Ever since I’d seen this Makhouda D’Aubergine recipe on The Traveller’s Lunchbox, I was interested in trying it. By the way what does ‘Makhouda’ mean? Can anyone tell me? Months after I’d first seen the recipe, I became even more excited about it because I’ve discovered that I really like eggplants/aubergines. Yum!

This recipe of eggplants, eggs, red pepper, onions, garlic, gruyère cheese, and fresh herbs was another hit in my house. I made it with the intention of saving some for lunch the next day. Well, that didn’t happen because they finished in record time.

The instructions were really straightforward and I had all the ingredients except for one – rosewater. I like that the recipe gave suggestions to replace unavailable ingredients – like using black pepper if you didn’t have the Tunisian spice blend bharat, or cayenne pepper as a replacement for North African hot pepper paste, harissa.

I didn’t have bharat or harissa but I did have their substitutes and they worked out well for me.

The photo isn’t too appealing. While the food baked, I worked on the computer and watched The Lord of the Rings (I and II) on T.V. Caught up in multitasking, I left the Makhouda in the oven a tad bit too long. As a result, the top became a little too dark, but it didn’t mar the taste. Served with salad, the Makhouda D’Aubergine was delicious and very filling.

The Flying Apple made this dish as well and like her, I plan on making it again (and again and again.) It was that good. Thanks, Melissa for this recipe. And congrats on your doctorate degree! Yippee!

Paz

Makhouda D’Aubergine
North Africa: The Vegetarian Table

Serves: 4-6 Notes: Serve this as a side dish with sweet or savory tagines, or as a light main course with a fresh green salad. Tunisians also apparently love to stick slices of it inside crusty bread spread with a little harissa and eat it as a sandwich.

1 large globe eggplant
salt for sprinkling
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and diced
8 large eggs
a handful (about 1/2 cup packed) chopped fresh parsley or coriander/cilantro leaves, or a mixture
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz (225g) gruyère cheese, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon bharat (Tunisian spice blend; you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon rosewater)
3/4 teaspoon salt
harissa (North African hot pepper paste) or cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
lemon wedges

Peel and cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch dice. Sprinkle lightly with salt and place the cubes in a colander to drain for about 20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and cook the eggplant, onion, and pepper, stirring occasionally until golden and soft, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a colander to drain off as much of the oil as possible.

In a medium bowl, mix the eggs and add the herbs, garlic, cheese and bread crumbs. Add the eggplant mixture. Season with the bharat, salt, and a small spoonful of the optional harissa or cayenne pepper.

Grease a 2-quart soufflé dish. Pour the egg mixture into the dish and bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown and puffed in the center, 40-45 minutes (a knife inserted into the center should come out clean). Let cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a serving platter (you can also just leave it in the dish). Cut into wedges or squares to serve. Serve hot or at room temperature with lemon wedges on the side.

My first peach cobbler. Okay, so everything I make here is my first.

Well, this first peach cobbler wasn’t bad at all. The best part of the cobbler was the peach filling. I used canned peaches, which were perfect for me — perfectly cut, perfectly ripe… The filling was very good and tasty.

I had a slight problem with the crust: I could have/should have left it in the oven to bake a little longer. I didn’t. Also, I could have/should have sprinkled more sugar on the top but I didn’t. The reason I didn’t do either was because the instructions were vague – “bake until golden brown.”

Better instructions for me would have been, “Bake for 30-45minutes.” Something like that.

Instead of “Sprinkle with sugar,” better instructions for me would have been, “Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar,” etc…

The dough was fine, but next time I’d like to try it with the dough that I used for my Roasted Baby Roma Tomato and Feta Tart. I like that dough better and wonder if that will make a difference with the peach cobbler… I’ll see…

I plan on trying this peach cobbler again.

Paz

Making the peach filling

Double Crusted Peach Cobbler
Boy Meets Grill

Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping and rolling
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Peach Filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch salt
10 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (if peaches are out of season, use thawed frozen peaches)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Crust:
Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process for 5 seconds. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water, a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough just comes together.

Remove dough and knead lightly on a lightly floured surface until it just comes together. Divide the dough in half and form into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Once dough is chilled, remove from the refrigerator and roll each disk into a 9-inch square approximately 1/4-inch thick. Place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets and return to the refrigerator to chill until ready to assemble.

Filling:
Melt butter in a large high-sided saute pan over medium heat. Add the sugar and water and cook until sugar is dissolved. Add nutmeg, salt, peaches, and flour and cook for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place half of the peach mixture in the bottom of a 9-inch square buttered baking dish using a slotted spoon. Top the peaches with 1 layer of dough. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is light golden brown. Remove from the oven and top the crust with the remaining peaches and cover with the other crust. Brush the top crust with heavy cream, sprinkle with sugar, and return to the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbly. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Right out of the oven

Holiday decorations in the city have gone up and will stay up for a while. Here’s a sample.

Have a great week, everyone!

Paz

Click on photo for larger image

I’ve mentioned before that there are many foods that I did not like to eat, until I started to cook. Let’s add mushrooms to the list.

I found this Portobello Mushroom Salad recipe on Domestic Cat. The recipe mentions whole Portobello mushrooms but I bought the ones already sliced. I think I’m allowed to take a little short cuts once in a while.

I enjoyed making this salad and eating it. The mushrooms, sprinkled with dried oregano and thyme tasted perfect. The mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juiced, simply enhanced the taste. Last, I garnished the dish with one of my favorite herbs — chopped, fresh parsely (the flat leaf kind). I don’t think this herb will ever fail you as you prepare your meal. Any time I toss it on the food I prepare, it always seems to liven up the meal in taste and appearance.

The recipe does not call for red onions. However, I had some leftover chopped onions in the fridge and threw it into the salad. Mmm… Mmm good! I loved the crunchy texture with the soft, smooth mushrooms and the textured feel of the parsley. Definitely a good combination. Thanks, Domestic Cat, for this recipe! I’ve made it several times, now.

I’d like to submit this recipe for Weekend Herb Blogging. It is one of my favorite food blog events but due to my busy schedule, I haven’t been able to participate in quite some time. Parsely is one of my favorite herbs with which to use on food. I probably went overboard here with the parsley and put too much, but I don’t care! I love it! I don’t think I can have too much parsley. It tasted good with the mushrooms.

Everyone knows about parsley. I’d say it’s a common herb used by many (Middle Eastern, European, and American cuisine). However, I learned something new from Wikipedia. Among its many uses, parsley is used as a breath freshner. It works well against garlic breath. Hmm… I’ll have to remember that. In the mean time, if you want to know more parsley, you can visit Wikipedia.

Paz

Portobello Mushroom Salad
Domestic Cat

• 400grs portobello mushrooms
• fresh or dried herbs, such as oregano and thyme
• balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt, freshly ground blackpepper

Preheat your oven to 200-210 C. Quickly wash mushrooms under running water and pat dry. Using a mellonballer or a coffee spoon, scoop out the black flesh under their caps. This will help them to have a better colour. Place mushrooms upside down on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a little salt and place herbs on their caps. Cook in the oven for about 30 mins or until soft. Remove the tray from the oven and transfer mushrooms on a cutting board. Cut them lenghtwise in 0.5 cm slices. Combine mushroom slices with the rest of the ingredients and check the taste. Balsamic vinegar especially goes well with this salad. Serve warm with meat or fish, or on its own. Enjoy!

*One can blog about herbs, plants, vegetables, or flowers for Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB). To see the list of other interesting WHB posts, go to Kalyn’s Kitchen, Sunday afternoon.

Interested in participating? Check out the guidelines.