Miso aubergine - recipe

This is another of Reiko's recipes from Hashi cooking

Reiko has a recipe book coming out in October, which I'm sure will do her recipes justice much more than my amateur attempts!

Ingredients (4 generous side portions):

2 good size aubergines

3 tbsp miso paste 

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp sunflower oil (or whichever oil you prefer)

Using a veg peeler, peel vertical one inch strips off the aubergines (see the pic below).  Cut the aubergines into one inch thick pieces

Brush one side of each piece and place under a medium grill (oiled side up).  Grill for about 8 minutes until lightly browned.

Turn over, brush the uncooked side with remaining oil and put under the grill for another 5 minutes, until lightly browned on that side too and soft to the touch.  If the aubergine is still firm, it may need a couple more minutes.

Whilst the aubergines are cooking, mix the miso, sugar and mirin in a bowl.  Heat in the microwave for one minute (or simmer in a small saucepan for 2-3 minutes).  The sauce needs to be thick enough to sit on top of the aubergine, if it's too watery add a little more miso and sugar; if too thick, add a little water.**

Paste the miso sauce on top of each piece of aubergine, giving a good covering.  Put the aubergine back under the grill (paste side up).  Grill for 1-2 minutes, until the miso sauce starts bubbling.  Watch them carefully, as the miso sauce burns easily.

I served them with tuna steaks and wasabi mashed potatoes and saved a little of the miso paste to use as a sauce on the side.  Absolutely delicious!

**This sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks. It makes a delicious dip.

Aubergines: peeled and ready to grill

Cooked aubergines, with miso paste ready for the final grilling

Not a great pic - but miso aubergine with tuna steak and wasabi mashed potato

Moomba - restaurant review

I probably should learn my lesson and lay off special offers for a while but hey, the credit card's maxed out and a girl's gotta eat.

This week's disappointment was Moomba in Putney - according to the website this is "Putney's favourite neighbourhood restaurant and bar".  Really?? 

We went along because a) it looked rather nice on the website and b) there was 50% off food with a Tastecard.

The bar itself is perfectly pleasant and the staff nice enough.  Unfortunately the food just wasn't very good.  Nor was the wine. 

I won't spend too much time going into it - after all, the prices are reasonable to start with and we got 50% off, so it didn't break the bank. 

In short:
Prawn and avocado cocktail: watery sauce, weirdly mushed up avocado, average prawns
Chilli & lime Cornish crab cakes, mango salsa: Tasted like Mum had gone to Iceland.  No evidence of chilli, lime or mango.
Grilled sea trout, crayfish ravioli, samphire, champagne sauce: So salty it was inedible.

The side order of fries on the other hand were very good, so I'm willing to concede that some items on the menu might be better - perhaps the sharing plates, or something simple like a burger.  Unlikely to find out though, as I shan't be going back.

Summery salad (for not-so summery weather) - recipe

I actually made this salad just before I went on holiday but didn't get round to writing a post on it.  Lovely, light summery lunch.  I'm sure it tastes just as good in the rain though!  The peppery rocket works well with the tart lemon dressing and salty feta cheese.

I made it using English asparagus.  As the season has sadly now ended, you could replace asparagus with sugar snap peas if you wanted.

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 bunch asparagus (or sugar snap peas if you prefer), woody bit removed and spears cut into three pieces
1 courgette, cut into thin slices
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 bag rocket
100g feta cheese crumbled or cubed (you could also use goats cheese)
Handful of fresh herbs, chopped (I used mint, basil and parsley but you could just use one)
Juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
Drizzle of olive oil for cooking

Method:
Drizzle asparagus and courgette with a little olive oil and cook in pre-heated griddle pan for 3-4 minutes, turning once during cooking.  Allow to cool slightly.

Mix spring onions, rocket, herbs in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice to make a salad dressing.

Add the asparagus and courgette to the leaves, dress according to taste.  Serve sprinkled with feta cheese.

courgette, asparagus, feta, lemon, spring onion, rocket

What's in season: July

One of the great things I've found about food blogging is that it's given me a whole new understanding of what food is in season.


Being armed with this knowledge means I can buy local produce, saving on evil food miles, but it also gives me inspiration for new recipes.


So, I'm thinking this might be useful for other people too, so my plan is to write a quick blog post at the beginning (ish) of each month with a list of what's in season. Let me know if I miss anything.


What's in season: July

Fruit: Apricots, blackcurrants, blueberries, cherries, elderflowers, gooseberries, loganberries, peaches, raspberries, redcurrants, rhubarb, strawberries, tomatoes

Vegetables: Artichokes, aubergine, beans, beetroot, broccoli, cabbages, carrots, courgettes, cucumber, fennel, garlic, horseradish, kohl rabi, lettuce, mange tout, onions, spring onions, peas, new potatoes, radish, rocket, runner beans, samphire, shallots, sorrel, watercress.