I am keen to try out more healthy and diet-friendly recipes and also expand my knowledge of vegetarian cookery. I also love lasagne and believe that a good vegetarian lasagne is an essential dish in any cook’s repertoire. This recipe for lentil, mushroom and ricotta lasagne comes from The Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook by Dr Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell, Kate Marsh and Philippa Sandall. As the title of the book suggests, it’s both low GI and vegetarian. It serves six and the nutrition details per serve are: 1797 kilojoules (429 calories); 14g fat (saturated fat 6g); 7g fibre; 24g protein; 50g carbohydrate.

Lentil, mushroom and ricotta lasagne
Serves 6 * Preparation time: 20 minutes * Cooking time: 1 hour * Cooling time: 5 minutes

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
400g (14 oz) can chopped tomatoes
400g (14 oz) can brown lentils, rinsed
400g (14 oz) button mushrooms, sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g (1 lb 2 oz) low fat ricotta
1 egg
125ml (4 fl oz / 1/2 cup) skim milk
pinch nutmeg
4 (30 x 16cm / 12 x 6 1/2 inch) fresh lasagne sheets
25g (1 oz / 1/4 cup) finely grated parmesan

1. Heat half the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, or until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and lentils and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly soft. Season and remove from heat.

3. Preheat oven to 180C (350F / Gas 4). Lightly oil a 2 litre (2 quart / 8 cup) ovenproof dish. Combine the ricotta, egg, milk and nutmeg in a bowl.

4. To assemble the lasagne, place a sheet of lasagne in the base of the prepared dish. Top with a third of the lentil mixture, scatter over a third of the mushrooms and smooth over a third of the ricotta mixture. Repeat these steps. Then top with a third lasagne sheet, the remaining lentils and mushrooms, then a fourth lasagne sheet, and finally the remaining ricotta. Sprinkle over the parmesan.

5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until top is golden and bubbling. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

Road test
A note on ingredients: I used vegetable oil instead of olive oil and substituted dried Italian herbs in place of fresh thyme. I also used full-fat ricotta and semi-skimmed milk rather than the low-fat ricotta and skimmed milk specified, so my calorie and fat count would be slightly higher than indicated on the recipe. I cooked French brown lentils from scratch instead of using canned lentils, omitted the tomato paste and added a teaspoon of miso paste to enhance the tomato vegetable sauce. My fresh lasagne sheets were small, so I had to use two sheets per layer instead of one.

Method: The recipe was very easy to follow and it didn’t take too long, even allowing for an extra 20 minutes to cook my dried lentils. Most of the cooking time is in the oven and doesn’t require close attention. I followed the metric measurements.

Result: This is a satisfying and tasty dish - it’s hard to believe it’s diet food. The portions were more than adequate, especially when served with a garden salad, and the leftovers were great for lunch or a quick supper throughout the week.

Verdict
It’s great to find vegetarian recipes that don’t rely on fake meat for protein but still taste really good. I have tried vegetarian lasagne recipes before and this is definitely my favourite so far. What a bonus that it’s also so healthy! I would definitely make this again. Next time I would probably still add the miso to give it a very full flavour but maybe only half a teaspoon as I found it quite strong (though my partner couldn’t taste it).

When I grew up in Australia in 1980s, beetroot was something that came on a hamburger and it was always canned. Even now, I think fresh beets are quite rare in Australia.

I’ve always loved beetroot but it wasn’t until I came to the UK that I realised quite how good it can be. When I first came I was quite impressed with the vacuum packs of beets because of the freshness and sweetness of the taste, compared with the canned product, which is generally boiled in malt vinegar. This is because vinegar is a preserving agent but food writer Sophie Grigson calls this “abuse” and she has a point as the vinegar seriously affects the flavour of the beets, which are naturally sweet.
However, if you really want to know how good beets can be, you need to make your own - the results are far superior. I get a weekly box of organic fruit and vegetables from Abel & Cole and beetroots make a regular appearance. I have also discovered other varieties of beetroot on my forays to Borough Market (one of my favourite places in London). As well as the deep red-purple variety we all know, there are also golden beetroots and candy beetroots with an exquisite pattern of white and pink cocentric circles (pictured). The other cool thing about beetroot is that the stems and leaves are also edible and make a nice substitute for spinach or chard (silverbeet) in most recipes.

One of my favourite things to do with beetroot is to make a salad. All you do is chop the ends of the beet and peel it and then grate the beet. You also grate a carrot. Then you toss the grated beet and carrot together with a lemon and olive oil dressing and two teaspoons of sunflower seeds. You get the deeper flavour of the beet combined with the sweetness of the carrot, the nuttiness of the seeds, the acidity of the lemon, all coated in a light layer of extra virgin olive oil. Delicious and healthy too.

I also often roast beetroot. Usually I peel the beet and cut into chunks, then toss with oil, salt and pepper and perhaps some rosemary, before roasting it in the oven. Half a beetroot takes about an hour to cook using this method and smaller chunks closer to half an hour. It’s far quicker than roasting potatoes or most other root vegetables.

I did try boiling beetroot in salted water once and it worked fine but was nothing special.

Tonight I had a bit of time on my hands so I thought I would try Sophie Grigson’s method of oven roasting whole beets wrapped in foil and then peeling them afterwards. I’ve wanted to try this for a while but it does take quite a bit longer than other methods, so this was the first time. This is from her 2006 book Vegetables, which is an excellent accompaniment to any kitchen but particularly useful for households who participate in a vegetable box scheme. This is from the general introductory section to the chapter on beetroots.

Beetroot - Cooking

“Although it is not the only way to cook beetroot, by far the best general method is to roast them, guarding all their juiciness and flavour. For most purposes, the process is as follows: wash the beetroots well (but don’t scrub brutally, which will rupture the skin) and trim off the leaves, leaving about 2cm (3/4 inch) of stalk in place to minimise bleeding. Do not trim off the root. Wrap each beetroot individually in foil, place in a roasting tin or ovenproof dish and slide into a preheated oven. For the finest results the temperature should be fairly low - say around 150C/300F/Gas 2. You should allow 2-3 hours for the beetroots to cook. They will still turn out well at a higher temperature if you want to speed matters up a little, or have something else cooking in the oven - anything up to 200C/400F/Gas 6 will do nicely. To test, unwrap one of the larger beetroot and scrape gently at the skin near the root. When it comes away easily, the beetroots are done. Take them out and cool slightly, then unwrap and skin each one…”

Beetroot - Partners

“Despite, or perhaps even because of, its distinctive presence, beetroot has an affinity with a remarkable number of other ingredients. In eastern Europe, where it is used most famously to create borscht - beetroot soup in several different forms - beetroot is often combined with aniseed flavours (fennel seed, aniseed, dill and so on) and with soured cream. Try serving cubes of hot cooked beetroot tossed with fresh dilland butter, or fry it briefly with cubes of eating apple and bruised fennel seeds, then serve topped with a spoonful of soured cream (or stir creme fraiche, not soured cream, which will split, into the pan to make a light sauce). Cooked beetroot (puréed or finely diced) is also a brilliant addition to mashed potato, turning it a startling bright pink, which will wow children as much as it amuses parents…”

Road test

Of course, Sophie has far more to say on the subject of beetroot but I thought that was a good starting point. I followed her instructions on roasting the beetroot to the letter and then I interpreted her suggestions for how to serve it, according to the ingredients I had to hand. I went with the suggestion of fennel as a good flavour partner and used mayonnaise rather than creme fraiche or sour cream. There’s no point doing this with cheap mayonnaise as that would ruin the flavour - you need to either make your own or buy the most expensive, unadulterated product you can find.

Ingredients
3 beetroots, including one candy beetroot
1 head of fennel
1 shallot
Tablepoon of mayonnaise (I used Delouis Fils brand of French mayonnaise)
Salt and pepper

Method
Sophie’s instructions were very easy to follow. I had the temperature at 160C for one hour and then moved it up to 200C for the second hour. They peeled easily though I should have waited a few more minutes before I did this, as it was very hot.

Meanwhile, I chopped the fennel and shallot finely, mixed it with a tablespoon of mayonnaise and added salt and pepper.

I sliced the beetroots and served it with the mayonnaise and fennel as a condiment.

Results
The beetroots cooked beautifully using this method. Roasting them in foil and with the skins on preserves the flavour and colour but, unlike boiling, does not add an element of wateriness or acidity. They were good with the mayonnaise and fennel, though I think creme fraiche or sour cream would be even better.

I served this with a frittata, a green salad, and oven-roasted celeriac and parsnip chips. Look how pretty it is with the two varieties of beetroot - almost like a dessert!

Verdict

I would do this again when I have the time. It’s not a method that is practical for making dinner after work since it takes at least two hours to make it. But for weekends, it’s fine - the actual preparation time is minimal and the beauty is that you can put them in the oven and then more or less forget about them - perfect for pottering about the house on the weekend.

I had never considered fennel as an accompaniment but will definitely try that again. Overall it contributed to a delicious meal and was a hit with everyone in the house.

This a guest post from Rose, also known as Pixie, a New Yorker now living in the UK. Pixie blogs at You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato and A SweeTart.

I consider myself to be a fairly ‘new cook’. There are a few recipes I’ve learned from my Maltese mother and my blog is my personal journey of learning how to cook; trying new recipes and improving the few I do know. Originally, living in NY a majority of my life I love food from all cultures. My main food blog is You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato and I’ve recently discovered how much I enjoy baking and started my sweet blog, A SweeTart.

Rhubarb has been appearing everywhere and since I’d never tasted it before I thought I would attempt Nigella Lawson’s Rhubarb Tart recipe from one of her many books, How To Be a Domestic Goddess. I chose this recipe because I’ve yet to try any of her recipes from this book.

Rhubarb Tart

Ingredients
for the filling
1kg rhubarb (untrimmed weight)
300g caster sugar

for the pastry
150g plain flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
85g cold unsalted butter, diced
85g cold cream cheese, diced
2-3 tablespoons cold double cream, to bind

for the cream cheese filling
200g cream cheese
200ml double cream
2 tablespoons caster sugar
4 tablespoons muscat or rum

for the glaze
6 tablespoons rhubarb juice, reserved from stewing

Equipment
1 deep 23cm flan tin or shallow 25cm tin.

Method
Heat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5.

Trim and cut the rhubarb into 2cm pieces, place in a shallow ovenproof dish (I use a Pyrex dish of about 20cm x 30cm), pour the sugar over the rhubarb and toss it all together so that the sugar is well dispersed. Cover with foil and cook for about 45 minutes, or until tender. When you take the rhubarb out, slip in a baking sheet. When the rhubarb cools, strain it and reserve the juice.

Meanwhile, get on with making the pastry. Using a food processor, mix the dry ingredients, then add the butter and cheese and pulse to make a crumbly mixture. Bind with the cream, pulsing sparingly. Let the pastry rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes before lining your tart tin. After you’ve rolled the pastry out and lined the tin with it, put it back in the fridge for another 20 minutes.

Remove from the fridge and line with foil. Fill the pastry case with baking beans (though you could just as well use any dried beans) and put on the sheet in the oven for 15 minutes. Gingerly remove the beans and foil and cook for a further 5 minutes or until it’s turning golden brown and is cooked through. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

When you want to assemble the tart (and you can do the steps above a good day in advance, though keep the cooked and cooled flan case in an airtight container), reduce about 6 tablespoons of the reserved juice to a syrup by boiling it robustly in a small saucepan. Don’t leave this unattended, though, as the juices will become thickly syrupy within a matter of minutes.

Now for the filling: use a whisk, soften the cream cheese, then add the cream, whipping until it has mixed well and thickened slightly. Take care not to over-beat - this must be voluptuous and undulating. Add the sugar and muscat (which is lovely to drink with the tart) or rum, stir to a soft marscapone consistency, then drizzle over your puce-pink glaze. Stand back and admire - then eat.

Makes about 8 slices.

Road Test

Ingredients
Since I didn’t have any muscat and rum was an option, I used 3 tablespoons of dark rum. I believe this was likely the main reason I didn’t care for her filling. Perhaps, white rum would have been better. Still, I feel the rum was overly powerful in the recipe. I would suggest those who attempt her rhubarb tart to get hold of the muscat.

Method
The instructions were quite easy to follow and it’s not very difficult at all. However, I feel she could add a few more sentences to explain the method of making the tart. Such as, explaining the desired firmness of the rhubarb, how thin the pastry should be rolled out, the importance of greasing your tart pan. (New bakers like myself sometimes forget to do these things!). The few changes I made to the recipe was using 3 tablespoons of dark rum, instead of 4 tablespoons and adding a bit of lemon peel to the pastry and allowing a further 10 minutes for the pastry to cook.

Results
The rhubarb was quite shredded, not making it much of a pretty sight. However, it had an interesting tart taste combined with sweetness. For me, the filling was over powerful and the pastry was a disaster. It lacked flavour and I’m still not certain if it was because it was undercooked or it was just the taste of the pastry itself. My father-in-law enjoyed it, so I gave him the rest of the tart (all ¾) of it.

Verdict

I don’t believe I would make this again. There are so many rhubarb recipes out there that I would like to try. I’m not entirely sure what to make of rhubarb yet, it had an interesting tart flavour to it but I’m not convinced of its brilliance.

I’m not completely turned off by rhubarb, but would likely be far fussier about what recipe to follow. I would want one that was previously tested and was given rave reviews. If I were to ever try this recipe again, I would surely make changes to it. I would reduce the cooking time of the rhubarb, lesson or omit the alcohol (perhaps trying muscat instead) and likely get rid of her pastry recipe altogether.

This week’s recipe is for three bean soup, once again from Olive magazine’s 30 Low-Fat Recipes booklet, free with the February 2008 issue.

This doubles as an entry for the Well-Seasoned Cook’s My Legume Love Affair challenge.

Three bean soup

20 minutes * EASY

chicken or vegetable stock, 500ml

broad beans 2 handfuls, fresh or frozen

green beans 2 handfuls, trimmed and chopped into lengths

cannellini beans 400g tin, drained and rinsed well

basil a handful of leaves, roughly chopped

parmesan grated to make 2 tbsp

- Heat the stock in a saucepan until simmering, add the broad beans and green beans and cook for 2 minutes, add the cannellini beans and cook for a further 2 minutes. Season.

- Stir in the basil and parmesan.

Serves 2.

PER SERVING: 227 kcals, protein 18.7g, carbohydrate 28.4g, fat 5.2g, saturated fat 1.9g, fibre 10.8g, salt 2.31g.

Road test

A note on ingredients: I used Jürgen Langbein vegetable stock, Waitrose cannellini beans, and Waitrose parmigiano reggiano.

Method: This was exceptionally easy and quick - if anything, it probably took closer to 15 than 20 minutes.

Results: Simple and tasty, though not amazing.

Verdict

This was not very exciting but I might make this again, because it is so simple and most of the ingredients live in the store cupboard. It is also very wholesome and genuinely low fat. It is intended as a starter but it does satisfy as a main with some toast as an accompaniment, or perhaps a salad or a dessert.

This week’s recipe is for spinach, mushroom and lemon pilaf from Olive magazine’s 30 Low-Fat Recipes booklet, free with the February 2008 issue.

Spinach, mushroom and lemon pilaf

30 minutes * EASY

onions 2, finely sliced

garlic 2 cloves, crushed

chestnut mushrooms 150g, sliced

cinnamon 1 stick

cloves 4 whole

cardamom pods 4, bruised

basmati rice 250g

lemon 1/2, zested and juiced

vegetable stock 450ml

spinach 200g, washed and roughly chopped

- Cook the onion and garlic in the butter in a large shallow pan until soft and golden.

- Add the mushrooms and cook until softened. Add the spices and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the rice, lemon zest and stock. Cover.

- Cook on a gentle heat for about 15 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir through the spinach and lemon juice, cover for 2 minutes until wilted and serve.

Serves 4

PER SERVING: 350 kcals, protein 8.1g, carbohydrate 56.6g, fat 11.7g, saturated fat 6.6g, fibre 2.4g, salt 1.45g.

Road test

A note on ingredients: All ingredients except the spices and the rice were organic. I used Yeo Valley unsalted butter, Joubère vegetable stock, Tilda rice, and Bart spices. I substituted crimini mushrooms instead of chestnut mushrooms.

Method: The method was very clear and easy to follow. It took slightly longer than 30 minutes when allowing time to prepare the vegetables.

Results: The lemon and spices provided tang and zip, the butter and mushrooms a full richness, and the spinach a slight sweetness and a nice contrast in colour.

Verdict

This was a big hit! I would definitely make this again, perhaps substituting swiss chard (silverbeet) instead of spinach or possibly adding some nuts. It works as a main but could also work well as a side dish with a nice piece of chicken. I am not sure that this fully counts as a low-fat meal given that it has 11.7g of fat and 6.6g of saturated fat per serve, but it’s certainly wholesome. You could probably experiment with reducing the fat but you would want to take care that it does not end up sticking to the pan and burning.

The recipe is from Leith’s Baking Bible by Susan Spaull and Fiona Burrell.

Pitta Bread

MAKES 8
15g / 1/2 oz fresh yeast (If using fast-action or dried yeast, see below)
1 teaspoon caster sugar
150ml / 5 fl oz lukewarm water
250g / 9 oz strong white flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons polenta

[NB This is a British recipe so a tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml].

1. Mix the yeast and sugar with 2 tablespoons of the warm water.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
3. Tip the yeast mixture into the well, add the olive oil and enough water to make a soft but not too sticky dough.
4. Knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes or by machine for 6 minutes, until smooth.
5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat it in the oil. Cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
6. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knock back by kneading for 30 seconds.
7. Divide the dough into 8 balls. Place the polenta on a plate and roll each ball in it. Roll the dough balls into rounds 12cm in diameter.
8. Heat the grill on its highest setting until very hot. Place the dough rounds onto a greased baking sheet (you will need to do this in 2 batches or use 2 baking sheets).
9. Grill the dough about 7.5cm from the heat source for 2 minutes per side, or until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm. The bread can be reheated if required before serving.

Yeast: The quantity of yeast recommended to raise 225g / 8 oz flour in a standard bread recipe is as follows:

• 10g / 1/3 oz fresh yeast, or
• 3.5g / 1/8 oz fast-action yeast = 1.5 teaspoons fast-action yeast or
• 5g / 1/5 oz dried active yeast = 2 teaspoons dried active yeast

The type of yeast used to make a dough will affect the rising time of the dough, although by making the relevant conversion using the quantities table above you should get similar results from the various types.

Road Test

A note on ingredients: We used fast-action yeast, as per the instructions.

Method: Our hand-held mixer with the grappling hooks was perfect for kneading the dough. The instructions were clear and easy to follow.

Results: Fantastic! The bread was golden brown and slightly puffed - exactly how you would expect pitta to be! We ate it with hummus.

Verdict

The trouble with bread is that it’s cheap to buy, it takes a long time to make and the homemade stuff is not always better than what’s available in the shops. This recipe sounds like it should be difficult but it’s actually really easy. Normally with bread you have to prove it (let it rise), knead it and prove it again - a process that takes a couple of hours. With this recipe, you only have to prove it once and it’s a shorter proving time. Also because you grill it, the cooking time is much faster as well. And there is a clear advantage because you get to eat it when it’s hot.

This week’s recipe is for chocolate pistachio brownies from the October 2007 issue of Olive magazine. The recipe is by Michelle Noerianto and is rated easy.

Chocolate pistachio brownies

1 hour * EASY

unsalted butter 125g, melted, plus extra for the tin

shelled pistachios 100g

dark chocolate 200g, roughly chopped

brown sugar 200g

olive oil 5 tbsp

eggs 3

vanilla extract 1 tsp

plain flour 75g

cocoa powder 25g

baking powder 1/2 tsp

white chocolate 100g, roughly chopped

[NB This is a British recipe so a tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml].

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a tin (about 25cm x 16cm x 3cm). Put the pistachios on a baking tray and toast for 7 minutes. Cool.

Melt the dark chocolate in short blasts in the microwave, stirring occasionally until just melted. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the chocolate, sugar, butter, olive oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder over and fold gently to combine.

Fold through the pistachios and white chocolate. Pour into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until sticky crumbs cling to a skewer when testing. Cool in the tin then slice into squares to serve. Makes 12.

PER SERVING: 422 kcals, protein 5.8g, carbohydrate 39.9g, fat 27.7g, saturated fat 11.8g, fibre 0.9g, salt 0.17g

Road Test

A note on ingredients: I used Green & Blacks dark cooking chocolate and cocoa powder and Nestlé Menier Chocolat Patissier white chocolate. The vanilla was Taylor & Colledge Vanilla Bean extract and the eggs were organic and medium-sized. The pistachios were Waitrose home-brand and the flour was Sainsbury’s home-brand, while the sugar was Tate & Lyle. I was out of brown sugar so I substituted raw sugar.

Method: The instructions were clear and easy to follow. The recipe assumes that everyone has a microwave, which I don’t believe to be the case. This is likely not a problem since common sense dictates that you can also melt the chocolate on the stove.

I missed the fact that the ingredients listed the butter as melted. Magazines are always trying to save space so this was probably included in the ingredients line in order to save a line of text in the method. It might have been clearer to put this in the instructions but it did not matter since my electric whisk was able to blend the room-temperature butter into the mix quite easily. It might have been more difficult had the butter been taken straight from the refrigerator.

I checked the brownies after 28 minutes and they had already started to singe on top. After re-reading the recipe, I accept that this was my fault since I had the oven turned to 180C and not to 160C, the setting recommended for a fan oven. I had to scrape off the burnt bits with a knife and then try to disguise it with some sprinkled icing sugar. The brownies still looked good enough for their intended purpose - to fill a lovely mauve and grey floral-patterned cake tin and serve as a birthday gift for a friend.

Results: The brownies were quite crumbly, even after leaving them to cool. I don’t know whether this was because of the sugar substitution or a fault in the recipe.

I ate some of the crumbs (probably equivalent to half a brownie) and found it a little much for my taste. It was very sweet and rich and I felt slightly sick afterwards. I am sure it wouldn’t be a problem for the genuine Sweet Tooths among us.

Verdict

I like the idea of using pistachios in a brownie recipe but I don’t think it needs white chocolate on top of everything else. The flavour was a bit of a distraction and it felt like it was trying a little too hard to impress. Possibly the green of the nuts and the white of the chocolate were partly there to make the brownie more photogenic.

Olive tests its recipes three times and should not be blamed for my error with the oven temperature. However, I would not use this recipe again as I would prefer to use a simpler recipe and then customise it. For example, with any brownie recipe, you can substitute different nuts - as well as pistachios, almonds, walnuts, macadamias, hazelnuts and pecans are all good. And with recipes that call for raisins or sultanas, dried cranberries are a nice substitution.

This week’s recipe is for fried aubergine with chilli and salad onions from the September 2007 issue of Waitrose Food Illustrated. It’s a vegetarian dish by guest chef Simon Hopkinson.

Fried Aubergine with Chilli and Salad Onions

A surprisingly rich vegetable dish here, considering the relatively restrained ingredients. Perhaps it is down to the remarkable capacity that the aubergine has to soak up oil while being cooked - no bad thing, in this case. This remains one of the nicest sweet/sour dishes I know.

SERVES 4

PREPARATION: 15 MINUTES, PLUS 1 HOUR DEGORGING

COOKING: 20 MINUTES

500g Aubergine, cut into 2.5cm cubes

50ml Vegetable oil

1 tbsp Sesame oil

3tbsp Rice vinegar

2 tbsp Ginger syrup (taken from a jar of stem ginger)

2 tbsp Soy sauce

1 Salad onion, finely shredded lengthways

1 tbsp Fresh root ginger, grated

1 tsp Dried chilli flakes

1.5 tbsp Chopped coriander

[NB This is a British recipe so a tablespoon is 15ml and a teaspoon is 5ml].

Sprinkle the aubergine with salt, then, using your hands, mix together in a colander. Leave to drain for 45 minutes to 1 hour, then rinse in a sink of cold water. Drain, tip onto some kitchen paper and carefully pat dry.

Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan until smoking and fry the aubergine briskly for about 10 minutes, until well coloured. Lift out onto a double layer of kitchen towel to drain. Pour the sesame oil, vinegar, ginger syrup and soy sauce into the pan; allow to bubble, then put the aubergines back in. Cook gently, stirring carefully, for 5 minutes. Add the salad onion, ginger, chilli and coriander. Cook for another 2 minutes, then allow to cool a little in a dish before serving.

Per serving: 224 kcals; 17.4g fat (2.3g saturated fat); 1.3g salt; 12.8g sugars.

Road Test

A note on ingredients: I used Chee Seng Oil Factory sesame oil, Tung Chun chinese vinegar and Chain Kwo golden label light superior soy sauce, all from supermarkets in Chinatown. The aubergine (eggplant), salad onion, dried chilli and vegetable oil were standard supermarket ingredients. I did not have fresh coriander so I substituted 1 tbsp of dried coriander, on the based that dried herbs are stronger than fresh. I could only find crystallised ginger so I put soaked half a dozen pieces in hot water to create a syrup.

Method: The instructions were very clear but I made two modifications. Firstly I dispensed with degorging (the process of salting aubergine to draw out bitter juices). This is usually entirely unnecessary as most modern varieties of aubergine were not bitter. My other modification was to use a wok rather than a non-stick frying pan.

Results: This tasted fantastic. I served it with basmati rice with walnuts. The recipe was intended to serve four but only stretched to three serves. It was very moreish and we could have easily eaten the entire dish between two, but moderation prevailed.

Verdict

The aubergines were tender and tasty with a full, meaty flavour. The rice and walnuts made a good accompaniment. I will definitely make this again. Next time I will make a special effort to obtain fresh coriander as I believe this would improve the dish hugely. I may also fiddle around with the oil to make it more diet friendly - Simon Hopkinson says the capacity of aubergine to soak up oil is “no bad thing” but I’m not convinced. Aubergine soaks up flavour but fat is not the only way to add flavour.