2 good-sized aubergines - quartered a, nd sliced
1 olive oil for frying
75 g gruysre, sliced very thinly
TOMATO SAUCE
1 large onion, sliced very thinly
2 tbsp olive oil
400 g canned tomatoes drained & finely c, hopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp orange peel, grated
1 pinch of saffron
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 salt
Directions
Serves 2-3
In this delectable dish, sauteed slices of aubergine are covered with
an aromatic tomato sauce and baked with a topping of cheese. It makes
a wonderful meal served with a tossed salad and some fresh granary
rolls.
Soften the onion in the oil for about 10 minutes, covered, until
translucent but not browned. Stir in the tomatoes and add the herbs,
orange peel, saffron, garlic and salt. Simmer gently for 30 minutes,
then liquidize and leave to stand over a very low heat while you
prepare the aubergines.Saut, the aubergine slices in olive oil until
browned on both sides. Drain and dry on kitchen paper.Arrange the
aubergine slices in layers, covering each layer with the tomato sauce
and topping with the cheese slices. Cover with foil and bake at 190
degrees C / 375 degrees F / gas 5 for
20 minutes.
Copyright Rosamond Richardson 1996
Meal-Master format courtesy of Karen Mintzias
Servings: 2 servings
Aromatic Aubergines Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Eggplant
The History of Recipes
Experts have traced the existance of recipes way back into the far past, in truth as far back as the Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that is, generally, these early cookbooks were just very basic pictorial instructions for food preparation.
Interestingly, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to academics are a few tablets in the Sumerian language describing the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making drinkers feel wonderful. During Roman times 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a collection of documents which described recipes cooked by the Romans. In his publication, he tells us how the roman meals were separated into hors d`oeuvres, entrees and dessert, something that is very familiar to us today. Additionally, he describes how the ancient cooks were skilled in the use of a wide range of spices and herbs, including a few you will know like bay, fennel and asafoetida. In the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new foods, spices and herbs from Arab countries, including spices like basil and coriander. The introduction of these new culinary ideas caused a surge in recipe publications, some of which still exist in academic collections. During the succeeding few centuries, the upper-class families of Europe tried to offer the best banquets, and as a consequence, the best chefs and their recipe collections were much in demand. However, it wasn`t until the 1800s that haute cuisine and recipe publications really came of age. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the USA, devoted much of their lives to assembling, testing, and writing down recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. By the arrival of the 1900s, cooking books are starting to become popular due to more people being able to read, people having increased free time and having more disposable income. Like it or not, the introduction of television brings us celebrity TV chefs and the spin-off recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing everyone to access massive numbers of recipes just like those on this site. |
We hope you enjoy this Aromatic Aubergines recipe.
