Recipes

1 large or 2 small eggplants
2 pounds tomatoes
1/2 garlic bulb, halved vertically, top trimmed but cloves left unseparated
2 red chiles
2 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons honey
salt and pepper
1 cup dried cannelini beans, cooked or 1 can (14 ounces)
generours pinch saffron threads
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar)
1 heaped tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1. Preheat the over to 325 degree F. Cut the eggplant into 2 inch thick slices; quarter the slices, cut a cone from the top of each tomato to remove the core. Cut the tomatoes in half or quarter if large.

2. Arrange the eggplant pieces, tomatoes, garlic, and chiles in a roasting pan. Drizzle the honey and olive oil over, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 1.5 hours, basting occasionally.

3. Remove and discard the chiles. Squeeze the garlic from skin back into the vegetables. Spoon the vegetables into a serving dish, leaving the juices in the pan. Plunge the cannellini beans into boiling water until hot; drain and pat dry. Add the beans to the vegetables and stir well.

4. Grind the saffron in a mortar, then blend with 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Add to the roasting pan with the vinegar and stir until blended. Season to taste. Pour over the vegetables and beans. Scatter the aprsley over and serve warm.

(This tastes great with Roti)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove, crushed
3 baby eggplants or 1 small eggplant, finely diced
1 red or yellow onion thinly sliced
1 large tomato, skinned and chopped
3 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar)
salt and pepper
1 pound baby new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
12 ounces baby carrots, halved
3 cups shelled fava beans (I did not find these at the grocery store, so didn't use it)
4 ounces asparagus stalks

1/2 cup ripe olives
1 tablespoon capers
flat-leaf parsley leaves
crusty bread or Roti to serve

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic, eggplant, and onion, and cook over medium heat until very soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Transfer the mixture to a very large bowl and stir in the chopped tomato and sun-dried tomato paste. Add the red wine vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper, set aside.

3. Cook the potatoes and carrots in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for about 15 minutes, until tender; drain well. Meanwhile, steam the fava beans and asparagus for about 5 minutes, until just tender.

4. While the vegetables are still hot, add them to the eggplant mixture. Stir well to coat and leave to cool for about 5 minutes before serving so they absorb the flavors of the sauce.

5. Serve sprinkled with ripe olives, capers, and parsley leaves accompanied by crusty bread - I bought all of these from the market but forgot to add :(

Ingredients:

a. 4 tablespoons olive oil
b. 1 onion sliced
c. 1 garlic clove, minced
d. 1 eggplant, cut into chunks
e. 2 zucchini, cut into chunks
f. 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
g. salt and pepper
h. 6 eggs
i. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
j. handful fresh basil leaves

1. Heat the oil in a skillet with a flameproof handle. (Don't buy a new one if you don't already have it... I have a workaround for this.) Add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic, eggplant and zucchini chunks, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until soft and light brown. Add the tomato wedges and season with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a bowl. Stir in the dried oregano and season. Preheat the broiler.

3. Pour the beaten eggs over the vegetables and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until the bottom starts to brown and the eggs look softly set.

4. Slide the omelet under the broiler and broil until the top looks puffed and golden. (If you haven't used the skillet with flameproof handle then cut the omelet into 4 pieces and put it on aluminim foil. Slide the foil under the broiler.)

5. Tear the basil leaves over. Cut into wedges and serve. (Putting it under broiler gives it a amazing flavor)

This recipe may look long and complicated, but it isn't. This is one of those curious dishes that are much more difficult to explain than they are actually to make.

Ingredients:
a. 1 eggplant
b. 3 zucchini
c. salt and papper
d. 3 tablespoons olive oil
e. 3 red or yellow bell peppers
f. 1/2 pound cooked lasagna noodles (cooking time is specified on the packets, special pasta cooker makes it easier to cook noodles, pasta and even vegetables)
g. 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
h. 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
i. 6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE:
You can use readymade pesto sauce, or:

a. 2 tablespoons olive oil
b. 1 onion minced
c. 2 garlic cloves, crushed
d. 1 carrot, grated
e. 2 (14 ounces) cans crushed tomatoes
f. salt and pepper
g. handful fresh basil leaves

FOR THE BECHAMEL SAUCE:

a. 4 tablespoons butter
b. 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
c. 2.5 cups 2% milk
d. Pinch grated nutmeg

1. First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3 minutes, until soft. Stir in the carrot and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the tomatoes and season to taste. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the sauce is thick and reduced. Stir in the basil; set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the eggplant and zucchini lengthwise into one-fourth inch slices. Brush with some olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt, and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until brown and soft. At the same time, bake the peppers whole for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skins are lightly charred and wrinkled. After removing them from the oven, place the peppers in a paper bag until completely cool. Halve them, remove skin and seeds, and cut the flesh into wide strips.

3. To make the bechamel sauce, first melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Then stir in the flour and cook, stirring, over low heat. Remove from the heat and gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly with a balloon whisk or wooden spoon. Return to the heat and continue stirring for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in the nutmeg and season well. Remove from the heat; set aside.

4.To assemble the lasagna, spoon about half of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a 8 X 10 inch lasagna dish. Arrange about one-third of the lasagna noodles in a single layer on top.

5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover the lasagna with half of the eggplant and sprinkle with a little parsley. Add half the peppers and zucchini. Spoon one-third of the bechamel sauce on top and sprinkle with one-third of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

6. Repeat with another third of the pasta, the remaining tomato sauce and vegetables, and another third of the bechamel sauce and cheeses. Finally, top with the remaining pasta, bechamel sauce, and cheeses.

7. Cover with foil and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes longer until golden brown and bubbling.