Recipes

225g/ 8oz red peppers, seeded and sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 green chilli, chopped
300 ml passata (boil tomatoes and its puree is called passata)
600 ml vegetable stock
2tbsp chopped basil
fresh basil sprigs, to garnish

1. Put the peppers in a large saucepan with the onion, garlic and chilli. Add the passata and stock and bring to the boil, stirring well

2. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until the peppers have softened. Drain, reserving the liquid and vegetables separately.

3. Sieve the vegetables by pressing through a sieve with the back of a spoon or blend in a food processor until smooth.

4. Return the vegetable puree to a clean saucepan with the reserved cooking liquid. Add the basil and heat through until hot. Garnish and serve.

3 large red peppers
2 tbsp olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
14oz cans chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 cups vegetable stock
2 cups rice (preferrably arborio rice)
6 fresh basil leaves, snipped
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the grill. Put the peppers in a grill pan and grill until the skins are blackened and blistered all over. Puthe peppers in a bowl, cover with several layers of damp kitchen paper and leave for 10 minutes. Peel off the skins, then slice the peppers, discarding the cores and seeds.

2. Heat the oil in a wide, shallow pan. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook over a gentle heat for 5 minutes, then add the pepper slices and bay leaves. Stir well and cook for 15 minutes more, still over a gentle heat.

3. Pour the stock into a large, heavy- based saucepan and heat it to simmering point. Stir the rice into the vegetable mixture and cook for about 2 minutes, then add two or three ladlefuls of the hot stock. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the stock has been absorbed into the rice.

4. Continue to add stock in this way, making sure each addition has been absorbed before pouring in the next. When the rice is tender, season with salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes before stirring in the basil and serving.

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

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 slices white bread (I used wheat bread); roughly torn
1 can (14 ouce) tomatoes pureed with their juices
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar (I used some other vinegar that was available)
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
Handful basil leaves, to garnish

1. Pour 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil into an ice-cube tray and freeze

2. Put the onion, garlic, bell pepper, ripe tomatoes, and bread into a food processor and blend until finely chopped but not too smooth- you need to keep some of the crunchy texture.

3. Transfer to a large bowl with the pureed tomatoes. Add 5 tablespoons of the remaining oil, the vinegar, hot pepper sauce, stock, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste; remember, food to be served chilled needs to be strongly seasoned. Mix thoroughly, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight. You can prepare ahead up to this point.

4. Just before serving, pour the soup into serving bowls. Drop a couple of frozen olive-oil cubes into each, and drizzle with a little more oil. Tear some basil leaves over each bowl and serve

3 red bell peppers
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
5 ounces feta cheese
Fresh Basil Leaves, shredded

1. Preheat the over to 375 degree F. Quarter and seed the peppers, put them in a single layer in a roasting pan. Skin-side down.

2. Mix together the garlic, tomatoes, oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon a little of this mixture into the cavity of each pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes untill the peppers are tender. Leave to cool

3. Sprinkle with the crumbled feta and shredded basil

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.