How often do you sit and analyse your
culinary variance? In many instances our menus through a week become
repetitive, boring and uninteresting. Often the convenience of sticking to the
tried and tested favourites lead to ‘Menu Fatigue’. This often happens in
restaurants too, when the Daily Special (often a source of creating dishes to
use up special purchases or combining foods in need of use) ends up being on
the menu for a month or more. So many times, I have commented that the Daily
Special should not be there day after day – It is NOT a Daily Special but a
menu addition. Enough of that soap box gripe!
So perhaps I can divert you to the humble
Aubergine (Eggplant in some countries) It is a good source of dietary fibre,
Vitamin B1 and Copper. It is also a good source of manganese, Vitamin B6,
Niacin, Potassium, Folate and Vitamin K. It also contains phytonutrients such
as nasunin and chlorogenic acid. That’s enough of the scientific stuff. However,
I would alert you to magnesium deficiency which is often left unchecked.
Clearly the Aubergine tends to feature more
in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern cooking and there are no
shortages of recipes that can be followed. In Sicily it features as Caponata
whilst in Southern France we know its use as Ratatouille. I have to say there a
host of variations that can be found for what is essentially a Vegetable Stew.
It can be eaten on its own with Rice – as an
accompaniment for a Meat Dish or if slightly wetter as a hearty Soup. I have
sometimes used it as a base for a Meat Stew by adding Beef or Lamb or Chicken
(all of which can have been cooked before – for example left over Sunday Roast)
Basic
Ratatouille
2
tbsp Olive oil
2
Onions, large
2
cloves Garlic, crushed
2
Courgettes, medium, roughly chopped
2
Red peppers, deseeded and chopped
1
Aubergine, roughly chopped
2
cans Chopped tomatoes, 400g
1
tbsp Mixed herbs
4
tbsp Fresh basil, chopped
1.
Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and
cook for 3 minutes.
2.
Stir in the courgettes, peppers and aubergine, and cook for a further 5
minutes until lightly coloured.
3.
Add the tomatoes and herbs, cover and cook over a low heat for 30-35
minutes until the vegetables are tender. Season and sprinkle with chopped
basil.
Serve with Rice – Pasta –
Jacket Potato – as a Side Dish.
