Quick Aubergine Lasagne with Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Pesto

Are you looking for something easy and very quick to make? 
Try this tasty recipe, a treat for summer days.

Simply roast 2 aubergines, then built layers alterning 1 slice of augergine, a teaspoon of homemade pesto, 1 slice of mozzarella, few leaves of rocket and a slice of tomato. 
Repeat layers 2 times and top with a last slice of aubergine, pesto and a green olive. To help the layers remain together use a small wooden stick.

To make 6 lasagne I used:
2 Medium Aubergines 
2 Mozzarellas
3 Salad Tomatoes
1 Handful of Rocket
30 grams of Homemade Pesto
6 Green Olives

Enjoy :) 

Lebanese Moussaka with Green Peppers

As promised here's the recipe of the lebanese moussaka. Traditionally, it doesn't have green peppers in it, but the one I had in this lebanese restaurant in Greenwich a few weeks ago did, and I think they taste gourgeous!

Ingredients are few, and making this dish is really simple and quick, as long as you have all things prepared, like the roasted aubergines, which you can do up to two days in advance.

This is great to be eaten both as a starter and as a main dish.

Here follow what you need to replicate it:

2 Roasted Aubergines (CLICK HERE)

15-20 Long Green Peppers

1 can of Chickpeas

1 can of Chopped Tomatoes

1 Big Shallot

2 Gloves of Garlic

3 tbs of Tomato Paste

3 tbs of E.V. Olive Oil

1 ts of Smoked Paprika

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh Parsley

Preheat the oven at 200°.

Wash the peppers, then cut them in half and get rid of the seeds.

Place the peppers on a tray, sprinkle on some olive oil and salt, and bake for 30 mins on grill mode, turning them half way.

In the meantime, chop the onion and the garlic and allow them to cook in a wok with some olive oil and a splash of water for about 5 mins.

Add the chopped tomatoes, the chickpeas and season with some smoked paprika, pepper and salt. Add the tomato paste and a couple of glasses of water, then cook for about 15 mins.

In the meantime peal off the skin of the aubergines and put the filets in a bowl.

Once the green peppers are cooked, add them into the wok and cook for others 15 to 20 mins. Combine the aubergines filets during the last 5 mins of cooking.

Serve your moussaka at room temperature with some fresh parsley finely chopped.

Giant Cous Cous with Butternut Squash, Feta Cheese and Sun Dried Tomatoes

This is literally one of the best cous cous I've ever made!
I think the balance between the richness of the sun dried tomatoes along with the sweetness and the bland taste of the butternut squash, and last-but-not-least the saltiness of the feta cheese gives this dish the right amount of deliciousness that will make your taste buds dance all day long!

For 2 to 3 servings:
150 grams of Giant Cous Cous
70 grams of Feta Cheese
1 Little Butternut Squash
10 Sun Dried Tomatoes (in oil)
Rosmary
E.V. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

First wash the squash... look at that, isn't it pretty? XD

I feel so sorry I have to peel you and cut into pieces, but here goes... (!) 

Place the pieces into a large tin, spread over some extra virgin olive oil and season with some rosmary, salt and pepper.

Cook into the oven at about 200° for around 40 to 50 mins, until soften.

Boil the cous cous according to the instructions on its box. 
Chop both the sun dried tomatoes, the squash and the feta cheese. Add some other olive oil to taste, mix well and serve :) 

Aubergine & Feta Pie

Hello there! 
Today I was so into experimenting and suddenly this recipe has started to take form into my brain.
To be fair.. This is how it started.. Basically yesterday I've roasted 2 medium aubergine to try to reproduce one very delicious lebenase Moussaka (click here for the recipe) I had last Sunday at Greenwich.. Roasted, indeed, as I'm not such a fan of fried veggies and, of course, I always try not to cook caloric meals at home... Anyway! I wasn't really in the mood for another Moussaka to be honest (but don't be worried, I'm going to make it asap, so stay tuned if you wanna find out more ;) ) so here it goes!

Make sure you have:
2 Medium Aubergines
3 Medium Potatoes
100 gr of Feta Cheese
1 Egg
1 Glove of Garlic
Parsley
1 Piece of Bread
Salt and Pepper to taste
E.V. Olive Oil
Bread Crumbs
Parmesan or Grana Cheese

First things first: let's roast the augergine!
Wash them and pierce the skin all around with a fork and roast the aubergines for about 3-4 mins per side on a very hot pan. In the meantime preheat the oven at 200°.
Once the aubergines are cooked, transfer them into a tin and bake for about 30 to 40 mins, turning them once.
After this step, place them into a plastic bag while they're still hot (mind your fingers!) and allow to chill overnight.

Now it's time to peal off the skin and put the filets into a bowl.

I really do love the consistency, they literally mealt in the mouth, yum!

Let's add now the bread (previously soften and drained into some warm water), the feta cheese, the garlic and the parsley, finally chopped, the egg, the salt and the pepper.

Mix well until you reach a texture that looks similar to this:

Pour about 1 tablespoon of E.V. Oil into a 500 grams plum cake mould and coat all sides with some bread crumbs.

Peal & slice the potatoes, then line them on each side of the tin.

Fill with the aubergine and feta mixure..

..then cover with another layer of sliced potatoes.

Spread over some other bread crumbs and some grana or parmesan cheese, then allow to cook for about 45 mins at 180°.

This is how it will look like still in the tin..

..And this is how it is on a plate, upside down :)

Whole Grain Barley, Spinach and Feta Salad

To make this easy-peasy recipe all you need for 4 to 5 servings is:

300 gr of Whole Grain Barley
100 gr of Frozen Spinach Cubes (better if finely chopped)
100 gr of Feta Cheese
5 Mints Leaves
1 Glove of Garlic
Salt, Pepper & E.V. Olive Oil to taste

Wash and rinse the barley then boil it in a generous amount of water for about 30 mins (or according to the instructions of its pack).

In the meantime, cook the spinach in a pan with a couple of table spoons of oil, a pinch of sea salt and the garlic glove, finaly chopped (if you don't like its taste, you can leave it whole and remove it before assembling the dish). This would take about 10 mins at medium heat.

Once the barley is cooked, drain it then allow both the spinach and the barley to chill.

Roughly break the feta cheese in a bowl, then add the barley, the spinach and the mint leaves finaly chopped.

Season with a couple of table spoons of olive oil, pepper and more sea salt to taste.

Best served cold or at room temperature.