Broccoli soup with blue cheese & aubergine, thyme and feta tart

Oh my god.... This was... soooo good....!!! It requires a bit of multitasking, but the end result makes it worth it!

Healthy and yummy.. is there anything better...?

Ingredients:

soup - 1 onion, 300gr broccoli, 1 potato, 1L vegetable stock, blue cheese

tart - 3 aubergines, puff pastry, 1 egg, 2 cloves garlic, thyme springs, 200gr feta, olive oil, a little milk

All ingredients used, for the tart (left) and for the soup (right).

So let's start with the soup:
 

Chop the onion and then the potato.

Cook the onion in a little olive oil in a large pan until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the potato and stock and simmer until the potato is tender (about 10 minutes). Add the broccoli and cook for 3-4 minutes until just tender but still bright green. Add half the cheese and blend to a smooth soup in a blender.

Season with salt and pepper then serve with the rest of the cheese crumbled over.

 And now for the tart...

Pre-heat oven to 180'C, using a knife make 4 think cuts along the one aubergine and place in over till 40 minutes or till soft. Remove form the oven (and turn it up to 200'C), peel the skin and crush he rest with a fork or with a mini blender until creamed. For the pastry, roll the pastry into a 27cm x 37cm rectangle.. or something that looks like a big blob in my case..! Make a line with a knife 3cm from the edges all around. Brush the outside with egg and milk.

Bake for 15 minutes until gold. Remove from the oven and push the central part down with a large spoon so as to leave a risen border all around.

Moving onto it's topping, fry the garlic and place into the creamed aubergine. Lightly season with salt an pepper.

Now, slice the other aubergine into thin think slices and fry in some olive oil. Whilst frying season with salt, pepper and thyme.

Cook both sides until golden.

Add the creamed aubergine with garlic to the center of the puff pastry. Then add the feta cheese.

Next add the aubergine slices.

And cook for a further 15 minutes... Yum!

Καλἠ ὀρεξη!!!!

week 7

Curried Leek and Carrot Soup

So this is one of those soups I make when I don't know what else to make with leeks and carrots.. and when I want something really healthy.

I found the recipe here: http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/6450/curried-leek-and-carrot-soup.aspx

I recommend this soup to anyone who wants something healthy, and has leeks and carrots they don't know what to do with!

• 500g leeks
• 500g carrots
• a couple sticks of celery
• little olive oil
• 1 potato (normal or sweet)
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1L chicken stock
• salt and pepper

All the ingredients used.

Wash the carrots, leeks and celery, and peel the carrots.

Chop them all up.

Saute them now in olive oil until the leeks are tender. Add the chopped up potato and curry powder; cook and stir for 2 minutes.

Pour in stock, salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender. Finally, using a hand-held immersion blender, blend the soup in the saucepan until smooth.

And enjoy with some bread and cheese :-)

Καλἠ ὀρεξη!!!

week 6

Sea bass and bacon with sweet potato mash and Asian greens

I absolutely love sea bass and so I've made this meal a couple of times and its always delicious.. Highly recommended!!

  

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe and here are the ingredients:

• (for the fish) 4 slices of bacon
• 2 x 150g (8½oz) fillets of sea bass, skin on, scaled and pin-boned 
• 1tsp fennel seeds
• 1 lemon 
• (for the potatoes) 2 sweet potatoes
• 2 tbsp mango chutney
• Soy sauce
• 2 limes
• (for the Asian greens) 1 fresh red chilli
• 1 clove of garlic
• Soy sauce
• 1 lime
• Sesame oil
• 250g (9oz) asparagus
• 1 head of broccoli

All ingredients used

Cut the sweet potatoes in half and put in a tray with the lime, then cover with aluminum foil and put in oven at 200'C for 45 minutes, or until cooked through (i.e. soft!).

Put the bacon into the frying pan with a little olive oil and cook till a little crispy.

Add a little olive oil, salt and pepper to the sea bass. Remove the bacon from the pan and add the fish, skin side down.
Scatter the fennel seeds over the fish with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the zest of 1 lemon. Leave to cook and check the fish - once the skin is golden and crispy, turn the heat down to low.

Moving on to the sweet potato mash.. (to busy to take any photos..!) Add the mango chutney, a good splash of soy sauce, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, the juice from ½ a lime and the reserved chopped chilli to a bowl. Chop and mix everything. Add the sweet potatoes and mix it all together.

And moving onto the greens... Fill the large saucepan with boiling water and add a large pinch of salt. Add the broccoli and asparagus, put the lid on and turn the heat to high. Next, prepare their dressing.. De-seed and chop the chilli. Crush the clove of garlic into the bowl and add 2 tbsp of soy sauce and 4-6 tbsp of olive oil. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and add a splash of sesame oil. Drain the broccoli and asparagus in a colander, then tip into the serving bowl with the dressing.

Add all together and enjoy...!

Καλἠ ὀρεξη!!!!!

 

week 5