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 cake is too sticky, but tastes great)

4 pears, peeled
100g soft light brown sugar
4 tbsp milk
200g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp clear honey, plus extra to drizzle
2 tsp ground cinnamon (I do not like cinnamon flavor so I added a pinch)
2 egg whites

1. Grease and line the base of a 20 cm/ 8 inch cake tin

2. Put 1 pear in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of water and blend until almost smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

3. Sieve in the flour and baking powder. Beat in the sugar, milk, honey and cinnamon and mix well.

4. Chop all but one of the remaining pears and add to the mixture.

5. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and gently fold into the mixture until fully incorporated.

6. Slice the remaining pear and arrange in a fan pattern on the base of the tin.

7. Spoon the cake mixture into the tin and cook in a preheated oven 300 degreeF for 1.5 hour or until cooked through.

8. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cook in the tin for 10 minutes.

9. Turn the cake out on to a wire cooling rack and drizzle with honey, leave to cool completely then cut into slices to serve.

4 tablespoons butter or 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
3 onions halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 1/2 tablespoon coarsly chopped fresh cilantro
3 ounces feta cheese, diced
salt and pepper

For the Pastry:
12 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted if frozen
4 tablespoons melted butter or 4 tablespoons olive oil

For the red bell pepper and tomato sauce:
1 (14 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers - (I roasted bell peppers at home, you can google the procedure)
1 (14 ouce) jar diced tomatoes - (I cut 2 tomatoes and didn't use the jar)
Pinch of saffron strands, softened in a little boiling water
1 tablespoon honey
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
squeeze of lemon juice - I bought it and forgot to add :(
(I added some tofu, which wasn't in the original recipe)

The original recipe is for rolls, I felt it was a little time-consuming so I rather made a pie instead of rolls. It tastes amazing.

1. Melt about half the butter or heat half the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the thinly sliced onions and sprinkle with the salt. Cook for a few minutes, stirring. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft but not colored.

2. Stir in the ground cinnamon, beaten eggs, and remaining butter or olive oil. Keep over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until the eggs are thick but still moist (like scrambled eggs). Stir in the chopped herbs, tofu and the feta; season to taste. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.

3. To make the red bell pepper and tomato sauce, first drain the peppers. Then put them in a blender or food processor with the tomatoes, saffron, honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend this mixture to a puree. Pour into a pan, add the garlic, and simmer for 30 minutes, until reduced by about half and thick. (I didn't use all in the recipe, I put the remaining in some Indian curries, that tasted awesome)

4. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Cover the pan with 2 phyllo sheets, butter them , spread the feta mixture and cover it with 2 phyllo sheets, repeat the steps and put the red bell pepper sauce as the uppermost layer and cover it again with 2 phyllo sheets.

5. Bake the pastries for 20 to 25 minutes until golden. Remaining bell pepper sauce (if any) can be used for decoration