Someone was looking for a "soft aubergine/eggplant spread with tomatoes" and I knew exactly what they were talking about. There's a dish in Russia, our Eastern neighbour, which is called IKRA or fake caviar. I got this recipe from Russian friend Galina back in Edinburgh sometimes around 2000. Still makes a regular appearance in our kitchen. It's lovely on a slice of toast, or as a condiment or spread on a mezze-table. Russian aubergine spread IKRA 1 large aubergine/eggplant 1 large onion 2 garlic cloves 2 tomatoes 1 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper fresh parsley or dill Prick the aubergine with a fork here and there, then place into a preheated 200C/400F oven and bake for about 60 minutes, until fully cooked and slightly charred on the outside. Flip over once or twice during baking. Remove from the oven, let it cool. Then cul half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Place into a cutting b...
We are still eating lots of courgettes in our house, and still no end of the courgette/zucchini season in sight. Not that we're complaining, however, as it's one lovely and versatile vegetable, as long as you don't let it grow into a full-size huge marrow. Here's another one of my favourite courgette/zucchini dishes - a simple and quick and creamy courgette lasagne. You'll need a 400 g jar of good tomato sauce - either home-made marinara-type sauce (say, this or this ), or a decent ready-made one. Creamy ricotta and courgette lasagne ( Suvikõrvitsalasanje ) Serves three to four Adapted from BBC Olive ( Quick courgette lasagne ) 2 Tbsp olive oil 750 g courgette/zucchini (about 2 medium-sized fruits), coarsely grated 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 0.5 tsp (Aleppo) chilli flakes 250 g ricotta a large handful of fresh basil leaves, finely chopped 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese + more for sprinkling 400 g good-quality ready-made tomato sauce 6 lasagne sheets sea s...