melanzane e zucchini arrosto!!
Anybody who has been to Italy would be familiar with the big "antipasto" buffet selection in most restaurants, I'm like a kid in a sweet shop trying to decide what to have and of course I always fill my plate with too much (spot the Irish person) that I can never fit my pasta and meat course! I love marinated aubergines and courgettes, they are so simple but so tasty and versatile, my favourite way to eat them is on their own with some crunchy bread but they are great on a bruschetta, pizza or in a sandwich. We use them for one of our most popular sandwiches "Grigliata" which is a ciabatta filled with pesto, aubergine, roast peppers, rocket and mozzarella cheese.
I'm going to give you the recipe for "melanzane arrosto" but the courgettes would be done more or less the same way!!
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 3 aubergines sliced
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1 chilli finely chopped (optional)
- white wine vinegar
- olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
WHAT TO DO:
- place the aubergine slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for about 30 mins.
- in a bowl mix all your ingredients together and season.
- rinse the aubergine slices and pat dry with kitchen paper.
- heat a grill pan and cook aubergine slices on both sides giving a nice charred look.
- remove from the heat and leave to cool.
- arrange the aubergine slices in layers on a serving dish and spoon some of your mix over each layer.
- leave to marinate for a few hours before serving.
BUON APPETITO!!
LA CUCINA NEWS!!
We have these aubergines and courgettes for sale in La Cucina and also in the deli counter this week
- spinach & ricotta cannelloni
- pasta al forno
- parmigiana
- meat lasagna
All of the above serve 2 and take about 20-30 mins in the oven at 190 degrees.
This weeks:
pasta special - fettucine served with italian sausage and porcini.
risotto special - prawn risotto
pizza special - buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomato on the vine, basil and oregano.
Are you familiar with the aubergine 'chutney' for want of a better description, that occasionnally appears on antipasto platters? Looks as if it has tomato in it and there are also pine nuts in the mix. Very nice but no idea how to make it. (Comment this)
Marie - oh the memories - I'm depressed:) I forgot to mention the wine;) We just use regular red chilli or dried chilli! 2 prawn risotto coming right up:)
Sarah - this is my favourite pizza so we said we'd give it a go!! Enjoy! (Comment this)