Well now a time for a brief introduction and a quick recipe. I am 27 years old and am studying at a culinary school in Sydney called Le Cordon Bleu. Have been here in Sydney an year now and have started to like it. The thing that I have most enjoyed about being in Sydney is the food culture. I come from a small city in India and so my exposure to foreign food was rather limited but being here I have tried to build up on my repertoire. I have spent far too much money on eating out and trying new places and cuisines and have no regrets but now am trying to be more judicious with my money and cook more at home and make eating out more like an occasion or treat.
Recently I picked up Nigel Slater's book The Kitchen diaries. It's a collection of recipes that the author cooked over the period of an year inspired by locally produced organic food and some food that he grew in his little kitchen garden. I can't afford a kitchen garden and at most times have to be careful with the amount of money I spend on my groceries so I am going to be posting recipes on the website that I cook at home for myself on a student's budget.
Being on a budget I have decided to only buy vegetables that are in season and hence cheaper. I have also decided to try to shun supermarkets like Woolworth's and Coles and try to buy my groceries from smaller local shops around the area where I live and once in a while treat myself by buying stuff from a farmer's market or like.
On my last trip to the green grocer I bought some Aubergines. I have never been a fan of the vegetable except in the form of a Baigan Bharta which is an Indian dish. It involves roasting the aubergine over a flame then removing the burnt skin and mashing up the flesh. Onions, spices are cooked for a while in some oil and to it is added some tomato and green chilli followed by chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder, garam masala etc. When oil starts to separate from the mixture the aubergine flesh is added to it and cooked for a while. Garnish with chopped coriander.
I wasn't in the mood to go through all the trouble and didn't have fresh tomatoes so looked through Rick Stein's book Mediterranean Escape for inspiration. I found a pasta dish using aubergines and canned tomatoes both of which I had so decided to cook it for lunch. The recipe follows.
Red onion finely chopped 2
Chopped Garlic 3 to 4 cloves
Canned Italian Tomatoes 1
Chilli flakes 1 tspn
Aubergine 1
Sugar 1 tbspn
Basil
Olive oil
Salt / Pepper freshly milled
Pasta
* Cut aubergines into small dices and sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander for about 20 to 30 mins. This reduces the amount to oil the aubergines would soak up when cooked.
*Heat up some olive oil in a pan and add the chopped garlic to it. Just when the garlic starts to colour add the onions followed by chilli flakes and sugar (I prefer brown sugar).
*When the onions start to caramelize add the tomatoes, cover the pan and cook on a simmer for about 20 to 25 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste.
*Cook aubergines in some olive oil for about 5 mins until they start to colour slightly (the pan should be very hot before u add the oil and the aubergines). Add a little salt to the aubergines if required. Try to cook it in batches so they the aubergines don't stew and remain crispy.
* Boil some pasta of your choice (I used rigatoni cause that was all I had in the pantry)
* Finally mix the aubergines and the tomato sauce (which should be almost dry and not runny or watery). Add more seasoning at this stage if required.
* Arrange some pasta on a plate and spoon some sauce over it. Sprinkle some chopped basil , grated or thin flakes of Parmesan cheese and good quality olive oil on top before serving (I didn't have any basil at home so didn't use any but felt the need for it when having the dish)
Chef's note : The dish can also be garnished with some basil infused olive oil. It is damn easy to make and lifts up most pastas and salads using tomatoes. To make it whizz some fresh basil 1/4th bunch and olive oil about 250 to 300 mls in a blender or use a mortar pestle. They pass through a sieve and let it drip slowly into a bowl or bottle. Be careful that you don't force any sediments through the sieve. Can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks.
Recently I picked up Nigel Slater's book The Kitchen diaries. It's a collection of recipes that the author cooked over the period of an year inspired by locally produced organic food and some food that he grew in his little kitchen garden. I can't afford a kitchen garden and at most times have to be careful with the amount of money I spend on my groceries so I am going to be posting recipes on the website that I cook at home for myself on a student's budget.
Being on a budget I have decided to only buy vegetables that are in season and hence cheaper. I have also decided to try to shun supermarkets like Woolworth's and Coles and try to buy my groceries from smaller local shops around the area where I live and once in a while treat myself by buying stuff from a farmer's market or like.
On my last trip to the green grocer I bought some Aubergines. I have never been a fan of the vegetable except in the form of a Baigan Bharta which is an Indian dish. It involves roasting the aubergine over a flame then removing the burnt skin and mashing up the flesh. Onions, spices are cooked for a while in some oil and to it is added some tomato and green chilli followed by chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder, garam masala etc. When oil starts to separate from the mixture the aubergine flesh is added to it and cooked for a while. Garnish with chopped coriander.
I wasn't in the mood to go through all the trouble and didn't have fresh tomatoes so looked through Rick Stein's book Mediterranean Escape for inspiration. I found a pasta dish using aubergines and canned tomatoes both of which I had so decided to cook it for lunch. The recipe follows.
Red onion finely chopped 2
Chopped Garlic 3 to 4 cloves
Canned Italian Tomatoes 1
Chilli flakes 1 tspn
Aubergine 1
Sugar 1 tbspn
Basil
Olive oil
Salt / Pepper freshly milled
Pasta
* Cut aubergines into small dices and sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander for about 20 to 30 mins. This reduces the amount to oil the aubergines would soak up when cooked.
*Heat up some olive oil in a pan and add the chopped garlic to it. Just when the garlic starts to colour add the onions followed by chilli flakes and sugar (I prefer brown sugar).
*When the onions start to caramelize add the tomatoes, cover the pan and cook on a simmer for about 20 to 25 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste.
*Cook aubergines in some olive oil for about 5 mins until they start to colour slightly (the pan should be very hot before u add the oil and the aubergines). Add a little salt to the aubergines if required. Try to cook it in batches so they the aubergines don't stew and remain crispy.
* Boil some pasta of your choice (I used rigatoni cause that was all I had in the pantry)
* Finally mix the aubergines and the tomato sauce (which should be almost dry and not runny or watery). Add more seasoning at this stage if required.
* Arrange some pasta on a plate and spoon some sauce over it. Sprinkle some chopped basil , grated or thin flakes of Parmesan cheese and good quality olive oil on top before serving (I didn't have any basil at home so didn't use any but felt the need for it when having the dish)
Chef's note : The dish can also be garnished with some basil infused olive oil. It is damn easy to make and lifts up most pastas and salads using tomatoes. To make it whizz some fresh basil 1/4th bunch and olive oil about 250 to 300 mls in a blender or use a mortar pestle. They pass through a sieve and let it drip slowly into a bowl or bottle. Be careful that you don't force any sediments through the sieve. Can be stored in the fridge for a few weeks.
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