Ratatouille

GET
8 large juicy organic tomatoes
5 large organic garlic cloves
3 tbsp cold pressed olive oil

2 medium organic onions
2 firm organic aubergines

2 small organic zucchinis, sliced.
3 tbsp cold pressed olive oil
Basil

DO
Make a tomato sauce. You may prefer to do this the day before and use some of it for a spaghetti sauce.
Pour boiling water over tomatoes and peel them.
Press garlic and fry slowly in a pan.
After a few minutes add sliced tomatoes and cover with a lid.
Continue to cook on a low heat for about 5 hours until the liquid has mostly evaporated and a sugo (sauce in Italian) remains. Stir occasionally. Remove lid for some periods to reduce the liquid.

Garlic, easy to peel

Chop onions and fry slowly in olive oil, stirring occasionally until lightly golden.
Rinse the aubergines and press out the brown liquid.
Cut aubergines into cubes.
Add aubergines to the onions.
Fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add zucchini slices.
Fry for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add the tomato sauce, stir in and cover. Cook for about 30 minutes
Add the chopped basil.

Heritage Tomatoes

Serve hot with penne pasta. Cheese top the left overs on the next day and bake in the oven.

Mushroom eggplant with pasta

GET
1 medium eggplant
300g champignons
2 medium red onions
olive oil
pink salt
optional: whole garlic cloves.

Pasta (e.g. Rigatoni, Penne) or Camargue red rice
all organic

Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

DO
Partly peel the eggplant and cut into cubes on a plate. Sprinkle salt on it and leave it standing for 1 hour or more. Pour off the dark juice which settles on the plate.
Wash the eggplant well to remove the salt and squeeze to dry.

Boil water for the noodles.

Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the eggplant in it. When it is golden, add a few tablespoons of boiling water/ tomato sauce and cook till it is done. Put it aside on a plate.

Start cooking the noodles.

Dice the onions. Cut the champignons into large chunks.

Fry the diced onion in the same pan with more oil as necessary. When soft, push the onion to the side and fry the champignon pieces until lightly golden. Add garlic if desired.
Mix the onions and mushrooms together and mix in the eggplant.

Serve with noodles, parmesan and a green salad.

Alternatively you can serve the dish with Camargue red rice and Brussels sprouts.

The eggplant should be firm and without black seeds. The mushrooms should be fleshy. In Germany use Steinchampignons, in Australia use swiss brown champignons.

Image Nr. 1:
Segantini, Giovanni, Mushrooms, 1886

Bunya Pine Nuts with Aubergine

GET
20 peeled Bunya Pine nuts, Araucaria bidwillii
2-3 large aubergines (eggplants)
3 leeks, the white parts only
2-3 skinned tomatoes
2 small carrots
olive oil
black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
salt
All organic & filtered water if possible

DO
Peal the aubergine partially
Cut into large pieces, salt and toss
Chop the leek finely, fry in olive oil.
Pour boiling water on the tomatoes. Stir, add chopped carrot
Skin the tomatoes, chop finely and add to pot
Cover let simmer, then add pepper & bay and a little boiling water to cover all.
Let simmer with closed lid. Add the bunya nuts, cover, let cook for approx. 30 min. After the aubergines have been drained of their dark and bitter juice a few times, wash them in filtered water and press the pieces with your hands thoroughly. Place on dry clean towel. Heat oil in frying pan and fry pieces golden.After the vegetables are nearly done add the fried aubergine pieces to the pot and simmer for another 5 – 10 minutes. The aubergine chunks should not disintegrate. The bunya should be waxy and soft. Serve hot with a green crispy salad.
See
Bunya Pine Nuts: How to Prepare for Cooking

Greek Vegetable Casserole with Feta

Get
4 - 5 large waxy peeled potatoes
1 - 2 large aubergines
5 - 6 zucchinis
2 - 3 large carrots
1 - 2 large onions
10 tomatoes
6 - 10 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
Some peppercorns & marjoram, fresh parsley
Olive oil

200 g Goats milk feta (for 2 people)
Flour & Olive oil

Brown rice (optional)



Do
Fry onion in olive oil, add chopped carrots, then add chopped potato chunks.
Skin tomatoes and roll aubergine pieces in salt, let them drain.
Cut zucchinis & garlic and set aside.
After 15 min. of soaking, wash aubergine and drain well.
Cut skinned tomatoes small. Add aubergine and tomatoes to the pot.
All vegies should be well covered, if not, add a little vegetable stock or boiling water.
Add herbs and pepper, simmer till the potatoes are tender.
Then add the zucchini for a short time.
Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley

Cut the FETA into 4 wedges
Roll in flower & put on a greased baking dish
Cook in the oven till golden (for 20 min at approx. 200 degrees, second shelf from the bottom)

Can be served with steamed brown rice, but if a lot of potatoes are included, rice is not necessary.
Image 2: Renoir, Pierre-Auguste, 1881, via Zeno

Ratatouille

GET
6 large juicy organic tomatoes
1-2 large organic garlic cloves
1 tbsp cold pressed olive oil

4 medium organic onions
2 organic aubergines
1 tbsp saltflakes
1 organic zucchini, sliced.
3 tbsp cold pressed olive oil
Basil

DO
Cut aubergines into small cubes, place on a plate, sprinkle with salt, leave for 1 hour.

Pour boiling water over tomatoes and peel them.
Press garlic and fry slowly in a pan.
After a few minutes add sliced tomatoes and cover with a lid.
Continue to cook on a low heat for 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Remove lid for some periods to reduce the liquid.

Meanwhile, chop onions and fry slowly in olive oil, stirring occasionally until lightly golden.
Rinse the aubergines and press out the brown liquid.
Add aubergines to the onions.
Fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add zucchini slices.
Fry for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add a little of the tomato sauce, stir in and turn off the heat.
When the tomatoes are reduced to a sauce, add the other vegetable mixture to it and mix in. Add the chopped basil,

Serve hot or cold. Goes well with tofu or noodles.