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 salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 200 C/400 F.
Heat a tablespoonful of oil in a large frying pan. Add the grated courgette, chopped garlic and chilli flakes. Season with a little salt. Sauté over medium heat until soft, stirring every now and then. Remove from the heat, fold in the ricotta cheese, chopped basil and 3 Tbsp of Parmesan cheese.
Take a small oven dish (mine is 25x35 cm). Spread about a third of the ricotta-courgette mixture at the bottom, then spoon a quarter of the tomato sauce on top. Cover with three lasagne sheets. Then half of the remaining ricotta-courgette mixture, a third of the remaining tomato sauce, lasagne sheets. Top with the remaining ricotta-courgette mixture and then the rest of the tomato sauce. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.
Bake in a pre-heated 200 C/400 F oven for about 20-25 minutes, until the lasagne is cooked and the topping "bubbles".
Remove from the oven and let it rest for about 15 minutes before serving.
More favourite courgette/zucchini recipes:
Courgette and Parmesan tart @ Nami-Nami
Courgette salad with poppyseeds @ Nami-Nami
Courgette cake with lemon frosting (Lemon and Zucchini Cake) @ Nami-Nami
Oven-baked zucchini and tomatoes with feta @ Nami-Nami
Estonian courgette and cheese soup (Zucchini and Cheese Soup) @ Nami-Nami
Greek Zucchini Pie (Kourkouto) @ Nami-Nami
Roasted marrow with garlic and herbs @ Nami-Nami
Courgette/Zucchini lasagne recipes:
Creamy courgette lasagne @ The English Kitchen
Angela's Zucchini lasagna @ The Italian Dish
Carrot, Courgette, Ricotta lasagne @ Apple and Spice
Ricotta, courgette and spinach lasagne @ Chilli Marmalade
Vegetable lasagna @ Inspired Taste
Kale, zucchini lasagna @ $5 Dinners
Spinach and courgette lasagne @ My French Kitchen
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