Broad Bean and Brussels Sprout Salad

To my utter delight both broad beans and brussels sprouts were on offer at the supermarket yesterday so I picked them up thinking I’d make some kind of salad with them and what a good salad it was. Even my sprout hating sister quickly gobbled up the leftovers that didn’t make it into the salad. 

Prepare the sprouts.  I’m sure everybody knows how to do that so I won’t insult your intelligence by suggesting otherwise.  Mince a couple cloves of garlic (I used three which was probably a little excessive judging by the fact I’ve spent most of today trying in vain to get the lingering taste of garlic out of my mouth). Season with salt and pepper and then roast for about 20 minutes.  Meanwhile thinly chop a couple of shallots, and prepare the broad beans.  Boil the beans for 8 to 10 minutes and then remove the tough outer skins (or keep them on if you like, personal preference and all that).  Chop a nice handful of flat leaf parsley and mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with a generous glug of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.  Serve with a good chunk of crusty bread and enjoy.  I ate mine with olive ciabatta. 

Balsamic Aubergines with Butterbean and Artichoke Mash

First post J It’s already been about a month since I started this blog and I've still not posted anything so without further ado here is my first recipe.  When contemplating what to eat for dinner last night I was originally intending on making some sort of tofu dish with peanut sauce, however I was suddenly struck with the urge to eat an aubergine and then this recipe came to me out of the blue.  And I'm so glad it did because it turned out pretty darned good in my opinion.  Now I should state here that I’m not a fan of measuring out ingredients (unless in baking of course) so probably very few of my recipes will have exact measurements. 

Balsamic Roasted Aubergine with Butterbean and Artichoke Mash

                                

First things first whip up the marinade for the aubergines.  In a bowl combine equal parts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, finely chopped shallots and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix it all up.

Slice the aubergine in half lengthways and then slice along each half twice so that you get three long strips of aubergine still connected at the top.  Leave the aubergines to marinade for about half an hour.  Unless you’re greedy like me half an aubergine is probably enough for one person.  Once that’s done put the aubergines in a roasting tin and pour the marinade over them and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes or until soft.

To make the mash boil a can of butter beans (you could also use cannellini beans – I was originally going to use these but then discovered I didn’t have any in the cupboard) for about 5 minutes, drain, return to pan and throw in a few bottled artichoke hearts (make sure there aren’t any tough leaves still left on the hearts).  Mash until smooth and creamy and then stir in torn basil and season.

Obviously you don’t have to make the mash, you could chop up the aubergine once it’s roasted and mix it up with some penne pasta and rocket leaves sprinkle with a few toasted pine nuts.  Or maybe even blend up the flesh with some garlic  for an Italian style babaganoush.