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.

SAUERKRAUT, POTATO & CHEDDAR PASTIES - PASTIES A LA CHOUCROUTE, POMME DE TERRE ET AU CHEDDAR ♥ A GUEST POST FOR SIMONE AT "JUNGLEFROG"

In life, there are some beings who enlighten your days, inspire you greatly and are refreshing. The same can be said about certain blogs or bloggers, and both Simone and her excellent site definitely belong to that category. Everytime I visit Junglefrog, you can be sure that I'll be delighted by her magazine-like pictures, marvelous sense of humor and lovely recipes. It is indubitably far from being mundane or soulless!

This zesty Dutch lady is a skilled professional photographer whose work never to fails to wow me. I really appreciate her very European way of immortalizing dishes and I wish I could have half of her talent with my Nikon. Yet not only is she an ace behind the camera, but she is also a masterful cook and baker who wizzes up amazing cakes, colorful salads, comforting casseroles, delectable appetizers, balanced main courses, luscious desserts, etc...

I discovered Junglefrog through The Daring Bakers and have been following her online journal regularly since at least three years, thus I have been lucky to witness its evolution and see how the pretty caterpillar turned into a beautiful butterfly over the years. So, the day Simone asked me if I would be interested in writing a guest post for her, I felt overwhelmed with joy and excitement and immediately said "yes" without needing to meditate over her generous proposition. It is an honor for me to have been given that opportunity and I am truly thankful that she thought of me!

When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if it's not, mmmmmmmm, boy.

- Jack Handy

As Simone is currently trying to focuse on healthy eating and as I love speaking about British grub, I thought that it would be wonderful if I shared my take on "Cornish Pasties" with her readers and spoke a bit about its origins.
 

I got the idea and urge to bake my own pasties while watching Saturday Kitchen on BBC1. On this program animated by celebrity chef James Martin I heard Rick Stein relate a sad event that happened in 1999 (read what the BBC has written on that subject) when a eminent New York Times journalist shamelessly declared that "Cornish Pasties" were bland, like doorstops and "generally God awful". [...]

So, if that short introduction made your mouth water and your tastebuds tingle, tickled your curiosity, captivated your attention and gave you the urge to read my article, then please hop on over to Junglefrog in order to read the whole article, get a glimpse of my pictures, discover my recipe and pay a visit to Simone. 

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

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 Junglefrog qui appartient à ma talentueuse collègue néerlandaise Simone, 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 (vous pouvez tout de même y jeter un coup d'oeil car ses recettes sont vraiment passionnantes et mon article contient d'autres images que celles exposées ici).

J'espère que mes "Pasties A La Choucroute, Pomme De Terre Et Au Cheddar" vous plairont car ils sont inspirés d'une spécilaité très British qui nous vient de Cornouaille et qui est vraiment succulente. Cette création personnelle est une ode à la cuisine Anglaise qui est unique, versatile, si réconfortante, fabuleusement savoureuse, humble et qui est loin d'être insipide,fade, peu délicate et inintéressante comme le prétendent certaines personnes mal-attentionnées et à l'esprit étroit. Ce cliché est vieillissant, dépassé de mode et plus d'actualité...

~ Pasties A La Choucroute, Pomme De Terre Et Au Cheddar ~

Recette par Rosa Mayland, Mars 2012.

Ingrédients pour la "Pâte Brisée": 

200g de Farine blanche

100g de Farine complète

1 1/4 CC de Sel de mer fin 

80g de Beurre non-salé

70g de Saindoux

~80ml d'Eau très froide ou assez afin que la pâte forme une boule

Ingrédients Pour La "Garniture":
200g de Choucroute crue, éssorrée et hachée grossièrement
100g de Cheddar vieux, coupé en petits cubes
1 Pomme de terre (moyenne), pelée et coupée en petits morceaux
1 Oignon, haché finement
3/4 CC de Thym séché
Une pincée de noix de muscade
Poivre noir fraîchement moulu, selon goût
Le sel de mer, selon goût
Ingrédient Pour Le "Glaçage":
1 Oeuf, battu

Méthode pour la "Pâte Brisée":

1. Tamiser la farine et le sel dans un bol moyen.
2. Ajouter le beurre, le saidoux et frotter la farine et le beurre/saindoux entre les doigts afin d'obtenir un mélange qui ait une texture sabloneuse.

3. Verser l'eau, graduellement, tout en mélangeant bien (ne plus ajouter d'eau quand la pâte a atteint la bonne consistance/ni trop mouillée, ni trop collante). Former une boule puis la mettre au frigo pendant que vous préparez la garniture.

Méthode Pour La "Garniture":
4. Dans un bol, mélanger ensemble tous les ingrédients pour la garniture. Mettre de côté.
Méthode Pour "Assemblage Et Cuisson Des Feulletés":
5. Préchauffer le four à 200 ° C.
6. Diviser la pâte en 5 portions égales.
7. Sur une surface farinée, abaisser l'un des morceaux en un cercle d'environ 18-19cm de diamètre.
8. Placer un cinquième du remplissage au centre de chaque cercle, en faisant un sorte de laisser un bord d'environ 1cm.
9. Avec l'oeuf battu, badigeonner les bords de la pâte.
10. Soigneusement rabattre les bords ensemble afin de former une crête, puis les pincer pour bien sceller et créer des bords ondulés (voir remarques).
11. Placer les feuilletés sur une plaque à pâtisserie recouverte de papier sulfurisé et badigeonner avec le restant d'oeuf battu.
12. Cuire au centre du four pendant 35-40 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que les pasties soient dorés et croustillants.
13. Servir.

Remarques:

Les pasties doivent toujours être fermes, bien plains et jamais humides ou juteux (la pâte en souffrirait).

Si vous vous ne savez pas très bien comment former vos pasties, alors la première video 1 et la deuxième video vous seront d'une grande utilité (malheureusement elles sont en anglais).

Idées de présentation:

Servir pour le déjeuner ou le repas du soir et accompagner d'une salade de saison ainsi que d'une bière.

Les pasties sont aussi parfaits pour le pique-nique ou pour un repas canadien.

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).