1 day ago
5
It has been a week of bright, sunny days that suddenly turn into chilly evenings. The sort of weather that can wreak havoc with dinner plans. Twice this week I have had to make last-minute changes when the temperature dropped.
What started out as a light supper of stuffed aubergine ended up being rethought as a more substantial offering, the aubergines layered with haricot beans and chilli-spiked tomatoes under a thyme and breadcrumb crust.
Later in the week, my plan for a feta and orange salad – a bit of rather wishful thinking to be honest – had to be quickly reworked into a dish of baked cheese on a bed of sliced blood oranges and bitter salad leaves. Both dishes using the same ingredients but tweaked to suit the changing weather. The cheese was the simplest. A couple of blocks of feta brushed with honey and thyme were baked in foil, so the fragrance wafted up when the parcels were opened. The salty, herb-freckled cooking juices mixed with the sweet juice of the blood oranges. We sponged them up with lumps of sesame bread.
The baked aubergine was more suited to a cold day and we dug down through the layers of crisp crumbs and soft, quite-spicy filling for a warming supper. I used gochujang paste for its deep aromatic warmth, but also because that was what was to hand: you could use almost any chilli paste, including harissa or even Sriracha chilli sauce.
Every dinner I make right now seems to have a Plan B. Dishes that will work for a blazing afternoon, but can be quickly nudged toward something for a cold night should the need arise. Think light spring soups that will turn into earthy stews with the addition of a can of haricot or butter beans. Grilled sausages that could go into a hotpot with a few sweet onions and some wedges of potato, or roast vegetables that can be rethought as a gratin, its creamy edges bubbling as it is brought from oven to table.
Baked feta with blood oranges
Salty, chalk-white cheese, honey and sweet oranges. Should you prefer, you could always grill the feta – place the cheese, thyme and honey on a piece of foil and cook under a preheated overhead grill until the surface starts to brown. Serves 2-3. Ready in 35 minutes
feta 2 x 150g blocks
runny honey 2 tbsp
thyme leaves 1 tsp chopped
blood oranges 3
white wine vinegar 1 tbsp
Dijon mustard 1 tsp
olive oil 30ml
red treviso or other bitter leaf a handful
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Place the feta on a sheet of tinfoil large enough to wrap loosely around the cheese. Brush the honey over the surface, then scatter with the thyme. Grind over a little black pepper, then bring the edges of the foil together and scrunch loosely together to form a parcel. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until soft.
Squeeze one of the oranges into a mixing bowl and stir in the vinegar, mustard, a little salt and some more coarsely ground black pepper. With a small whisk or fork, beat in the olive oil. I sometimes make this in a jam jar, shaking the ingredients until they lightly emulsify.
Using a very sharp knife, peel the other 2 oranges, making sure to remove all of the white pith. Cut each orange into about 6 thin slices and add to the dressing.
Separate the heads of treviso into individual leaves and wash thoroughly. Shake dry, then toss with the oranges, lightly coating them in the dressing.
Transfer the leaves and oranges to a serving plate. Lift the cheese from its foil with a fish slice or palette knife, pouring over any honey or juices and place among the leaves and oranges.
Aubergine and haricot beans with thyme crumbs
The amount of chilli paste you use is up to you – I suggest you taste as you go. I start with 1 level tbsp, then increase it by just a little until the heat level seems right. Much will depend on your taste, but it is wise to assume that the darker red the paste, the hotter it will be. At least, that is my experience. The sugar I include is really just a pinch, but it seems to calm the more aggressive notes of the paste, but leave it out if you wish. Serves 4-6. Ready in 1 hour
aubergines 450g
olive oil 3 tbsp, plus a little more
onions 400g
garlic 4 cloves
gochujang 2 level tbsp
chopped tomatoes 2 x 400g cans
haricot beans 2 x 400g cans
thyme leaves 1 tbsp
sugar a pinch
For the crust:
white bread 100g
thyme leaves 2 tbsp
grated lemon zest 1 tbsp
olive oil 5 tbsp
You will need a deep 24cm x 14cm baking dish. Remove the stems from the aubergines. Slice each aubergine in half lengthways, then into 1cm thick slices. Heat an overhead grill.
Place the aubergines on a grill pan, in a single layer, then brush generously with oil. Grill them until soft, about 7 or 8 minutes, then turn with kitchen tongs or a palette knife, brush with a little more oil if necessary, and continue grilling until soft.
Peel, halve and roughly chop the onions. Warm the oil in a deep, heavy-based casserole, add the onions and let them cook over a low to moderate heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and pale gold. Peel, thinly slice and stir in the garlic.
Stir in the gochujang and cook briefly, then add the tomatoes and the haricot beans with their canning liquor. Stir in the thyme, a little salt, a good pinch of sugar and the aubergines. Simmer for 10 minutes, then transfer to your baking dish.
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6.
For the crust, process the bread to coarse crumbs in the food processor (or by hand with a coarse-toothed grater). Mix with the thyme leaves and lemon zest. Pour over the olive oil and toss to coat. Scatter over the surface of the beans and tomatoes then bake for 25-30 minutes until the crumb crust is crisp and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
