdrix, Weissherbst, Provence, Gamay Rosé, etc ...) de qualité.

BORLOTTI BEAN & LAMB STEW WITH CHEESY EGGPLANT PURÉE - MLLA

Lately, it seems that there is an outbrake of guest posts in the foodblogging world. There is not one blogger who has not succumbed to the "trend" (if one can call it so) and I must admit that I am one of those too, even if I was made a convert much later than everybody else as I process things a lot slowy than the common of mortals and I always think twice before I jump on the bandwagon...

Although I love exchanges and being in contact with others, at the beginning, I didn't really understand the point of having outside people write articles for your blog. Now, on the contrary, I find it a very good idea and appreciate that kind of "strategic" partnership as, in that way, your work gets positively promoted by your fellow colleagues who admire you and whom you hold in high regards too, you get into the spotlight and help them get more traffic through you, thus making each participants' site grow and you both have a wonderful time bonding as well as deepening your relationship.

This mutual help is extremely valuable and beneficial for either sides (learn more about it here). Apart from the tactful aspect of guest blogging that has some similarities to business connections, there is also a warmer and convivial facet to it. It is a perfect method for creating long-lasting friendships with individuals who share the same passion for food, writing and photography as you do. Instead of staying in your corner, you open up and reveal yourself, hence giving a more humane face to this virtual world.

So when the sweet Susan from "The Well Seasoned Cook" contacted me to ask me if I was willing to write a guest post for her brainchild, "My Legume Love Affair" (MLLA in short), it was with much excitement that I accepted her proposition. What an honor! MLLA kicks off year 4 this month and I've and I am a regular as well as admirative reader of her blog since the year 2007, so I was certainly not going to pass that opportunity. I was so thrilled that this lovely lady wanted me to take part in this event and invited me to guest post on her private space.

As I am an open-minded gastronome who takes great pleasure in devouring rustic, modest and country-style food as much as in savoring refined and gourmet five-star meals, I was delighted by the thought of creating a legume-oriented recipe. I have loved those little babies all my life and cannot imagine going throuh a week without eating them. They represent the base of my alimentation and I adore them as they are so palatable, incredibly versatile, dirt cheap and extraordinarily hearty.

After a few days of mad brainstorming, frantic searching on the internet and intense ruffling through my magazines and cookbooks, I finally came up with a stupendous idea. My dish would be Mediterranean-inspired, comforting, high in flavor, well-balanced, would celebrate the Turkish cuisine which I particularly admire for its sophistication as well well as diversity and put in the spotlight two of my favorite summer vegetables, eggplants/aubergines and tomatoes...

If that introduction made your mouthwater, aroused your curiosity and made you want to read my article, get a glimpse of my pictures and discover my recipe for "Borlotti Bean & Lamb Stew With Cheesy Eggplant Purée", then please hop on over to "The Well Seasoned Cook" as you will not be deceived. I hope you'll enjoy my post.

There will be more guest posts on"The Well Seasoned Cook", so don't forget to visit Susan's sensational page on a regular basis!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Etant donné que beaucoup de mes lecteurs francophones ne comprennent pas forcément l'anglais et que malheureusement peu d'entre-eux auront la chance de lire mon billet invité et dernier article en date sur le merveilleux blog de ma collègue Susan de "The Well Seasoned Cook", je me suis permise de traduire la recette qui y figure afin que vous puissiez aussi en profiter car je pense qu'elle pourra vous intéresser.

J'espère que ce plat aux accents turcs et méditerranéens vous plaira. Cette création personnelle est une ode à cette cuisine que j'adore tout particulièrement...

~ Ragoût De Haricots Borlotti Et d'Agneau Accompagné De Sa Purrée d'Aubergines Au Fromage ~
Recette par Rosa Mayland, Juin 2011.

Pour 4 personnes.

Ingrédients pour le "Ragoût De Haricots Borlotti Et d'Agneau":
4 CS d'Huile d'olive
2 Oignons rouges, hachés
6 Gousses d'ail, finement hachées
230g de Viande d'agneau hachée
1 Carotte (grosse), coupée en petits cubes
2 CC de Paprika en poudre
2 CC de Cumin en poudre
2 CC de Coriandre en poudre
1/2 CC de Cannelle en poudre
1/3 de Tout-épice en poudre
1/2 CC de Graines de fenouil
4-5 Brins de thym frais
570g (~ 4 moyennes) de Tomates, hachées
1 CS de Concentré de tomates
2 CC de Pâte de piments turque
450ml de Bouillon de poule
2 CS de Mélasse de grenade
Sel de mer fin, à volonté
Poivre noir, fraîchement moulu, à volonté
400g de Haricots borlotti, cuits
Coriandre fraîche ou de persil frais, haché(e), pour décorer le plat

Ingrédients Pour La "Purée d'Aubergines Au Fromage”:
4 Aubergines
6 CS de Beurre non-salé
4 1/2 CS de Farine
480ml de Crème à 25% de mat. grasses
200g de Gruyère, râpé
1 Pincée de noix de muscade en poudre
Poivre noir, fraîchement moulu, à volonté
Sel de mer fin, à volonté

Méthode pour le "Ragoût De Haricots Borlotti Et d'Agneau":
1. Dans une casserole à fond épais, faire chauffer l'huile à température moyennement haute.
2. Une fois, chaude, ajouter l'oignon et cuire pendant 3 minutes, jusqu'à ce qu'il soit translucide et doré.
3. Ajouter l'ail et continuer à cuire pendant 1 minute.
4. Y mettre la viande hachée et faire sauter pendant 5 minutes, tout en mélangeant.
5. Ajouter la carotte et cuire pendant 3 minutes supplémentaires, puis ajouter le paprika, le cumin, la coriandre en poudre, la cannelle cinnamon, le tout-épice, les graines de fenouil et le thym. Mélanger brièvement.
6. Ajouter les tomates, le concentré de tomates et la pâte de piments. Bien mélanger et cuire pendant 3 minutes, puis incorporer le bouillon, la mélasse, le sel et le poivre.
7. Baisser la température et faire mijoter pendant 1 heure (sans couvercle), jusqu'à ce que le ragoût ait diminué de volume (liquide évaporé) et que les tomates aient "fondu".
8. Ajouter les haricots et cuire pendant encore 30 minutes.

Méthode Pour La "Purée d'Aubergines Au Fromage”:
1. Pendant que le ragoût mijote, percer les aubergines en plusieurs endroits avec la pointe d'un couteau et les cuire à 250° C, sur une plaque recouverte de papier sulfurisé pendant environ 35 minutes, ou jusqu'à ce que la peau des aubergines soit un peu brûlée et la chair soit bien molle.
2. Les retirer du four et les laisser refroidir.
3. Une fois que les aubergines sont manipulables (pas trop brûlantes), les peler (bien grater les restants de chair sur la peau) et jeter les peaux.
4. Mettre la chair des aubergines dans un chinois afin qu'elle s'égoutte pendant quelques minutes. Pendant ce temps, préparer la béchamel.
5. Dans une casserole, faire fondre le beurre et incorporer la farine. Cuire le roux blanc pendant quelques minutes, tout en remuant, jusqu'à ce qu'il soit un peu doré. Puis, verser la crème, tout en mélangeant bien à l'aide d'un fouet.
6. Porter à ébullition et cuire pendant 1-2 minutes afin que la béchamel épaississe. Pendant ce temps, réduire la chair des aubergines en purrée (fine et homogène), dans un mixeur.
7. Incorporer cette purrée à la béchamel et bien mélanger. Cuire pendant encore 5 minutes, puis ajouter le fromage râpé, assaisonner avec la noix de muscade, le sel et le poivre.
8. Bien mélanger à l'aide du fouet afin que le fromage ne forme pas de grumeaux.
9. Servir sur le ragoût et saupoudrer avec la coriandre (ou le persil).

Remarques:
Si vous n'avez pas de pâte de piments turque, vous pouvez aussi utiliser la même quantité de Tabsco rouge ou de harissa.
La purrée d'aubergine peut être gardée au chaud (à basse température) ou faite à l'avance et réchauffée au four, au moment de servir.

Idée de présentation:
Servir avec du pain pita ou libanais (fattoush).