Lemon & Goat Cheese Ravioli

The conversation at our place the other morning went something like this.

He (wandering into the kitchen):  "What are you doing?"

Me:  "Making pasta."

He:  "How come?"

Me:  "It's for this week's blog post."

He:  "What are you going to make it into?"

Me:  "Lemon & Goat Cheese Ravioli"

He:  "Ohhhh!" (This was not a delighted or excited kind of "ohhhh", you understand, but almost verging on an "eeewwww" kind of "ohhhh".  Which was not an altogether unexpected reaction - he is after all a person who is not that fussed on lemon - doesn't mind a bit of it, but not enough for it to be the hero of the dish.)  Actually this was exactly the kind of reaction I was hoping for, because this is the kind of thing I like to make a big batch of, and then stash in the freezer to whip out for what I think of as my "solitary pleasures" dinners when I'm eating alone.

He (knowing that there was already something else planned for dinner):  "When is that going to be for?"

Me:  "It's for my lunch.  Would you like some?"  I wasn't really keen on sharing, but it's the decent thing to offer, isn't it, even if you're secretly hoping the other person will say no.

He:  "Hmmm, I don't think so.  I was thinking about maybe barbequing a bit of fish for my lunch."

I breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and offered up a silent prayer of thanks to the gods of solitary pleasures diners.  And then ... next minute ...

He:  "No, actually, I'll give it a try."  How did I not see that coming??!  Clearly there was some shortcoming in aforementioned prayer.

Fast forward a couple of hours, and lunch is served.

He (taking a big mouthful):  "Ohhhhhh!"  This time, however, that "ohhhhh" was more a deep sigh of satisfaction than an "eeewwww" kind of "ohhhhh".

Need I say more?  Give this a try.  If you're a lemon lover you will adore it.  Even if you're not, chances are you'll still get quite a lot of satisfaction out of it.

This is another recipe from the inspirational Yotam Ottolenghi, from his book Plenty, which I'm sharing at I Heart Cooking Clubs where our theme this week is "Use Your Noodle".

I used my own basic pasta recipe for the dough, because that's the one I've worked with for so long now, and I know it really works.  I did add in the lemon zest and turmeric that Ottolenghi suggests.  While I'm on that subject - I know that there are at least a couple of you who don't like turmeric.  Let me assure you that it is such a tiny amount that you really don't taste it at all, but it does give a lovely colour to your pasta, so I highly recommend that you take the leap of faith and leave it in if you're making this recipe.

I also found that the amount of filling in this recipe only filled half of my pasta, which was fine with me as I just rolled out the rest of the pasta, cut it into tagliatelle, and popped it into the freezer for another day.  By all means cut back the pasta quantity to suit if you feel so inclined, but in all honesty if you're going to go to the trouble of making pasta, you might as well go all out and make a decent batch of it to use at a later date.

Lemon & Goat Cheese Ravioli Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi

from Plenty

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a light meal

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

Pasta:

basic pasta dough (see below)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

grated zest of 3 lemons

Filling:

300g (11oz) soft goat cheese

flaky sea salt

pinch of chilli flakes

freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, lightly crushed

fresh tarragon, roughly chopped

grated zest & juice of 1x lemon

extra virgin olive oil

Make pasta dough as recipe below, adding the turmeric and lemon zest to the flour before adding the eggs.

While the pasta dough is resting, prepare the ravioli filling.  Place the goat cheese and seasonings in a small bowl, and mash with a fork to combine.  Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

After resting the pasta dough, divide into six equal sized pieces.  Working with the first piece of dough (keeping the remaining dough covered with plastic wrap while you work), roll it out according to the instructions below to the thinnest setting on your pasta machine.

Once rolled out, lay the strip of pasta flat, then place teaspoons of filling (about 2 to 3 cm apart) down one side of the strip.  Brush one long edge of the pasta strip, and in between each spoonful of filling, with water.  Fold other side of the pasta over the filling, and cut in between each one.  Make sure all air is pushed out around the filling and each square is well sealed.

Now repeat with the remaining pieces of dough until all the filling has been used.  Leave the filled ravioli on a cloth, lightly dusted with flour, to dry for about 10-15 minutes.  (At this stage you could freeze your ravioli if you like - cook from frozen when you want to use them.) 

While the pasta is drying, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil.  Salt the water liberally, and add ravioli to the pan.  Cook until al dente - about 3 minutes.

Drain and arrange ravioli on serving plates.  Sprinkle with the grated lemon zest, chopped tarragon and crushed pink peppercorns.  Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.  Serve immediately.

Basic Pasta Dough Recipe

3-1/2 cups high grade flour, plus extra for kneading & rolling

5x large, free-range eggs

Sift flour into food processor.

Break eggs into a jug and lightly whisk together.

Set the food processor running, and pour the eggs in through the feed tube.  Mix until it clumps together into a ball.

Remove from food processor to a lightly floured bench, and knead for a full 10 minutes, dusting with extra flour as necessary.  Final dough should be elastic and silky.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

After resting the pasta dough, unwrap the dough ball and cut it into six pieces.  Work with one piece at a time, keeping the other pieces wrapped in plastic or covered with a damp tea towel while you work.

Take the first piece of dough, and using your hands flatten it out into a disc, then run the disc through the pasta machine on its widest setting.  Fold the dough into thirds, flatten it slightly with your hands, then roll through the machine again.  Repeat a further 5 times.

Now, set the rollers to the next thinnest setting, and repeat the rolling and folding process 6 times.

Set the rollers to the next setting, and this time repeat the rolling and folding just 3 times.

Then roll the dough through progressively thinner settings, without further folding, until you reach the thinnest or second to thinnest setting, depending on your intended use - for this ravioli recipe, roll it to its thinnest setting.

As you roll, dust the pasta lightly with flour from time to time if it seems to be sticking.

If making a filled pasta such as ravioli, tortellini, etc, work with each piece of dough as it is rolled.  If making noodles such as fettucine or spaghetti, roll out all the dough strips, lay them flat, side by side on kitchen towels or a sheet, and allow them to dry for 10-30 minutes before cutting.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Plenty and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I will also be sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.

Looking for other great Ottolenghi "noodle" dishes, check out this Roasted Aubergine, Mango & Soba Noodle Salad I've shared before - it's a winner.

Butternut Squash & Tahini Spread

This week at I Heart Cooking Clubs, where we continue our journey with the wildly inspirational Yotam Ottolenghi, we're cooking squash.  There were so many recipes that I wanted to try this week - I've been hanging out to make the Turkey & Zucchini Burgers, served up by Michelle at Ms. enPlace;  this Zucchini & Hazelnut Salad made by Deb at Kahakai Kitchen is one that I've had bookmarked for ages;  and this dish of Roasted Butternut Squash with Sweet Spices, Lime & Chilli that Mairi at Toast produced also took my fancy (Mairi and I seem to have pretty much matching tastebuds, so when she tells me "it's another winner from Ottolenghi" I know it's going to be good).  In the end, however, even though I really wanted to do something with the last of the season's zucchini, it was the butternut squash taking up real estate in my vege drawer that won out, and this Butternut Squash & Tahini Spread was one that I'd had bookmarked ever since I purchased my copy of Jerusalem.

Until now, hummus has pretty much always been my go-to recipe when something "spreadable" is called for to go with a platter full of nibbly things, but I can definitely see this spread making an appearance on a regular basis in the future.  The sweetness of the butternut, combined with the warmth of the cinnamon and garlic, the earthiness of the tahini, topped off with the fragrant intensity of the date syrup makes for a pretty exotic taste explosion.  In the introduction to the recipe, Ottolenghi says, "This dip seems to be fantastically popular with anyone who tries it", and I can see why.  By the way, if you can't get hold of the date syrup to drizzle over at the end, don't worry - this is still fantastic without it.

Butternut Squash & Tahini Spread Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

From Jerusalem: A Cookbook

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1 large butternut squash, peeled & cut into chunks

olive oil

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

flaky sea salt

2 tablespoons tahini

1/2 cup Greek-style natural yoghurt

2x cloves garlic, crushed

black sesame seeds

white sesame seeds

date syrup

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (390 degrees F).

Spread the butternut out in a single layer in a roasting dish.  Drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle over the cinnamon and a generous pinch of flaky sea salt.   Toss to make sure all the butternut is well coated.

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake in the preheated oven for 70 minutes, turning once or twice during that time.  Remove from the oven, remove the foil and leave to cool.

Put the cooled butternut into a food processor.  Add the tahini, yoghurt and garlic, and blitz until you achieve a coarse paste.  The spread should retain a bit of texture and not be completely smooth.

Put the spread into a serving dish or on a platter.  Sprinkle over the black and white sesame seeds - about 1/2 teaspoon or so of each - and drizzle over the date syrup (this has quite an intense flavour, so don't go nuts with it - about a teaspoon will be plenty).

Serve as an appetiser with some bread.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Jerusalem and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I will also be sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.

Plum & Oat Bars

This week on our journey with Yotam Ottolenghi at I Heart Cooking Clubs, we're Going With The Grain.  I love all kinds of grains, and they form a significant part of my regular diet.  Flicking through my Ottolenghi cookbooks (Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, Plenty and Jerusalem: A Cookbook), all manner of quinoa, rice, farro, barley, freekah and bulgur wheat dishes appealed, but somehow this week I felt I wanted to get a little sweet with Yotam.

His recipe for Raspberry and Oat Bars from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook is one that I've had bookmarked for about three years and, deciding that oats were going to be my grain of choice, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it.

In the absence of some raspberry jam, I subbed in some of my homemade plum jam, and I found the tartness of the plum jam to be a good foil to the sweetness of the caramel nut topping.  Oh yes, there is caramel and there are nuts!  Came as something of a surprise to me too.  

Now I don't know about you, but when I come across something labelled as an "(anything) and Oat Bar", I'm mentally imagining something that has some kind of "oaty" topping, or which is vaguely akin to a muesli (granola) bar.  Even when I read through the recipe, I still didn't quite get what this was going to be like - quite possibly because I am not really a baker.  So when Ottolenghi says in the recipe introduction "Wonderful with a strong after dinner coffee", I was thinking "No way!"  Granola bars with morning coffee (possibly even for breakfast), yes, but with after dinner coffee, definitely not.  Were YO and I about to have our first disagreement - surely not.  Now, don't get me wrong, I was not for one moment doubting that these were going to be great, I just envisaged something that didn't quite fit with my idea of a postprandial sweet treat.

The end result is a light, shortbready, oaty base, topped with a layer of sweet-but-tart plum jam, and then the whole thing is topped off with a thick layer of nuts and caramel.  Oh, that topping!!  Gooey caramel and a mixture of macadamias, hazelnuts, almonds and cashews.  Seriously, this slice is all about the topping, so don't let that title confuse you - this is no dull little "health" bar - this is definitely a decadent little treat, and definitely lives up to its promise of being a great after-dinner treat.  I thought about changing the title to something which might more fairly represent what these bars really are, but then it occurred to me that, as long as I keep calling them "Plum & Oat Bars", I can convince myself that it's ok to eat them for breakfast!

I don't do a lot of baking, and so I don't have an extensive repertoire in that department.  I'm also a fairly "apprehensive" baker, so when something turns out great it both surprises and delights the heck out of me in equal measure.   Well let me tell you that these bars might just be the best thing I've ever baked, and it's exciting to discover that Ottolenghi can surprise and delight me in the sweet department as well as all the savoury dishes I've come to love.

I made a few small changes to this recipe.  Firstly, as mentioned I used plum jam instead of raspberry.  I adjusted quantities to fit the slice tin that I wanted to use, as opposed to the small square tin used in the original recipe.  And, I used a different combination of nuts:  the original recipe called for flaked almonds, pecans, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts.  Really you could use any combination you like.

Plum & Oat Bars Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi

from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

For the base

170g (6 oz) plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

140g (5 oz) butter, cut into cubes

80g (3 oz) caster sugar

pinch of salt

110g (4 oz) rolled oats

For the filling

1-1/2 cups plum jam (I used homemade)

For the topping

400g (14 oz) assorted nuts, roughly chopped

(I used a combo of macadamias, almonds, cashews & hazelnuts)

140g (5 oz) butter

100g (3-1/2 oz) caster sugar

60ml (2 fl oz) milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C (340 degrees F).  Lightly grease the base and sides of an 18cm x 32cm (7in x 12in) slice tin, and line it with baking paper.

Begin by making the base.  Sift the flour and baking powder together and put into your food processor.  Add the cubed butter, and blitz together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  (You could rub the butter into the flour by hand, but I'm an inherently lazy cook, so I'm happy for the food processor to do the work).  Remove to a bowl, add the salt, sugar and rolled oats, and mix to combine everything well.

Press this mixture (though not too hard) into the base of your tin, and bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden - about 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Once the base has cooled, spread with the jam.

Now make the topping.  Place the chopped nuts in a bowl and set aside.  Put the butter, sugar, milk and vanilla paste in a small saucepan set over medium heat.  Stir constantly until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat, pour over the nuts and mix well.

Spread the nut mixture over the jam and return the pan to the oven until the nuts are golden brown - about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin.

Slice into bars or squares and serve.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

And while we're on the subject of Going With The Grain, check out these other grain-filled recipes from Ottolenghi I've shared before:

Aubergine & Lemon Risotto

Fried Zucchini, Pea & Quinoa Salad

This will be my submission this month to Sweet New Zealand, inspired by Alessandra Zecchini and hosted this month by Bridget at After Taste - can't wait to see what sweet treats everyone has come up with this month.

I will also be sharing this post at Food on Friday hosted by Carole at Carole's Chatter and at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.

Shakshuka

Do you frequently stumble across and make great dishes, and then promise yourself "I'll definitely be making that again"?  I do this often, but the reality is that I come across so many great new dishes all the time that I seldom get around to revisiting some of those wonderful discoveries.

Not so with this dish.  This was one of the first dishes I made when I got my copy of Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi, and I loved it so much it has become a regular round here.  In fact, I've made it so many times that when I pick up the book it automatically falls open at this page, and there are a gazillion red, peppery splatters all over the page.  Now that to me is the hallmark of a great recipe.

The other thing I love about this dish is that really it's just an "idea" - you can play around with it to suit yourself.  Ottolenghi uses a combination of red and yellow peppers, but I nearly always only use red - I just like the visual richness of all that red contrasting with the single yellow hit of the egg yolk.  I also like to add some chorizo sausage and a little preserved lemon.  The original recipe contains onions, but I usually leave them out.  This is traditionally eaten as a breakfast/brunch dish, and although I often have this for dinner, I nevertheless can't really face the idea of onions in what is breakfast food (just one of my funny little things).  That said, I think there is more than enough flavour going on here, especially with the chorizo, to get by without the onions.  I also like to swap out cayenne pepper for some harissa and I like to add a dash of pomegranate molasses.  Feta cheese is a nice addition if you have it on hand, and I have even been known to add chickpeas on occasion.

The other great thing about this dish is that everything up to the point of adding the eggs can actually be prepared in advance - it can even be frozen at this stage in individual portions if you like, then you can just whip it out of the freezer before you go to bed, ready for breakfast the next morning.

Following is my adaptation of this wonderful dish, which I've prepared for our Optional Monthly Community Recipe at I Heart Cooking Clubs.  The original recipe can be found here.

Shakshuka Recipe

Adapted from recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi

from Plenty

Serves 4

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1x medium sized chorizo sausage, thinly sliced

olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

4-8 red peppers (depending on size), thickly sliced (seeds discarded)

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2x bay leaves

small bunch thyme

generous handful fresh coriander (cilantro), roughly chopped

(plus extra for garnish)

6-8 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

generous pinch of saffron threads

2 tablespoons harissa

1/4 of a preserved lemon

flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

water

free range eggs (1 or 2 per person)

Heat approximately 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small frypan over medium-high heat.  Add the chorizo to the warmed pan and fry until the lightly browned.  Remove the chorizo from the pan and set aside.  Reserve the oil from the pan.

Now set a large, deepish, frying pan over high heat, and dry roast the cumin seeds for a minute or two until toasty and fragrant.  Now add the reserved oil from cooking the chorizo, and another tablespoon or so of olive oil.  Add the peppers, pomegranate molasses, brown sugar and herbs, and continue cooking on high (stirring regularly) until the peppers have started to caramelise - 5-10 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes, preserved lemon, saffron and harissa.  Season with salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until the peppers and tomatoes are soft, and the mixture has a pasta sauce consistency, adding a bit of water from time to time as necessary - about 15 minutes.  Stir in the reserved chorizo sausage (and feta, if using), taste and adjust seasoning.  You can prepare up to this stage in advance if you like - you could even freeze it at this stage.

Remove the bay leaves and thyme stalks, and discard.  Now to add the eggs.  If serving this in the one big pan, family style, use the back of a soup ladle to make some indentations in amongst the peppers, and drop an egg into each indentation.  Sprinkle the eggs with salt, cover the pan, and cook over very low heat until the eggs have set to your liking - 10-12 minutes.  For individual servings, divide the vegetable mixture among four ovenproof dishes.  Again, using the back of a ladle, make an indentation in amongst the peppers and drop an egg into each indentation.  Season.  Place serving dishes in one large ovenproof dish, pour boiling water into the oven dish to about three-quarters of the height of the individual dishes.  Cover the whole thing with tinfoil, and put into an oven preheated to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F), until the eggs are set - about 15 minutes.

Serve immediately sprinkled with freshly chopped coriander, and some warm flatbreads or crusty sourdough to mop up the juices.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Plenty and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I will also be sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.

Burnt Aubergine & Mograbieh Soup

A "new to me" blog I discovered recently is Blue Kale Road.  I was lured in when I came across this post for a Persian spice blend called Advieh and a Kidney Bean and Barberry Kuku, an adaptation of an Ottolenghi dish.  By the time I'd read to the end, I was hooked - after all, any woman who cooks Ottolenghi is a woman after my own heart.  I've continued to enjoy Hannah's posts ever since, and when she recently stopped by my blog and suggested that I join the Tasting Jerusalem group (a group dedicated to cooking their way through Ottolenghi's book, Jerusalem:A Cookbook), I was in.

The challenge this month is couscous, and we had the option of making Couscous with Tomato & Onion or Burnt Aubergine & Mograbieh (Israeli couscous) Soup.  I had all good intentions of making the couscous with tomato and onion, but as it happened I had a pile of aubergines in the veggie bin which needed using up, so soup it was.  Besides, I'd had this one bookmarked for a while, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it.

This week is also Potluck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs, where we continue our journey with Yotam Ottolenghi, so this post is doing double duty.

Now I did take quite a few liberties with the recipe, and what follows is my adaptation.  If you want the original recipe you'll find it on page 141 of the book.

Firstly - "burning" the aubergines.  Ottolenghi offers a method for doing this of lining the base of a gas hob with tin foil and then blackening the aubergines directly in the flame. This smacks to me of "mess" and also having to stand over the flame and keep moving the aubergines around.  His alternative suggestion is doing them in the oven under a hot grill. My method of choice is doing them on the barbeque - altogether less mess and less fuss, and works perfectly.  You do want to make sure first of all that you make a few long slashes through the skin in each one - helps to prevent any possibility that they might explode!!

Secondly, the recipe calls for slicing onions, chopping tomatoes and mincing garlic.  As it turns out I have on hand several batches of homemade sauce, which contains all of those ingredients, inspired by this sauce from the lovely Nicola at Homegrown Kitchen.  Although I love making things from scratch, I can also be incredibly lazy, so it made no sense to me to go through all that chopping and slicing again, when I could just bust out a cup of that sauce.

Thirdly, in addition to the burnt aubergine which gets blitzed into the soup base, Ottolenghi fries additional aubergine which serves as a garnish to the finished soup.  Fried aubergine, I have to say, just doesn't happen in my world - although it is undeniably delicious, I don't have the patience for standing over pans of frying aubergine, not to mention the amount of oil that it uses.  Much easier, less messy (and no doubt healthier) to toss with a little olive oil and bake in the oven.

The final dish exceeded all my expectations.  The flavour is deep, smoky and intense, and the mograbieh (also known as Israeli couscous) along with the chunks of roasted aubergine add great textural interest.  Now I know that there are those amongst you who could eat soup every night of the week - I am not one of those people.  Soup is something I do on occasion, but it's definitely not a "go-to" dish for me.  Well let me tell you that this is the soup that could potentially change all that - this is so good that I feel like I want to eat this every night for the rest of my life ... or at least until the next great Ottolenghi dish comes along.

Burnt Aubergine & Mograbieh Soup Recipe

Adapted from a recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

from Jerusalem:  A Cookbook

Makes 4 generous servings

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

3x large aubergine

olive oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup roasted vegetable sauce (see above)

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

zest & juice of 1x lemon

100g (3-1/2 oz) mograbieh (Israeli couscous)

2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil leaves

flaky sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).

Cut one aubergine into large dice, toss generously with olive oil, and spread in a single layer in a shallow, parchment-lined baking dish.  Season liberally with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Put into the hot oven and bake until the aubergine pieces are golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut a few long slashes through the skin of the remaining two aubergine, and put onto the grill of a hot barbeque.  Turn regularly and cook until the skin is black and flaky and the flesh is soft - about 15-20 minutes.

Remove the aubergines from the heat and leave until cool enough to handle.  Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the soft flesh in long strips and discard the blackened skin.  Put the flesh into a sieve set over a bowl for any water to drain out of the flesh while you continue with the rest of the dish.

Now heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the cumin seeds and as soon as they are fragrant and sizzling, add the tomato paste.  Cook for a moment or two, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste is "caramelised".  Add the roasted vegetable sauce, chicken stock, water, lemon juice (reserve the zest), salt and pepper.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, set a small pan of water over high heat and bring to the boil.  Salt the water liberally, and add the couscous to the boiling water.  Cook exactly as you would any pasta, until al dente.  Drain and refresh under cold water.

Now add the burnt aubergine flesh which has been draining to the soup.  Remove from the heat and, using a stick blender, puree till smooth.  Reserve some of the oven-baked aubergine and couscous for garnishing and add the rest to the soup.

Simmer for another few minutes to heat everything through.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Serve immediately in warm bowls, with a sprinkling of the reserved aubergine and couscous on top.  Garnish with a little lemon zest and basil, and finish with a generous swirl of your very best extra virgin olive oil.

Lip-smacking, drooling and orgasmic sighs as you devour this are all totally permissible.

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Jerusalem and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

           

I'm also sharing this post this week at Tasting Jerusalem (Tasting Jerusalem is a virtual cooking community exploring the vibrant flavors and cuisine of the Middle East through the lens of “Jerusalem: A Cookbook” by Ottolenghi and Tamimi published by Ten Speed Press. You can follow along and cook with us by subscribing to omgyummy.com, following the hashtag #TastingJrslm on Twitter and Instagram, and liking our Facebook page), at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely, and often hilarious, Michelle at Ms. enPlace, and at Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays hosted by my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen.

          

Fig, Vanilla & Chocolate Jam (Bayildi ev Kadini)

One of my favourite dishes is an aubergine dish called Imam Bayildi.  I love it not just for its deliciousness (what's not to love about aubergine, tomatoes, garlic & onions simmered in copious (and I really do mean copious) amounts of good olive oil), but I also love the name of it and the story behind it.  Loosely translated it means "the imam fainted" or some say "the imam swooned".  Opinion is divided, however, on whether the imam fainted with pleasure at the flavour of the dish, or whether in fact he fainted when he discovered the cost of the ingredients his wife had used in the dish (olive oil then being a very prized and expensive ingredient).  Either way, it's a "swoon-worthy" dish.

So why am I telling you this, and what could it possibly have to do with Fig, Vanilla & Chocolate Jam? Well, quite simply, when I scooped up a big spoonful of this jam on a hot, flaky, buttery croissant, I almost swooned myself with the sheer pleasure of it.  If only, I thought, I could come up for a name for this that might convey such delight.  If a magnificent aubergine dish can be called "the imam fainted", could this wonderous jam then perhaps be called "the housewife fainted"?  With a little bit of help from Google Translate then Bayildi ev Kadini is what I came up with - of course, I've placed a huge amount of faith in the translator here, so if this really says something horribly inappropriate in Turkish then you will let me know won't you?!

Fig, Vanilla & Chocolate Jam Recipe (Bayildi ev Kadini)

Makes about 3 cups

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

1 kg (2 lb) fresh figs

500g (1 lb) sugar

2x vanilla pods

100g chocolate of your choice, roughly chopped

(I used Whittakers Hazelnut)

Cut figs in half and place in a heavy-bottomed, medium-sized pan along with the sugar.  Split the vanilla pods in half, scrape out the seeds, and add the seeds and the pods to the pan.  Stir a few times.

Set the pan aside and allow to stand for about 24 hours.  By this time the sugar will be mostly dissolved, and the fig juices running.

Set the pan over medium heat and stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Now turn up the heat and boil rapidly until thick and gloopy and "jammy".  Towards the end you need to keep an eye on it - you want to take it to a stage where it is well reduced and it is just about to catch on the bottom.

Remove from heat and bottle into sterilised jars by putting a spoonful or two into the bottom of the jar, then add a layer of chopped chocolate.  Continue alternating layers of jam and chocolate until the jar is full.  The heat of the jam will melt the chocolate a little allowing it to ooze through the jam a little, but without melting it completely, so that when you dive into the jam you get some nice big chunks of chocolate.

Now you know what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow ... what will you be having?

This will be my submission this month to Sweet New Zealand, inspired by Alessandra Zecchini and hosted this month by Monica at Delissimon - can't wait to see what sweet treats everyone has come up with this month.

Sweet Potato Wedges with Lemongrass Creme Fraiche

When we decided to spend the next six months at I Heart Cooking Clubs cooking with Yotam Ottolenghi, one of the first people I told about it was my friend Mairi at Toast.  She is at least as big an Ottolenghi fan as I am, and I knew she would want to join in.  In her post this week for these wonderful Sweet Potato Fritters, Mairi says ... "I am loving it, it has somehow reinvigorated me a little.  Made me really, really enjoy cooking again & sharing it here on Toast without it feeling remotely like a chore.  It is again a pleasure & a joy.  And that is what I love about Ottolenghi, always inspiring.  I have yet to cook something from any of his books that has not delighted. There is something wonderful & exciting the first time you try some sort of new flavour combination or a new way to cook a few simple ingredients & turn them in to something so much more than the some of their parts."

And that is exactly the way I feel.  I am always excited by the interesting flavour combinations that Ottolenghi introduces me to and, as Mairi suggests, turning a few simple ingredients into something that is so much greater than the sum of their parts.

Case in point ... these Sweet Potato Wedges with Lemongrass Creme Fraiche.  Wedges of sweet potato are tossed with a combination of sea salt and ground coriander, and roasted until tender and caramelised.  Sweet potato with ground coriander was a new flavour combination for me, and one I'll definitely be trying again.  As for the dipping sauce - creme fraiche made zingy with lemongrass and lime - heavenly with just about anything.  And then put the sweet potato and the sauce together, and sprinkle over a bit of chilli and fresh coriander, and we're taking awesomely, incredibly, amazingly good. 

I will definitely be making these again ... most likely even before the week is out!!

Sweet Potato Wedges with Lemongrass Creme Fraiche Recipe

Adapted (ever so slightly) from recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi

from Plenty

Vegetarian

Click here for a printable copy of this recipe

2x large sweet potatoes

olive oil

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt

1x fresh red chilli, finely sliced

handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves

For the sauce:

fresh lemongrass stalk

200g creme fraiche

grated zest & juice of 2x limes

small knob of ginger, peeled & grated

flaky sea salt

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).

Cut the sweet potatoes (unpeeled) in half lengthwise, and then cut each half into four long wedges.

Line a baking sheet with a piece of baking paper, and brush the paper lightly with a little of the olive oil.  Place wedges, in a single layer on the paper and brush liberally with more olive oil.  Mix together the flaky sea salt and ground coriander, and sprinkle generously over the sweet potato wedges.

Roast in the preheated oven until the wedges are golden brown and tender - about 25-30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile get on with the dipping sauce.  Put creme fraiche in a small bowl.  Add the grated lime zest and juice, grated ginger and sea salt.  Place the "fleshy" end of the lemongrass stalk on a wooden board and, using a kitchen mallet or the back of a knife, bash to break up the stalk a little and release the flavour and aroma.  Now use the "beaten up" stalk like a spatula to mix the sauce until it is well blended, and leave the stalk in the sauce, to continue releasing its flavour, while you set it aside until the wedges are cooked.

The wedges are best served warm or at room temperature.  When you're ready to serve them, set the wedges on a platter or board, sprinkle over the fresh coriander leaves and chilli, and serve the dipping sauce on the side (discarding the lemongrass stalk just before you serve).

If you would like to get to know Yotam Ottolenghi a little better, then do go and visit my friends at I Heart Cooking Clubs and see what they've all cooked up ...

... or check out Plenty and Ottolenghi's other great titles available from Amazon USA, Amazon UK or Fishpond NZ.

         

I will also be sharing this post at See Ya In the Gumbo hosted by the lovely Michelle at Ms. enPlace.