Tag Archives: maldon salt

May20

shades of night – the alluring aubergine

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shades of night – the alluring aubergine

Although I did not quite start painting I decided I wanted to bring this mysterious aura of the aubergine into one photograph – to highlight its mysteriousness and allow the almost reclusive mood of the vegetable to translate onto the plate – anel

aubergine and tomato pasta

I always had a deep love for aubergines – something more than the usual obsession … when I see aubergines I want to design and create. I want to take out a canvas and start painting all its deep and alluring hues. The aubergine is just so mysterious and captivating, I don’t know if it is the beautiful shape with the green crown or that dark purple colour – or when you cut them they are full of these beautiful seeds and flesh – something dark, almost sinister yet enticing.

My mom used to sprinkle it with salt, then just roll it into some flour and fry then in a pan of oil. She then gave it a little sprinkle of Worcestershire sauce – and I was in heaven. Soft, delicious and packed with flavour.

pasta 2 800

So with this all said, I decided to keep this recipe simple using only tomatoes and some red peppers however, my creativity got the better of me after I took the pics. Although I did not quite start painting I decided I wanted to bring this mysterious aura of the aubergine into one photograph – to highlight its mysteriousness and allow the almost reclusive mood of the vegetable to translate onto the plate. Enjoy.

aubergine and tomato pasta

 

aubergine + tomato pasta
 
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Prep time
Cook time
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Author:
Serves: 5-6
Ingredients
  • 500g Aubergines – cut into 1 cm circles - leave the skin on
  • 500g Rosa tomatoes
  • One whole garlic bulb – cut in half (do not peel or break into smaller cloves)
  • 1 Red pepper sliced thinly
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Fresh parsley
  • Fresh basil
  • 500g Pasta – cooked as per packet instructions
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 190 C°. Sprinkle the tomatoes, red pepper, garlic generously with olive oil and paint both sides of the aubergine with the olive oil. Place everything on a baking tray sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and bake for 40 minutes.
  2. In the mean time cook your pasta until al dente.
  3. When done squeeze some of the roasted tomatoes with your hands into a pulp over the pasta – mix into the pasta. It forms a tomato sauce for the pasta.
  4. Tear the aubergines and add the red peppers. Squeeze the garlic out of the shells and add to the dish.
  5. Season liberally with Maldon salt and some pepper and a good sprinkle with olive oil.
  6. Finish the dish off by adding parmesan shavings and freshly chopped parsley and some basil leaves.

 

 

Nov12

summer soiree + hangovers + the deconstructed bloody mary

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summer soiree + hangovers + the deconstructed bloody mary

A hangover is the wrath of grapes. ~Author Unknown

deconstructed bloody mary, tapas

They say that a Bloody Mary cocktail can cure hangovers – I think we all need to know this before the silly season gets underway…. But does it work? Is it fact or mere fiction?  I decided to try this one out myself – so just last week with a very hectic social schedule filling my outlook calendar I decided it was a good time to plan a good hangover and test this myth or truth.  So I attended a social function where the wine was literally on tap…  (I booked  a driver to ensure that I made it home safely), went home and decided to finish off my little experiment by rounding the evening off with a few more whiskeys – just a couple of night caps you know.  I felt fabulous that evening – did a few dances for the hubby and went to bed.  The next morning not so fabulous … what on earth was I thinking?  I am no scientist…on cue though Rick woke me up with a Bloody Mary in bed! Thankfully it was Saturday morning, but whichever way you look at it … facing a cocktail concoction that that time of the morning can scare even a full-time professional drinker!   For some crazy reason, I had to finish what I started, so with eyes wide shut, I tilted the head and knocked-back the Bloody Mary thingy.   I lay about curiously waiting for this healing elixir to do its curative work.  An hour later, no change, I still felt 10 000 hammers in my head.  This Bloody Mary was clearly nursing somewhere else – or had taken the day off.  It was – and is in my opinion a myth.    I do know that  scientific experiments are verified by a series of tests, so to be fair I decided to take this test to the next level.

If the Bloody Mary did not do its work in a cocktail glass perhaps the sum of its ingredients would be a better tonic if they were deconstructed. I took a cherry tomato injected it with a few drops of green tobasco, then I took a short shot glass of vodka and placed it adjacent to a bowl of salt.

deconstructed Bloody Mary , tapas

The regimen is then to dip the tabasco infused tomato into the vodka and then douse it in the salt and pop it in your mouth.  I added a bean for some protein and then a celery stick for the more traditional version.  It is just so fab.

Did this cure my hangover? I reckon that you will have to go through quite a few kilos of   tomatoes before this deconstructed Bloody Mary will make some sort of dent on a decent hangover.

So my deconstructed Bloody Mary may not be the cure for hangovers but try it – it will definitely be the showstopper at your next summer soiree or cocktail party!

Roll on summer!

the deconstructed bloody mary
 
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Ingredients
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Vodka
  • Maldon salt
  • Green tobasco
  • Butter beans or celery sticks cut into 2.5cm pieces (optional)
  • Injection needle
  • Tooth pics
Instructions
  1. Inject a few drops of green tobasco into each tomato.
  2. String a tomato and a butter bean onto a toothpick. Repeat (depending on how many you want to ingest).
  3. Pour some vodka into a bowl and salt into a separate bowl.
  4. Now dip the tabasco infused tomato into the vodka and then douse it in the salt and pop it in your mouth.