Around the world - Stopover 26 - Montenegro

Montenegro was drawn out of the hat the week before Christmas which feels like such a long time ago now. I managed to research, plan and cook up a meal during the chaos of the silly season although I haven't had the chance to post about it until now. Montenegro is a small European country located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea which shares borders with Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania. Montenegrin cuisine varies depending on the region, the coastal areas have a Mediterranean influence whereas inland regions consume dishes that are also common in Turkey, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia.

When I made a version of Bosnian Zeljanica with filo pastry during Vegan Mofo, I mentioned that I would have liked the opportunity to attempt making burek pastry if I had more time on my hands. Even though time was limited again on this occasion, I stubbornly wanted to give a Montenegrin burek called krompirusa a try. Krompirusa is a snail shaped burek filled with finely cubed potatoes and onions that have been precooked in vegetable stock.

The recipes I adapted my version from were written in Serbian or Croatian and with the aid of Google translate it still was a challenge to make complete sense of the ingredients and methods. My long bench top was an essential tool in preparing the krompirusa and even though I split the dough into two pieces to make smaller bureks, the length of the pastry measured just under 2 metres! After the lengths of dough were rolled out, filling and shaping the krompirusa didn't take much time at all.

As I wasn't sure how flavoursome the filling would be, I searched for an accompaniment and decided to make a dip/relish based on roasted red capsicum/bell peppers called ajvar. It wasn't incredibly complicated to make although it wasn't the speediest process either as the vegetables needed to be oven roasted and onion and garlic sautéed prior to processing it all into a paste.  

After all the effort that went into the meal I wasn't impressed with the texture of pastry as it wasn't light and flaky as you would expect from a burek so I'm back to the drawing board with this type of dough. Regardless of the unsatisfactory pastry, the krompirusa tasted fantastic and was surprisingly delicious on it's own. The ajvar was a fantastic partner for the krompirusa and would be perfect to serve alongside a bunch of other dips so I've included my version of it below.


Ajvar (Adapted from Todd's wanderings)

3 small red capsicums/bell peppers
1 lebanese eggplant
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 240C. Place the capsicums and eggplant on a roasting tray and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the skins have charred. Flip the vegetables over and bake for a further 10-15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and when they are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins from the capsicum and eggplant and discard the seeds and membranes from the capsicums.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small frying pan and sauté the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute then turn off the heat and set aside.

Place the cooked eggplants and capsicum in a food processor along with the onion/garlic mixture, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, salt, remaining tablespoon of olive oil and black pepper. Process until it becomes a smooth paste, then transfer to a serving dish.

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Did you know?

The Montenegrin people are reportedly the world's tallest. The average height for males is 186 cm (6 feet, 1 inch) and the average for women is 171 cm (5 feet, 7 inches).

Vegan MoFo - Stopover 8 - Lebanon

When the young man drew Lebanon out of the hat, he grinned and said to me, "I think you'll like this one". He was spot on, what's not to love about Lebanese food - falafels, hummus, baba ganoush, pita bread, tabbouleh, ful medames and mujaddara to name a few. The only problem with these foods is that I've made them all before so I searched further to find something new to try.

Kibbeh is a national Lebanese dish typically made of burghul, onions, ground meat and spices. It can be served in a number of ways, the most common form is stuffed and fried in the shape of mini footballs. I had more than enough fried foods last week so when I spotted a baked version in World Vegan Feast by Bryanna Clark Grogan I simply had to try it. Bryanna's version started with a layer of thinly sliced onions drizzled with olive oil which were covered with a bulgar and mashed potato mixture followed by a layer of lentils and topped off with the bulgar and mashed potato.

The most substantial change I made to the recipe was to use quinoa in place of bulgar as it's something I don't keep in the pantry. I loved that the recipe provided several options with regards to the fresh herbs that could be used and as I had mint and parsley on hand that's what I used. The spices in the dish were minuscule by my usual standards which made me wonder whether this meal was going to be flavoursome enough. I needn't have been worried as it turned out to be really lovely, the spices and mint were quite subtle although it was the onions throughout that really made the dish. Using quinoa may not have been the best substitute as the texture of the kibbeh turned out to be rather crumbly which made it impossible to cut squares neatly. I served the kibbeh with pita bread and leftover baked okra as it need to be used up.

During my research I came across a dip I hadn't heard of before called mutabbel before realising that it's a slightly spicier version of baba ganoush. Both of these eggplant dips are common to Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Kurdistan, Israel and Egypt even though their names and ingredients vary slightly between countries. I've made baba ganoush plenty of times before using different methods to cook the eggplant and this time I decided to initially blacken the eggplant over a gas flame, stuff it with garlic slivers and finish the cooking in the oven. I enjoy the smoky flavour that roasting eggplants over a flame brings although I find it time consuming and fiddly to completely cook the eggplant this way so I was much happier with the method I chose.

Mutabbel

1 large eggplant (about 750g)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons tahini
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon smoked salt
olive oil, parsley and smoked paprika, for serving

Preheat oven to 200C.

Place the eggplant over a gas flame until the skin is mostly blackened (this step can be skipped if you like and the eggplant roasted a longer time. Make incisions in the flesh of the eggplant and insert slices of garlic in the cuts. Place the eggplant on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 30 minutes or until the eggplant is very tender and collapsing.

When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel off the skin and discard. Roughly chop the eggplant flesh and place into a food processor bowl with the tahini, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne pepper and smoked salt. Process until it has a smooth texture then transfer to a serving bowl. Make a moat in the middle and fill with olive oil. Garnish with chopped parsley and smoked paprika.

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Did you know?

Lebanon is a unique country in the Middle East as it's the only country that doesn't have a desert.

Do you want to know where else I've been this month? Click here for the round up.

Moussaka update

When I have time on my hands and I'm in the mood for eating it, I really do love making moussaka. It takes a while to put together the way that I am accustomed to making it, yet I don't want to change the process as I have found that shortcuts are detrimental to it's overall taste. Last year I posted my initial vegan moussaka recipe which I was quite happy with at the time. This recipe has now fallen into the category of a few other recipes of mine where it has evolved into something different so I figured it was time for an update.

The main differences between my latest version and the earlier recipe are the bechamel sauce and I usually don't bother with a feta cheese replacement crumbled into the layers as it is flavoursome enough without it. I made a batch of Johanna's baked almond feta last week so I did add this to one of the layers only because I had it on hand. Another area where I have always fluctuated in the making of this meal is the method of precooking the vegetables. It used to work best with a BBQ hot plate and grill but ours hasn't been in working order for years so I have found that the next best thing to use is the grill function in my oven (with a watchful eye). Precooking the vegetables is the most time consuming part of the moussaka preparation and I believe this is a crucial step as it allows the potatoes and zucchini to soak up the flavours of the sauce whilst baking and gives the eggplant a wonderful smoky flavour.

The bechamel replacement that has become my standard is adapted from the moussaka recipe in Veganomicon. I wasn't attracted to the entire moussaka recipe as it doesn't contain enough eggplant and there is too much potato for my liking although I was very interested in the pine nut crema that is used in the topping. The greatest part about this crema is all of the ingredients are whizzed up in a blender so there is no need to fuss over the stove worrying about getting lumps in your sauce. After I tried out the crema, I made some changes as the standard tub of silken tofu I buy is 300g and the recipe calls for 450g. Silken tofu is one of those things that can linger in my fridge if it's not used immediately so I made some changes to the recipe after I grew tired of wasting leftover tofu. I found that 300g of tofu with half a cup of soy milk and some extra cornflour does just as good a job.  

Another wonderful thing about moussaka is that it makes a large quantity and the leftovers taste fantastic. It's a fantastic dish to take along to gatherings as it can be baked ahead of time and reheated when required.

Moussaka with tomato lentil sauce and pine nut crema (Crema adapted from Veganomicon)

Olive oil spray
1kg eggplant, sliced into 1-2cm thick pieces
500g potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
500g zucchini, sliced thinly
150g baked almond feta, crumbled (optional)

Tomato lentil sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 ½ cups cooked brown lentils or use a 400g tin, drained and rinsed
700ml jar tomato passata
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ cup water

Pine nut/cashew crema

½ cup pine nuts or raw unsalted cashews
300g silken tofu, drained
½ cup soy milk
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons cornflour
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
pinch nutmeg

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set aside for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray the potato and zucchini slices slightly with olive oil and cook under a griller until slightly browned on both sides. Alternatively, the slices can be fried them in a lightly oiled pan or baked in the oven on tray lined with baking paper until browned on both sides.

After the eggplant has rested for 30 minutes, place the slices in a colander and rinse well. Pat dry with a tea towel or paper towel and grill, fry or bake the eggplant slices until browned on both sides.

Heat the olive oil in a deep sided frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir through the garlic for a minute then add the chilli flakes (if using), oregano, lentils, passata and salt. Rinse out the passata jar with the water and add this to the saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

Place the pine nuts or cashews, tofu, soy milk, garlic, cornflour, lemon juice, salt and nutmeg in a blender or food processor and blend until it is completely smooth and no lumps remain.

Preheat the oven to 200C. In a 30cm x 20cm casserole dish, spread out about a quarter of the tomato lentil sauce. Place a third of the eggplant, zucchini and potato slices on top, followed by another quarter of the tomato lentil sauce. Crumble the baked almond feta on top, if using. Repeat the vegetable and sauce layering two more times, then pour the contents of the blender over the top as evenly as possible. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, the top should be firm and starting to brown.

Spicy eggplant

My biggest problem when cooking for a crowd is that I get so caught up in cooking I often forget to take photos! It was almost the case this time as out of the three curries made, I only took a quick shot of one. Even though this isn't the greatest photo, I'm glad to have captured something otherwise I wouldn't have felt inspired to write about this dish.

Not much was changed from the original recipe, in fact the only alterations I made were to use lebanese eggplants in place of regular eggplant as well as reducing the amount of oil considerably. I was dubious about pieces of standard eggplant holding together after initial frying and then cooking in the curry sauce. Leaner shaped lebanese eggplants had an advantage as after they were cut, a strip of skin was present in every piece which made them more robust. The amount of oil in the recipe was listed as 310ml which seemed way more than necessary, particularly as we had fried pakoras on the menu. I cut this back to just under half by using what felt right and measuring along the way. A decent portion of oil was still used in the making of this dish as eggplants really do love to soak it up.

Even though this curry is called spicy eggplant, I didn't find it overwhelming spicy. Like most curries it developed a lot of flavour overnight and I enjoyed the leftovers that can be seen above even more. The other curries I made were my old favourite dal makhani which I hadn't made for the man's family before and Palak "paneer" from Holy Cow. The paneer substitute was made with marinated and fried tofu cubes, it's something I have tried before but not revisited for a while. All of the curries received many compliments yet I have a strong feeling that the pakoras were the stars of the night.

For dessert I made individual orange vanilla custard fruit tarts from Wrapped in Pastry which were thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who tried them. I regret not taking a photo of them on the night as the custard had broken up a little by the next day. This photo taken days later will have to suffice.

Oh, one last thing! I have finally created a Twitter account and am in the process of getting that up and running. If you are on twitter, feel free to follow me and I'll return the favour.


Spicy eggplant (Adapted from The Food of India)

800g lebanese eggplant
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2cm piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
400g tin diced tomatoes
10 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon kaloonji (nigella seeds)
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt

Slice the eggplants lengthwise into halves or quarters depending on their size, then into pieces about 5cm long. Sprinkle the eggplant pieces with salt and allow to rest for 30 minutes in a colander. Rinse well with fresh water and pat dry with a clean tea towel.

Place the garlic, ginger and 1/3 of the tinned tomatoes in a blender and process until smooth.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a deep sided frying pan on medium heat and place as many slices of eggplant that will fit in a single layer. Cook until browned on both sides, then remove and place in a colander. Repeat until all of the eggplant is cooked. This took me 4 batches.

Heat the final 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan and add the fennel and kaloonji seeds.When the seeds begin to sizzle and smell fragrant, pour in the contents of the blender, then add the remainder of the tinned tomatoes, coriander, cayenne pepper, turmeric and salt. Stir frequently for 5 minutes, then add the eggplant pieces. Mix the eggplant through the sauce gently so the pieces don't fall apart. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve it as a cold dish.

Tempeh Lasagne

Tempeh, you either love it or hate it! For me, it's the latter the majority of the time but I'm starting to learn ways that I can appreciate it. The first few times I tried tempeh at home, it was in chunks that had been marinated and then baked or fried. Even after following tips and steaming the tempeh prior to marinating, I still found that these chunks had an unpleasant taste that the marinade didn't disguise.

Cindy from Where's the Beef tentatively pointed me in the direction of her tempeh lasagne recipe recently as I haven't been totally satisfied with any of my previous vegan lasagne attempts to date. I was delighted to find that the tempeh in this recipe was cut into tiny mince-sized pieces and I was particularly interested in trying the cashew cream sauce.    

A few adjustments were made to bulk up the tempeh sauce portion as Cindy mentioned that the lasagne could have used more of this. Some eggplant was added to the tempeh sauce as there was some around that needed using up. I also made my own lasagne sheets using a mixture of semolina and wholemeal flour.

The lasagne turned out to be really delicious and full of flavour. My son is not that keen on tempeh either but he really liked this meal. The man adored it and everyone was keen to have a share in the leftovers. I found that a few bites here and there still had a hint of the tempeh taste I'm not fond of. This was totally my fault as I increased the amount of tempeh in the recipe but didn't change the amount of soy sauce and liquid smoke that the tempeh needs to soak up. That is the only thing I would change next time around and there will be a next time because this lasagne is now our favourite!

I would love to hear about more tasty tempeh recipes. Let me know if you have any favourite recipes that use little bits of tempeh.  


Tempeh Lasagne (Adapted from Where's the Beef)

Pasta dough (or skip this step and use pre-made sheets)

3/4 cup plain wholemeal flour
3/4 cup semolina flour
pinch of sea salt
1/3 - 1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons olive oil

Place the flours into a bowl with a pinch of salt, mix together thoroughly and make a well in the centre. Pour the water and olive oil into the well and work the flour into the water slowly until a slightly wet dough has formed. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.

Tempeh Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
300g tempeh, chopped into tiny pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce (will add an extra tablespoon next time)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (will add an extra 1/2 teaspoon next time)
250g eggplant, chopped into 2cm cubes
2 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 x 400g tin diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pepper, to taste

Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the tempeh, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until the pieces are browned. Add the soy sauce and liquid smoke and fry until the sauces have totally been absorbed by the tempeh. Remove from the saucepan and set aside.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the saucepan and cook the eggplant for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the eggplant is soft and golden. Remove from the saucepan and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and cook the onion and garlic for 10 minutes, until the onions are very soft. Add the tinned tomatoes, eggplant, dried basil, chilli flakes, salt and pepper and simmer while you are making the cashew cream sauce. Stir the tempeh through the sauce just prior to assembling the lasagne.

Cashew Cream Sauce

1 cup cashews
1 litre oat milk
3 tablespoons dairy-free margarine
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Place the cashews in a blender with 1/2 cup of oat milk and process until it becomes a smooth paste.

Melt the dairy free margarine in a saucepan then stir the flour through. Cook, stirring for a few minutes until the mixture browns a little. Add the rest of the oat milk, slowly at first, whisking through the mixture to ensure that no lumps remain.

Bring the mix to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick. Add in the cashew cream/oat milk paste and nutritional yeast flakes then stir until combined. Simmer for another 5 minutes, turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Lasagne Assembly

Use a pasta machine or rolling pin to roll out thin sheets of pasta. Cut the pasta to measure the width of your baking tray.

Spread enough cashew cream sauce to cover the bottom of your baking dish. Add a layer of lasagne sheets, then spread a 1/3 of the tempeh sauce followed by enough cashew cream to cover the sauce. Repeat the layering another 2 times, finishing with a layer of cashew cream. Bake in the oven at 200C for 30 minutes until the top layer has browned.

Vegan MoFo - Z is for Zaalouk

I wanted to revisit an old recipe for my last alphabet post as it's one I have been meaning to make for a while. Zaalouk is a slow roasted eggplant and tomato combination finished off with harissa, cumin, caraway, fresh coriander and mint that can be served chunky or pureed. I chose to puree it and serve it as a dip with pita bread but when left chunky it can also pass for a salad. It's not a quick dish to make although there is plenty of downtime throughout the process and the end result makes your efforts worthwhile.

The original recipe sourced from a Sunday paper makes a huge quantity and as I only had one eggplant around, I made a third of it this time which resulted in about a cup of dip. It was just as delicious as I had remembered it and one I will definitely make again.

This is my last Vegan MoFo post for the A - Z of golden oldies and newbies. I managed to meet my original goal of posting at least 2 new recipes per week, 12 for the month and ended up posting 15 new recipes, so I'm pretty happy about that. The full list of alphabet posts can be found on this page.

I have had a lot of fun with the theme and ventured into cooking with new ingredients like jackfruit, daikon and fava beans. My favorite new recipes to come out of the month were Hot Potato Salad, Imam Bayildi, Pinwheels, Rendang Nangka, Seitan Gyros, Vanilla Slice and Yassa Tofu.

I hope to get one more post in quickly to share some of my bookmarks from the second half of MoFo.

Vegan MoFo - I is for Imam Bayildi

I went searching through my cookbooks for inspiration for the letter I and stumbled across a recipe I had been meaning to try - a Turkish stuffed eggplant recipe called Imam Bayildi. This recipe appealed to me due to the name which translates to "The Priest Fainted" even more so than the ingredients. There are two stories behind the name; the first is that the priest fainted with pleasure when he tasted this delicious dish and the second is that he keeled over when he saw how much precious olive oil his wife had used to make it.

There were recipes in two of my cookbooks, World Vegetarian Classics by Celia Brooks Brown and The Cook's Companion by Stephanie Alexander. I chose to follow the latter as it is a treasured cookbook but one I have neglected in recent times. It was still useful to cross reference both recipes as Celia Brooks Brown's recipe stated a much longer cooking time of one and a half hours as opposed to 30 - 45 minutes. I ended up cooking the eggplant for close to an hour and a half which resulted in a smooth silky texture.

This meal turned out surprisingly flavoursome considering it only contained onion, garlic, tomato, eggplant, olive, lemon juice and parsley. The recipe was scaled down to feed two as I wasn't sure how great the meal would be or if I would want any leftovers. I was kicking myself that I hadn't made more as this was the most delicious eggplant I have eaten in a while and it's made me realise that the way to succeed with eggplant is to use heaps of oil and a long time in the oven!

Click here to see my A - Z of Vegan MoFo posts.


Imam Bayildi (Adapted from The Cook's Companion)

1 medium eggplant
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 bay leaf
pinch of cinnamon
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon

Slice the eggplant down the centre then scoop out the flesh leaving a small rim in the eggplant shells. Chop the eggplant flesh, salt and set aside. Salt the eggplant shells and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse and dry.

Preheat oven to 180C. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan, then cook the shallots on a low flame until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then stir through the tomato, bay leaf, cinnamon and parsley and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and remove the bay leaf.

Rinse the eggplant flesh and dry with paper towel. Heat another tablespoon of olive oil in the saucepan and fry the eggplant for about 5 minutes until soft and golden. Mix the contents of the bowl through the eggplant.

Spoon the filling into the eggplant shells and place onto an oiled baking tray. Cover with a mixture of juice from half a lemon and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes spooning the liquid over the top of the eggplants a couple of times during baking.

Mmmm Moussaka...

When I became vegan there were quite a few vegetarian meals that I wanted to be able to reproduce a tasty vegan equivalent of, moussaka was one of them. I only ever tried one recipe as it seemed perfect to me and was always devoured at home or any gathering it was brought along to.

A couple of months ago I had an attempt at making a vegan version. As I wasn't totally impressed with the result, a little tweaking was required to elevate it back to the delicious moussaka it previously had been. 

The main element that needed further work was the fetta cheese replacement. On my first attempt I used a variation of Carla's spanakopita filling which I loved in that flaky pie when I made it however it wasn't quite right for this meal. The texture was too creamy which made it difficult to spread evenly and the flavour not quite strong enough. This time I made a batch of Betta Feta from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stephaniak which was simple to put together but required a few days of maturing in the fridge.

The most time consuming part in making this moussaka is the initial cooking of the vegetables, however it is essential to the final result. The vegies really soak up the flavours of the tomato-lentil sauce when they are subjected to this pre-cooking step. I used to fry up the vegie slices in a non-stick frying pan and after some time I switched to using my BBQ to grill the vegies. This brings wonderful smoky flavours to the moussaka plus the added bonus of more cooking space to grill the vegies on which results in less time spent on the task. As my BBQ isn't in great working order I opted to try something different. The potato and zucchini slices were cooked in a non-stick frying pan and the eggplants placed under a griller until browned. 

After the lentil-tomato sauce is ready and the vegetables are grilled or fried, it's time to layer the dish. This is the fun part! I start with half of the potatoes on the bottom, plug any gaps with zucchini, followed by a third of the eggplant slices with more zucchini to fill spaces. Half of the sauce gets spread on this layer then half of the tofu feta. This sequence is repeated, then the moussaka is finished with the remaining eggplant and zucchini.

I was so thrilled with how this moussaka turned out and am very happy that I can still make an equally delicious vegan version of a favourite dish. In the past I have referred to my moussaka as a labour of love and indeed it is just that! It's not something I would attempt on a weeknight however it is well worth the effort when you have time up your sleeve on the weekend.

Vegan Moussaka (Adapted from allrecipes.com)

Vegetables for layering

2 medium eggplants, thinly sliced
3 small zucchini, thinly sliced
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set aside for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the potato and zucchini slices under a griller until slightly browned or fry them in a lightly oiled pan until browned and softened. 

After the eggplant has rested for 30 minutes, pat dry with paper towels, then grill or fry the eggplant slices.

Tomato Lentil Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 x 400g tin diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato passata
1 x 400g tin lentils
3 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic until lightly browned. Pour in vinegar and cook until the liquid has reduced. Stir in tomatoes, tin of lentils including the juice, oregano and parsley. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes.

Betta Feta Tofu (Adapted from the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook)

350g of firm tofu, cut into cubes
1 cup water
1/3 cup white miso
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Place tofu cubes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 5 minutes. Drain well.

Whisk together remaining ingredients, add the drained tofu and let cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. Chill uncovered in the refrigerator until cold to the touch. Cover and chill for at least 2-7 days before serving.


Only half of this batch was used in the moussaka. Remove half of the tofu cubes when you are ready to use them and chop finely.

Bechamel Sauce

2 tablespoon dairy free margarine
1/4 cup plain flour
1 1/2 cups soy milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pinch ground nutmeg

In a small saucepan melt the margarine. Stir through the flour then add the soy milk 1/2 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly to ensure that there are no lumps. Bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly until thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper and add nutmeg.

Moussaka

In a large rectangular casserole dish place a layer of potatoes, zucchini and eggplant, then add half of the tomato-lentil sauce and crumble half of the tofu filling over the top. Repeat this layering then finish with a layer of eggplant and zucchini.

Cover and bake at 190C for 25 minutes. Uncover and pour bechamel sauce over vegetables. Bake, uncovered, for another 25 to 30 minutes.

Zaalouk

Whilst browsing through my recipes recently, I discovered an interesting sounding dip which had been torn out from a Sunday paper many moons ago. Zaalouk is a Moroccan roasted eggplant and tomato dip with spices, the ingredients sounded like a good blend and something that was a little different so I decided to bring this along to a family BBQ along with the quinoa salad.

It is a rather time-intensive snack to put together, however there is a lot of down time throughout the process. Slightly charring eggplants over a flame, then roasting the eggplants, followed by removing their skin, slow-roasting of the eggplants plus the tomatoes, and finally frying the eggplants and tomatoes with spices. Phew, that is quite a process for a simple dip!

After sampling the zaalouk with some rice crackers, I was very happy with how it had turned out. I knew it would taste so much nicer with some Turkish bread and decided to give this a try. The result of the bread was not up to scratch as it turned out to be rather dry and not at all soft and spongy like nice Turkish bread is, so I will be looking for another recipe next time.

The sad part about the dip is no-one was able to sample it as soon after our arrival a flighty young cat jumped onto the bench and knocked the dish containing the dip off. The dish smashed, made an almighty mess and that was the end of the zaalouk! Being the animal loving person that I am, it was impossible to stay cross with naughty little Tom for long. I'll definitely have to make this again for a gathering, next time hopefully everyone will be able to try it!  

Zaalouk (Recipe by Karen Martini from the Sunday Age)

3 eggplants
10 ripe roma tomatoes, core removed
200ml extra vigin olive oil (I used about half or less)
salt and pepper, to taste
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon harissa
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 bunch coriander, chopped finely
1/2 bunch mint, chopped finely
Nigella (kaloonji, black cumin) seeds, for garnish

Preheat oven to 200C. Rest eggplants over a naked gas flame to blacken the skin, turning over on all sides for 3-5 minutes. Place eggplants on an oven tray and roast for 15-20 minutes. Remove and scoop out flesh with a spoon, discarding the skin.

Place eggplant in a clean roasting dish, Add tomatoes and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Reduce oven temperature and 150C and slow-roast from 1 hour. Remove and allow to rest for 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, pull off tomato skins with your fingers. Remove eggplants and tomatoes from the oil and set aside.

Place 3 tablespoons of the roasting oil (skimmed from the top of the roasting dish) in a large frying pan and cook garlic over medium heat for 2 minutes. Grind spices in a mortar and pestle and add to the pan. Stir in eggplants and tomatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes or until thickened. Add harissa, season with salt and allow to cool.

Transfer mixture to a serving bowl or plate, add lemon juice and drizzle over more roasting oil. Stir herbs through the dip and add nigella seeds to garnish.

Planet VeGMeL week (Part 6) - Vicki Vegan Eggplant Gratin

Part of my inspiration for Planet VeGMeL week was based upon the Vegan MoFo month of blogging and Vicki Vegan was a blog that I enjoyed reading a lot last during this period. There were a few recipes that Vicki posted within her A-Z of dishes that I bookmarked to cook at a later date and never got around to it so this was a perfect time to select one and the dish that appealed to me the most was Eggplant Gratin.

Eggplant was never part of my childhood and I don't think it made much of an impression on me the first time I ate it as an adult. A few good eggplant experiences later had me hooked and now I can't seem to get enough of it!

The eggplant gratin was very simple to put together and there was only adjustment made to the recipe. I didn't have any fresh basil on hand but there was still some of my last batch of pesto in the fridge so this was added to the sauce instead. As there were other items baking in the oven, I felt the temperature needed to be bumped up a bit but this still didn't result in the silky smooth eggplant I was hoping for. Perhaps my slices were too thick or maybe I should have covered the baking dish for a while.

Nonetheless, the gratin was tasty and the meal was completed with some Lemony Roasted Potatoes from Veganomicon, roasted pumpkin and steamed broccoli.

Well this week has gone by rather quickly and only one more blogger to go tomorrow. I'm quite excited about this one, tune in tomorrow to find out all about it!

Viva Chorizo Sausages (and some Paella)

The best thing to come out of Viva Vegan for our household so far is the Chorizo Sausage recipe. All three of us were blown away by how tasty and spicy these snags are, they are without a doubt the best vegan sausages we have eaten. After initially trialling the recipe late last year, I made sure that we always had a supply in the fridge until my gluten flour supply ran out and the local health food store was out of of stock for several weeks...

It was a joyous Saturday morning at the health food store when my eyes zoomed in on the spot that had been empty and saw that gluten flour was back in stock. I greedily snatched up more bags than I would normally purchase as I wanted to make damn sure that I didn't run out again! Although there was a busy day of house painting ahead, I still managed to squeeze in some time to a cook up a batch of chorizo. There were no if or buts about this, I simply had to make them as they taste best when prepared a day in advance and it was essential that they were a part of our Sunday brunch.

I was torn between using them in muffins as I had done last month or a tofu scramble and decided to go with the latter. The scramble was a fry-up of red onion, garlic, mushrooms, kidney beans, spinach, chorizo, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, cumin, soy sauce, pepper and of course tofu. This turned out to be a very tasty scramble, with lovely smoky flavours and subtle spiciness from the chorizo.

Only last week I sent the chorizo recipe to my sister and gave her a few suggestions on different ways to use it - one of which was paella. I'm not sure how I came up with this suggestion as I haven't tried using it in paella before, in fact I have only ever cooked and eaten paella on one other occasion. My son surprised me when I last made paella with arborio rice as he enjoyed it however he doesn't like risotto and his reason is that he doesn't like that kind of rice. Go figure that one out!

So paella was to be on the menu and I decided to wing it with my own ingredients and method. I consulted a few varying recipes on the web and my cookbooks, none of which had the complete combination that already seemed to have been formulated in my mind. There were some handy tips around and interesting information about paella combinations that originate from differing regions in Spain.

The paella was quite successful, however next time I might add a little more chorizo. The roasted eggplant and capsicum worked really well with the smoked paprika and chorizo, and the squeeze of lemon was the perfect finishing touch. The chickpeas were a last minute thought and addition and I would use them again too. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it and there are plenty of left-overs for lunch today!

Chorizo Seitan Sausages (From Terry Hope Romero's Viva Vegan, modified slightly)

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
4 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 2/3 cups gluten flour
1/4 cup chickpea flour
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
4 teaspoons smoked paprika
4 teaspoons chipotle chilli powder
3 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 180C.

In a small bowl, whisk together the stock, tomato paste, olive oil, vinegar and garlic.

In a large bowl, combine the gluten flour, besan, nutritional yeast flakes, smoked paprika, chilli powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and form a well in the centre.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the well and stir with a spatula until mixed thoroughly. Knead the dough for 3 minutes to develop the gluten, let it rest for 10 minutes then knead again for another 2 minutes.

Divide the dough into equal pieces. If you want to make large sausages for slicing up and adding to meals divide into 6 pieces or for modest sized snags that fit nicely into a piece of bread divide into 10-12 pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a sausage shape and wrap in aluminium foil, fairly securely but with enough room for the sausage to expand a little whilst cooking. Twist the foil at each end. Repeat for each sausage.

Place the foil covered sausages directly onto the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Allow the sausages to cool for at least 40 minutes before using. For best texture and flavour, chill overnight. They keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge or can be frozen for longer periods.

Cook whole sausages on a BBQ or in a frying pan with a little bit of oil or slice sausages into rounds and cook in a frying pan with some oil until lightly browned.


Vegie Paella with Chorizo

1 medium eggplant
2 small red capsicums, seeded, membrane removed and each one cut in quarters
Olive oil spray
10 saffron threads
Boiling water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
150g mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon fresh lemon thyme leaves
750mls (3 cups) vegetable stock
1/4 quantity chorizo recipe above, sliced
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen peas
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh chopped parsley, to serve
lemon wedges, to serve

Preheat oven to 200C. Dice the eggplant into 2cm cubes, place into a large dish in a single layer, sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for 20-30 minutes. Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels, then place on a roasting tray lined with baking paper. Spray the eggplant with olive oil spray,  add the capsicum to the tray and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until softened. When the capsicum has cooled, peel off the skin and chop into bite sized pieces.

With a mortar and pestle, grind the saffron threads to a powder then add a small amount of boiling water and mix well.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large bottomed saucepan (or paella pan if you have one), fry the onion until softened then add the garlic and cook for a minute longer. Add the rice and saffron/water mixture and stir until the rice is evenly coated. Mix through the tomatoes, mushrooms, smoked paprika, lemon thyme and vegetable stock, bring to the boil then reduce the heat slightly. After 10 minutes of rapid cooking, reduce the heat again. Do not stir during this time.

In a medium frying pan, add some olive oil or olive oil spray and fry the chorizo slices on each side until browned.

After 20 minutes of cooking the rice, test a little to see if it is cooked. When the rice is ready, stir through the eggplant, capsicum, chorizo, chickpeas and peas and cook for a minute until the peas have thawed. A crust should have developed on the bottom of the pan.

Serve with parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

Eggplant Chickpea Curry and a Red Lentil Dhal

It's been a distracting day as my mind has been caught up with the impending Cyclone Yasi due to hit tropical North Queensland later tonight. Last night's dinner was a huge success however rather than writing it up I would rather post tonight's and dedicate it to my sister and husband who are bunkered down in Cairns as I know they enjoy a curry.

When Susan posted a curry recipe with roasted eggplant, capsicum and chickpeas this week I immediately made plans to cook it this week. As the eggplant was roasted first, I thought why not roast the capsicum as well. The next question was what to pair it with which was an easy answer for me - dhal!

Dhal has been a favourite of mine for so many years and I have tried so many varieties using different lentils, beans and split peas. I'm not sure that I have a preference for one recipe over another and usually alternate between which one I cook (when I'm not trying new ones). Tonight I decided to go with the first dhal I ever cooked although I have modified both the ingredients and cooking method over the years.

The eggplant curry was nice however I would like to try it again using the pre-roasted eggplants but I may change the spice blend around a little next time.

My thoughts tonight are with my sister, brother-in-law and some close friends in Cairns with young children (as well as the rest of the people in far North Queensland). I hope to hear good news from my family and friends tomorrow...

Red Lentil Dhal (Adapted from Curry & Chilli Cookbook)

1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large green chilli, seeded and finely choppped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 tomatoes, chopped
Salt, to taste
50-100g fresh spinach leaves

Place the lentils, turmeric and stock in a medium sized saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Stir occasionally, and add more water if the lentils are sticking to the bottom.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the garlic, chilli, coriander and cumin and cook, stirring for a minute until fragrant. Stir through the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes are beginning to soften.

Stir the onion & tomato mixture through the lentils, season to taste and mix in the spinach leaves until wilted.

Eggplant with "buttermilk"

For the first time in my life I purchased a pomegranate without giving much thought as to what use it would be put to. After searching through recipes I found a delicious looking post by Cindy for Eggplant dressed in buttermilk. After a quick google search for a vegan buttermilk substitute, I gathered a few ideas for the dressing and sorta winged it from there. I have no idea what buttermilk tastes like anyway as it is not something I have ever consumed before but the end result of this dish tasted pretty good. 

Along the way I discovered that the za'atar in my pantry was actually dukkah so I quickly whizzed up a blend in my coffee grinder using this recipe. Pictured at the back were leftover vegies from last night's dinner. At the back is a mix of roasted beetroot, sweet potato, red capsicum and red onion (these were a huge hit and will definitely be a regular side dish as they were simple to  prepare and tasted fantastic) and the greens are Braised Brazilian Shredded Kale from Viva Vegan.

Vegan Buttermilk Dressing

1/4 cup soy milk

1/2 package firm silken tofu

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove crushed garlic (probably should have used 2) 

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt to taste

Whizz the soy milk, tofu, lemon juice and garlic in a blender until well combined and smooth. Add olive oil and salt to taste.