Not a lot has happened today, apart from preparing ourselves for our virtual travel day. However I did make some soup and some Baba Ganoush. It can also be spelt Baba Ghanoush. It is a Levantine speciality, ( middle eastern) and can be found in all Mediterranean, Middle Eastern cook books, as they all seem to claim it as their own and there are many variations. It is also called Moutabbal and it could be called this in some restaurants. It is nearly always served as a kind of starter, with Flat bread and maybe some Hummus as well.

I decided to make this as there were two Aubergines in my Vegetable delivery and I have lemons and Tahini ( sesame paste) as well. Some recipes also call for yoghurt and I prefer it with Yoghurt, it is a little lighter in texture, and is VERY simple to make.

• 2-3 aubergines
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed with a teaspoon of salt
• 1 juice of a lemon only
• 2 tbsp tahini paste
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley ( optional)

1. Prick the aubergines with a fork. Grill the aubergines until the skin is charred and blackened and the flesh feels soft when you press it , will take approximately 15-20 minutes, turning over so all sides get blackened. I use a ridge grill pan on the stove top, or they can be cooked under a grill.

2.  Crush the garlic  and mix with the lemon juice, tahini and olive oil .

3. When cool-ish, cut the aubergines in half and scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Mix with the lemon garlic mix.

4. Put in a serving bowl and  drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle the parsley over the top if using.

   

   

   

The soup I made was based on Carrots, I had a surplus of carrots hence the soup. I used in my soup also an orange ( well 2 clementines, that needed using) some fresh ginger, vegetable stock, some garlic, and wait for it, the remains of the coconut rice and the remains of the couscous ( remember Waste not Want not) and these two served as the thickening agent for my soup. The one other item I used was a carton of double cream, which also needed using and not throwing,

There are no exact quantities here,

• I had maybe 10 carrots, chopped
• 2 inches of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 clementines cut into 4’s
• 1 1/2 litres of vegetable stock ( cube or powder is fine)
• the left over rice and couscous ( one portion of each)
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 oz butter
• carton double cream.
  

  

Simply , melt the butter , sauté the onion and then add everything else, except the cream. Boil/simmer until the carrots are really soft, and leave to cool a little. Put all into a blender and process until smooth. Return to heat and pour in the double cream and stir. If it is too thick and it could well be, just add either some boing water or some milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste.