Aubergine slice tapas

slice two aubergines thinly
heat up a large frying pan or ideally a hot plate or griddle
add the slices (without oil) and cook until well browned, almost charred
take off the heat when cooked and add to a large serving dish
mix 2 cloves of minced garlic in a bowl with 3-4 tbs of olive oil and drizzle sparsely over the aubergine slices and season with salt and pepper
serve cold or warm as an appetizer.
they will keep for a week or two in a sealed container.

Fried herbed almonds

Perfect to start off any Christmas party

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups whole blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, leaves
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add almonds, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes.

2. STEP 2

   Stir in thyme leaves. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet, and let cool completely.Almonds can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Easy Roasted Red Peppers in Oil, Vinegar & Garlic Tapas

Perfect for a fancy appetizer

Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 3 whole roasted red peppers
• 2 cloves garlic
• Spanish sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

place the red peppers on a hot plate over the stove or roast in the oven. When fully blacked put in a bag, place in the fridge and let to cool. Once cool you can peel off all the skin leaving you with the fresh, cut open and take out the seeds. 

Use a dinner-size plate or platter with a lip, so that they oil and vinegar do not spill over the side.

Cut each pepper in four pieces and lay on a dinner plate or platter.

Peel and mince garlic cloves. Place minced garlic in a small bowl and pour in a few tablespoons each of vinegar and oil. Whisk and carefully pour over the peppers.

Serve with slices of rustic bread as a tapa or as a side dish with a meal. These peppers go well with a main course of grilled meat or fish.

Delicious tomato and basil soup

Ingredients

1 large onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves of garlic crushed
2 lbs of tomatoes diced
3 cups chicken broth
2 handfuls of fresh basil leaves chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper (easily mistaken for cloves apparently)

Saute sliced onion in olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and cook over
medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
add the crushed garlic cloves stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes
Add tomatoes chopped in large pieces and sweat for around 5 minutes, stirring now and again.
Add one handful of basil, chicken broth, salt and
pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes
let cool then puree soup mixture with half of the remaining basil.
serve with a sprinkle of basil on top and cream if you wish.

Stuffed Aubergine

Serves 6 as a side dish, entree or three people as a main. I served with homemade chips which worked well. This isn't a quick dish to prepare but a hearty option for a vegetarian dinner party.

• 3 medium sized eggplants, halved
• Salt for drawing out any bitterness
• 6-8 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2  red capsicums (I used one red and one orange), diced
• 3  tomatoes, diced
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted (I used peanuts)
• 1/2 cup soft feta cheese (I used queso fresco because there wasn't and fea)
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley (plus a little extra at end)
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
  
  
  Step 1 - First remove the flesh from the eggplant using a sharp knife being sure not to cut through the skin. I found it easiest to cut around the edge of the eggplant and then make a few vertical cuts and then use a knife to remove the flesh. Chop the eggplant flesh into small cubes and place it in a colander. Repeat with the remaining five halves of eggplant. Sprinkle salt over the chopped cubes of eggplant and over the eggplant skins and leave for 30 minutes to draw any bitterness.
  Step 2 - Preheat the oven to 180c/350F and line a baking tray with parchment. Fill a large saucepan with water until simmering. While it is heating up, dice the onions, garlic, capsicums and tomatoes. Toast the pine nuts in the oven for 5 minutes until golden.
  Step 3 - Rinse the eggplant skins and the cubed eggplant. In the saucepan, simmer the eggplant skins until they turn from purple to brown-about five minutes. Remove and drain.
  Step 4 - Rinse out the saucepan and dry it and then put it on medium to high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the onion and garlic until soft. Then add some more oil and fry the capsicum, tomatoes and drained eggplant cubes and saute until soft, about 10-15 minutes. Eggplants can really absorb a lot of oil so it's up to you how much you want to use (you can also use a couple of tablespoons of water if you want to keep it low fat). Add pine nuts, feta, lemon juice, parsley, sugar, cinnamon and salt and pepper to taste.
  Step 5 - Place the eggplant skins on the lined baking tray and brush with oil. Fill with the vegetable mixture and top with more cheese if you want. Drizzle some more oil on top and around the sides of the eggplant and bake for 35-40 minutes until very soft. Serve with extra parsley.
  
  
  
  

Strawberry cheesecake in a mug

Quantities are per mug or cup

• 2  1/2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lemon (or lime) juice
• a small handful fresh or frozen strawberries or raspberries 
• 1/2 egg beaten well
• 1 biscuit in a zip lock bag to crush -I used Maria biscuits which would be rich tea in England
  
  
  Step 1 - In a bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, egg, icing sugar and whisk well until very smooth. Add lemon juice and raspberries.
  
  
  Step 2 - Spoon into cup or mug and place on a plate in the microwave. Microwave for 1 minute on medium. Once done, check it for doneness (it shouldn't be cooked). Microwave for 45 seconds on medium again. Jiggle it gently, the centre should be slightly wobbly and it will firm up once refrigerated. If it's still liquidey give it another 30 seconds on 50% power.
  
  
  Step 3 - Bash the cookie in the ziplock bag with a rolling pin (this is great therapy if someone is proving particularly annoying). You can use a food processor. Sprinkle the bashed up cookie crumbs on top of the cheesecake.

  
  

  Step 4 - Place cooled cheesecake in the fridge for a couple of hours. When cold and set, eat greedily and smugly knowing that this only took you 5 minutes to cook it and it is low fat.
  
  

Baked camembert

Stuff a sprig of rosemary and one garlic clove into the centre of an unwrapped camembert. Heat up in a medium over for around 20 minutes until all the cheese is gooey and served with warm bread and a glass of red wine for a perfect starter at dinner parties.