Merguez Sausages with North African Aubergine

North African cuisine is typified by the use of spices and herbs. This dish is fragrant, spicy, fruity and above all, easy to prepare. It's worth spending a little extra money on good quality sausages. Find a good local butcher who makes there own.

English

Serves 2

Ingredients
4 merguez sausages
1 large eggplant
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
1 clove garlic
2 tomatoes
10g harissa
25g sultanas
1 small red onion
1 small bunch each coriander and mint
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
salt and pepper

Method
Finely slice the red onion into half rings. Place them in a bowl. Finely chop the mint, add to the onion with some salt and pepper and set aside. Cut the eggplant into 2 cm cubes. Finely chop the garlic clove. Chop the tomatoes into small cubes.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil and fry the sausages for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Heat a second frying pan with 4 tablespoons olive oil. Add the eggplant to the pan and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden. Add the spice mix and garlic and fry for a further 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, harissa (to taste), tomato ketchup and sultanas to the pan. Cook gently for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Finely chop the coriander and stir through the eggplant. Divide the eggplant between 2 plates. Serve with the sausages and the onion relish.

Nederlands

voor 2 personen

Ingrediënten
4 merguez worstjes
1 grote aubergine
1/2 theelepel gemalen komijn en ½ theelepel gemalen kardemom
1 teentje knoflook
2 pruimtomaten
10g harissa
25g gele rozijnen
1 kleine rode ui
1 bosje koriander en munt
6 eetlepels olijfolie
1 eetlepel tomatenketchup
zout en peper

Bereiding
Snijd de rode ui in dunne ringen. Doe ze in een kom. Snijd de munt fijn en voeg toe aan de ui samen met wat zout en peper. Zet opzij. Snijd de aubergine in blokjes van 2 cm. Hak het knoflook teentje fijn. Snijd de tomaten in kleine blokjes.

Verhit een koekenpan op medium vuur met 2 eetlepels olijfolie en bak de worstjes rondom goudbruin in 12-15 minuten.

Verwarm een tweede koekenpan op medium vuur met 4 eetlepels olijfolie. Voeg de aubergine toe en bak voor 3-4 minuten goudbruin. Voeg het specerijenmengsel en knoflook toe en bak nog eens 1 minuut. Voeg de tomaten, harissa (naar smaak), tomatenketchup en rozijnen toe. Laat zachtjes 10 minuten stoven. Breng op smaak met zout en peper.

Hak de koriander fijn, meng het door de aubergine. Verdeel de aubergine over 2 borden. Leg de worstjes er naast en serveer met de uienrelish.


Tabbouleh Filled Aubergine

A hearty and delicious Middle Eastern inspired vegetarian dish packed with spices, herbs and dried fruit.

English

Serves 2

Ingredients
50g couscous
1-2 teaspoons harissa (depending on how spicy you like it)
1/2 teaspoon round coriander
8 dried apricots
2 spring onion
1 small bunch mint
1 small bunch coriander
1 lemon
2 aubergines
100g feta
100g mixed salad laves
6 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Method
Preheat the oven at 200 °C. Place the aubergines in a roasting dish and roast in the oven until soft ± 20-30 minutes.

Place the couscous in a bowl and mix the harissa through using your fingers. Roughly chop the apricots and add to the couscous with the ground coriander. Pour boiling water over until just covering the couscous and stand for 5 minutes.

Loosen the couscous grains with a fork. Finely chop the spring onions and the herbs. Stir through the couscous with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Cut the aubergines lengthways in half. Carefully scoop out the flesh with a spoon, roughly chop it and add to the couscous. Season once again with salt and pepper.

Place the couscous mixture into the hollowed out aubergines. Scatter with the crumbled feta and 2 tablespoon olive oil and place back in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Dress the salad with 2 tablespoon olive oil, salt, pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Serve with the filled aubergines.

Nederlands

voor 2 personen

Ingrediënten
50g couscous
1-2 theelepels harissa (afhankelijk van hoe pittig je het lekker vindt)
1/2 theelepel korianderpoeder
8 stuks gedroogde abrikozen
2 lente uien
1 bosje munt
1 bosje koriander
1 citroen
2 aubergines
100g feta
100g gemengde sla
6 eetlepels olijfolie
zout en peper

Bereiding
Verwarm een oven voor op 200° C. Leg de aubergines op een bakplaat en rooster in de oven tot de aubergine zacht is, ± 20-30 minuten.

Doe de couscous in een kom en meng de harissa er met je vingers doorheen. Hak de abrikozen grof en doe ze ook in de kom samen met de korianderpoeder. Schenk genoeg kokend water over de couscous tot die eronder staat en laat 5 minuten staan.

Maak couscous los met een vork. Snijd de lente uien en kruiden fijn. Meng het door  de couscous met 2 eetlepels olijfolie, zout, peper en citroensap naar smaak.

Snijd de aubergines door de helft. Haal het vlees met een lepel eruit. Hak grof en meng door de couscous. Breng op smaak met zout en peper.

Doe het couscous mengsel terug in de lege aubergines. Bestrooi met gekruimelde feta en 2 eetlepels olijfolie en zet terug in de oven voor 10-15 minuten.

Maak de salade aan met 2 eetlepels olijfolie, zout, peper en een paar druppels citroensap. Serveer naast de aubergines.


Lamb Chop with Hummus and Feta

Spring is here and lamb is now at it's best. It lends itself well to many different cooking methods and flavours, the most well known being mint, garlic and rosemary. Here we've taken a  mediterranean influence to our dish, with flavours the really compliment one another.

Serves 4

 Ingredients
4 lamb chops
2 aubergines
2 red onions
2 tins chickpeas
1 lemon
100 g piece feta
1 bunch mint
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons sunflower oil
salt
pepper

Method
1
Slice the aubergines and finely slice the red onions. Place the red onion in a bowl with lemon juice to taste, 2 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.
2
Drain the liquid from the chickpeas and place them in a jug or tall container. Crumble in half the feta, add 2-4 tablespoons water and blend with a stick blender. Heat a frying pan with 3 tablespoons sunflower oil and fry the aubergine slices until golden. Season with salt and pepper.
3
Heat a grill pan with 3 tablespoons sunflower oil. Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper and grill for about 3 minutes on each side.
4
Pick the mint leaves and finely shred. Mix through the red onion relish. Divide the hummus between 4 plates and lay a lamb chop on top. Serve with the red onion relish and aubergines.


Aubergine Salad with Yoghurt Dressing and Pickled Courgette

This combination takes the humble aubergine and courgette to a new level. At first glance, it may seem like a lot of ingredients but don't let that put you off. A lot of them are store cupboard staples. If you don't happen happen to have them at hand, they are easily available from your local market or supermarket. If you don't want to make the pickle, just use some flash fried thinly sliced courgette or finely shaved raw courgette dressed with some lemon juice and olive oil. This dish is delicious served as a salad or as an accompaniment to grilled lamb cutlets or fish.

Serves 4

Ingredients
3 aubergines
olive oil
salt and pepper
4 spring onions
1 red chilli
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley
1 small bunch basil
1 small bunch mint

Yoghurt dressing
200 g Greek yoghurt
1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon water (or a little more if required)
salt and pepper

Pickled Courgette
1 large courgette
1 tablespoon salt
70 g demarara sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 small shallots
250 ml cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

Method
Begin with the courgette pickle. Slice the courgette and shallots as thinly as possible. If you have a mandolin, you can slice the courgette on that, but mind your fingers. Place the courgette and shallot in a bowl with the salt and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Toast the mustard and fennel seeds in a dry pan to release their aromas. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour off any liquid from the courgette and shallots and place them in the pickling liquid. At least an hour in the pickle would be great before serving. These don't really keep for long and are best eaten on the day they are made.

Now on to the dressing; place the Greek yoghurt in a bowl and grate the zest of the lemon over. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice (or to taste), 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon water. Whisk to a smooth dressing. It should have the consistency of thick pouring cream. If it's a little on the thick side, add a little extra water. Set aside.

Slice the aubergine lengthways into 1 cm thick slices. Heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat. Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill about 4-5 minutes on each side until tender and well marked from the grill. You'll probably have to do this in batches. Transfer the aubergine to a large plate.

Finely slice the spring onions diagonally, finely chop the chilli and pick the herbs off the stalks.

To finish the dish, place the aubergine on a serving platter and spoon over the yoghurt dressing. Scatter over the spring onions, chilli and herbs. Drain the courgettes and shallots from the pickling liquid and lay on top. Serve straight away.

We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours

 

 


Chicken and Aubergine Curry

Ingredients
2 onions, peeled and cut into chunks
5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
6 tablespoons sunflower oil
500 g boned and skinned chicken thighs, cut into 4 cm cubes
salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 tin chopped tomatoes
200 ml coconut milk
2 aubergines, cut into cubes
small bunch fresh coriander

Method
Place the onions, ginger and garlic in a Magimix (food processor) and blend until finely chopped.

Heat a heavy based casserole over medium heat with 3 tablespoons sunflower oil and sweat the onion mixture for about 10 minutes until it turns a light golden colour.

Add the chicken and fry for a few more minutes until lightly coloured. Add salt, to taste, the ground cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and garam masala. Fry for 1-2 minutes to cook the spices out.

Add the tinned tomatoes and coconut milk and simmer gently for about 20 minutes until the chicken has cooked through.

Heat a frying pan over high heat with the remaining 3 tablespoons sunflower oil and fry the aubergines until golden brown and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add half the aubergine to the curry about 10 minutes into the cooking time.

To serve, scatter the remaining aubergine and coriander over the chicken curry. Serve with steamed basmati rice, cucumber and mint raita, papadums or naan bread.

We, the Amsterdam Flavours chefs, hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you have any questions on how to prepare it or just want to send us your feedback, you can reach us here Contact Amsterdam Flavours


Weekend Lunch

Before you go to the market this weekend and restock your fridge with fresh produce, use up the vegetables you have left in the fridge for lunch. Here are 2 easy ways:

Roasted Vegetables
Heat the oven to 200 C. Roughly chop and aubergine, red pepper, courgette and a couple of red onions. Toss them in a roasting dish with some fresh thyme and a couple of whole, unpeeled garlic cloves, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are tender and tinged with a golden hue. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Aubergine Spread
Take 2 aubergines, and chop them into 1 cm cubes. Heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat. Toss the aubergine cubes in olive oil and grill until tender and coloured. Season with salt and pepper. Place half in a food processor with a couple of tablespoons good mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Pulse to a chunky puree. Transfer to a bowl and fold the remaining aubergine pieces through. Season with salt and pepper and serve.