Mushroom ratatouille and mozuku

An autumnal ratatouille and a Japanese sea weed. モズクmozuku is a sea weed from Okinawa that looks like small leaves in a jelly. They are sold already prepared or with a sauce aside like here.

I had veggies to finish : onion, white aubergine, purple aubergine, sweet green peppers.

Mixed dry Italian mushrooms including porcini.

I soaked and stir-fried the mushrooms with garlic. Then cooked my veggies in the same oil.

I completed with tomato paste, thyme.

I mixed the mozuku sea weed with its sauce (sweet vinegar) and added a few pieces of ginger. That can be drunk like a little soup.

Cabbage, konnyaku and natto.

Brown rice.

My lunch.

Mizu nasu, the “water aubergine” you can eat raw

Do you know these Japanese mizu nasu (water aubergines) ? The particularity is you can eat them raw.
Of course they can be cooked too, like here :

veggie mille-feuille

The wiki article　in Japanese is very interesting. They explain that has been traditionally cultivated in Osaka for many years. I wonder if they are more common here than in the rest of Japan. In Summer, all local shops have them.

The simplest way : I slice them, salt, let a while and rinse. Then I use as a salad.

With sweet chili sauce.

Other meals with these mizu nasu : click here.

Banoffi daredevils

A big twist on the classic banoffi pie (original story and recipe by the inventor here).

Posing with ingredients.
WAIIIIIITTTT ! Don’t leave. I can explain !

Blog-checking lines: Our April 2012 Daring Cooks hosts were David & Karen from Twenty-Fingered Cooking. They presented us with a very daring and unique challenge of forming our own recipes by using a set list of ingredients!

we’re requiring that you use at least one ingredient from each of our three lists

List 1: Parsnips, Eggplant (aubergine), Cauliflower
List 2: Balsamic Vinegar, Goat Cheese, Chipotle peppers
List 3: Maple Syrup, Instant Coffee, Bananas

My pick :

List 1: Eggplant
List 2: Balsamic Vinegar, (powdered, I can’t get anything else)Chipotle peppers
List 3: Instant Coffee, Bananas

Well, “Coffee” ! Where have you been when I took the group photo ?

What I did :

A.Eggplant cinnamon jam (a Mediterranean specialty)
My recipe in a future post, be patient, visit again later this week.

B.Balsamic and a hint of chipotle make a marinade for bananas

C.Coffee to flavor whipped cream.

You pile up A-B-C on crispy toasts.
And you have your banoffi daredevils !

Tasting notes :

The aubergine jam is a delight. You have to try.
The vinegar and hot pepper are in small amount, you can’t identify them, but they contrast the banana starchy flavor and makes its aromas develop.
I’m not a fan of real whipped cream (that I don’t digest). It’s veg’ light whip and there is not a so big amount as it seems as the bananas make the volume and are hidden in it. So it’s very easy to eat. And YUMMY !

That’s not totally impossible to cut wedges but it’s easier to cut the toasts and make individual ones at any size you want.

Fettuccine con melanzane

Pasta !

First, something has to simmer a while.
A tomato sauce, with white beans, garlic, chili pepper and onion. Flavored with rosemary, anchovies and olives.

At the end, a little pasted basil is added on top.

Miniature aubergines. They are often used here to make pickles. The apple is on the photo to show the size.

Steamed, oiled, baked !

That’s my prefered topping !

Home-made egg and flour fettucine. I do it the easy way. Break an egg, add in flour. Mix grossly. Wait 15 minutes. Mix well. Pass in the machine. Cook.