Aubergine and spinach recipes

Aubergine slices -
this is from a book called Vegetarian Express .. it's SO quick and easy to make!

in a shallow bowl mix:
spoon runny honey
spoon balsamic vinegar
spoon soy sauce
spoon sesame seed oil

(they said tablesppon, but it was more than I needed for one aubergine, so a big teaspoon might be enough)


Slice an auberinge in about 1/2 inch slices
dip them in the marinade

put them under the grill, again they said pre-heated but the sauce is prone to burn so I suggest a low heat to ensure the slices go soft.

grill on both sides - just a few minutes each - the slices do soften quite well - but since mine had got a bit too brown a bit too quickly I actually finshed them in the micro!

when nearly ready to serve, sprinkle a few sesame seeds on each slice ..

Their tip was to slap into pitta bread with a bit of hummous, which would obviously be very nice

we had it with pitta and spinach salad:

Spinach Salad
This is a Turkish recipe: Borani Esfanaj

1 finely chopped onion
tbsp ghee (worth using this - makes the flavour really good but olive oil would do)

4 cloves garlic

tsp turmeric
tsp cumin
tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardomom if you have it in
(a good curry powder / garam masala would stand in for this list of spicse, tbh!)

small squirt of chilli paste or tabasco sauce or cayenne pepper for a hint of hotness

big bag of spinch - washed and roughly chopped

small pot natural yogurt (greek would be best!)


Method
Fry onion in ghee without browning
Add garlic and fry a bit more
Add spices and fry a bit more
Add spinach and cook until wilted and softened
Add the yogurt - no need to cook that much,just stir in.

Add salt to taste - is good served luke warm or cold.

These are two of my favourite dishes just now - kind of BBQ-y and salad-y as though it were the summer and the sun was actually shining!