Rebekah Robinson
Eggplants
Eggplants come in a variety of shapes and sizes with the plump shiny purple variety most common to us. Asian cultivars include the bitter-flavoured pea eggplant, the size of a grape; the seed-filled, rounded Thai eggplant with green stripes used in curries; and the long and slender pale-purple Japanese and Chinese varieties ideal for stir-frying.
The eggplant can also be ivory-coloured and ovoid, which is how it became known as ‘eggplant’. They can be bought all year round but they are at their best, not to mention cheapest, in late summer.
Look for unblemished, firm, lustrous skin with a bright green stem.
In the past, many recipes recommended salting eggplants to reduce their bitter flavour. This isn’t really necessary now, although salting does make them absorb less oil when they’re fried.
Eggplants can be roasted, fried, baked, barbecued or stewed. Their mild flavour is a culinary blank canvas.
Nasu dengaku – miso-glazed eggplant
Looking for the perfect side dish? Ready in just 15-20 minutes, this easy taste-sensation serves 4.
Slice 2 medium eggplants in half lengthwise and score flesh in a crisscross pattern, taking care not to cut through the skin. Brush skins and flesh with sesame oil. Cook, skin-side down in a frying pan until beginning to soften, then flip and cook cut-side down until lightly browned and soft, but not falling apart.
While the eggplant cooks, combine 3 Tbsp white miso paste, 2 Tbsp shin mirin, 2 Tbsp sugar and ½ Tbsp sake or Chinese rice wine.
Preheat the grill. Place eggplant halves on a heatproof tray and spread cut side of each with miso mixture. Grill until bubbling and lightly caramelised. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.
Waffled eggplant with parmesan
This low-carb snack is addictive and great served with a cold beer or cider.
Cut a medium eggplant into rounds about 1cm thick. Heat a waffle iron and spray with non-stick spray. Whisk 1 egg with ½ Tbsp water to make an egg wash. Dip each eggplant slice in egg wash, then sprinkle both sides with parmesan, you’ll need around 1½ cups grated parmesan seasoned with a pinch of salt.
Arrange several slices on a hot waffle iron, close, and cook for 3-4 minutes or until dark golden and ‘waffled’. While the slices are cooking, dip and coat the next batch.
Serve warm with an extra sprinkle of salt. If you don’t have a waffle iron, use sandwich press – the rounds won’t waffle but they’ll still be tasty.
Eggplant fritters with honey
And now for something completely different, an Andalusian snack. Soaking sliced eggplant in milk before frying prevents it soaking up loads of oil.
Slice 2 medium eggplants into 1cm rounds, then submerge in about 1½ cups milk – enough to cover the slices. Weigh them down with a plate if necessary. After 30 minutes, remove and pat dry on kitchen towel.
Heat around 1.2 litres vegetable oil for deep frying. Test the heat by dipping a wooden spoon handle in the oil; it should bubble and froth around the handle within a few seconds when sufficiently hot.
Lightly dust the eggplant slices with plain flour and cook several at a time until lightly golden. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with a little salt and lots of runny honey for drizzling.
Raspberries
What did one raspberry say to the other raspberry? If you weren’t so sweet, we wouldn’t be in this jam! Terrible jokes aside, there’s far more to this ancient fruit than a dollop of jam. Raspberries contain more vitamin C than oranges, are high in fibre, low in calories and supply you with a good dose of folic acid, potassium, vitamin A and calcium. They have featured in religious art as a symbol of kindness and the leaves made into tea are purported to be beneficial for pregnant women.
Chocolate and raspberry torte
Chocolate and raspberries are a match made in heaven and this fudgy torte shows them both off to their best advantage.
Preheat oven to 160°C and grease and line 2 x 23cm loose-bottom cake pans.
Melt 200g quality dark chocolate with 175g butter. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and ¼ tsp instant coffee granules. Sift into a bowl 100g ground almonds, 2 Tbsp plain flour and ½ tsp salt and set aside. Beat 5 eggs until pale and doubled in volume – around 5 minutes. Slowly beat in 140g caster sugar.
Fold in the chocolate mixture, then the ground almond mixture in two batches to form a loose batter.
Divide between the prepared pans and bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer comes out crumby but not gooey. The cakes are both meringue-like and fudgy all at once. Cool in tins.
Meanwhile, heat 100ml cream until boiling, then stir in 120g dark chocolate. Mix together ¼ cup quality jam with ½ cup fresh raspberries, mashed.
Remove cooled cakes from their tins, and place one on a plate, spread with raspberry mixture, then stack on the second cake. Slather the top and sides with the cooled chocolate ganache, decorate with extra raspberries and chill until ready to serve.
Raspberry bakewell cake
This crumbly sweet cake is lovely with a cup of tea on a summer’s afternoon.
Preheat oven to 180°C and line the base of a greased 20cm loose-bottom cake tin.
Process 100g ground almonds with 140g butter, 140g caster sugar and 140g self-raising flour. Add 2 eggs and ½ tsp almond extract and pulse to combine.
Spread half the mixture in the prepared tin, scatter on ½ punnet raspberries add the remaining mixture, then press the remaining ½ punnet raspberries into the top.
Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp flaked almonds and bake for 50 minutes or until risen and golden. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm or cool.
Sparkling raspberry and limoncello mimosas
The ideal party starter, mimosas are pretty, refreshing and super easy to make – great for a hen’s night, bridal shower or laid-back summer brunch.
- Combine 750ml of chilled prosecco in a jug with 1 cup chilled limoncello, a handful mint sprigs and 1 cup raspberries, muddle and serve in chilled glasses.
Tomatoes
The tomato has seeds and grows from a flowering plant and is classed as a fruit not a vegetable. And with 7500 varieties grown around the world, there is plenty of choice and colours ranging from the well-known red, through to orange and yellow, and purple and brownish-black. Tomatoes are rich in health-protective antioxidants and more of the beneficial chemicals are released when the tomatoes are cooked.
Green tomato salsa
A glut of under-ripe tomatoes can be transformed into salsa in minutes.
Remove stalks and coarsely chop 2 cups green tomatoes. Place in a food processor with ½ chopped red onion, 1 deseeded green chilli, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp fresh coriander, ½ tsp cumin, a pinch of ground chilli, a pinch of salt and 2-3 Tbsp lime juice.
Pulse to make a chunky sauce. Serve with quesadillas, barbecued meats or as a dip with corn chips.
Oven-dried tomatoes
This will preserve your surplus crop to enjoy on pizzas, sauces and sandwiches long after the season has ended.
Remove the stalks and cut the tomatoes in halves. Arrange on an oven tray. Heat oven to 120°C and prop open the oven door with the handle of a wooden spoon.
Leave tomatoes for up to 6 hours to dry out. They should be flattened and have no juice in them when squeezed.
Pack tomatoes in sterilised jars and cover with quality olive oil. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to every jar to keep the mixture acidic.
Foods with a PH of 4.5 or lower are resistant to the growth of botulism. You can use the oil later for dressings.
Tomato, herb & feta galette
Use a 4-5 good-sized heirloom or a mix of coloured tomatoes to make this galette with parmesan and cracked-pepper crust.
Preheat oven to 190°C.
Make a quick crust by pulsing 1½ cups plain flour with 100g butter in a processor until crumbs form, then pulse in ½ cup grated parmesan and ½ tsp cracked pepper. Pulse with just enough cold water to form a dough. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice tomatoes thickly, then gently squeeze over a bowl to release some of the juice and seeds. Place on a rack to drain.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a rough circle, about 29-30cm. Use a rolling pin to lift pastry onto a greased, flat baking tray.
Brush pastry with a lightly beaten egg, then sprinkle with 1 slice of bread made into crumbs, leaving a 3cm border. Layer in the sliced tomatoes, 1 Tbsp chopped chives, 1 Tbsp fresh thyme sprigs and 100g crumbled feta cheese. Fold the border in to create a crust all the way around.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden and cooked. Serve warm or cold.
This article was first published in Taste magazine.
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Words by : Sophie Gray. Photography by : Rebekah Robinson.
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