Halloumi and Eggplant

Ingredients; Halloumi 200gr, eggplant 1, medium sized onion 1, red chili pepper 1, tomato pasata 200cc, pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, paprika powder, olive oil

Cut the eggplant into 5mm thick slices, do the same with the halloumi. Heat a frying pan, add olive oil. Add the eggplant and fry until golden brown. The eggplant will soak up quiet some olive oil, make sure there is enough in the frying pan. Once golden brown place the eggplant on a plate and put aside. Chop the onion and the chili pepper, and add to the frying pan. fry until soft and add the tomato pasata and a bit of water. Bring to the boil, add pepper, salt and a teaspoon of cumin powder (or crushed cumin seeds). Cook for about 10 minutes, turn off the heat and add 2 or 3 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley.
Take a portion sized ovenproof dish, add a thin layer of the tomato sauce, a layer of eggplant and a layer of halloumi. Do it twice and finish with some paprika powder on top. Put in a preheated oven (medium height) for 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve with steamed rice or even better with some naan bread.

recipes: Shrimp curry with eggplant.

Ingredients: 1 small onion, 2 small eggplants, 2 garlic cloves, sunflower oil, lemongrass 2 stalks, half a lime, ginger about 2 cm, coconut milk 25 cl, 10 big shrimps, fish sauce 2 tbsp, light soy sauce 1tbsp, dark brown sugar 1 tbsp, panang curry paste 3 tbsp, tomato puree 1 tbsp, lime leaves 5

Cut the eggplants into 4 parts and fry in 3 tbsp of sunflower oil until soft and golden brown. Meanwhile cut the onion roughly, slice the ginger and fry in a wok (1 tbsp sunflower oil) for a few minutes. Add the curry paste, coconut milk and tomato puree and bring to the boil. Smash the garlic and lemongrass (to release more taste) and add. Now add lime juice from half a lime, sugar, soy sauce and fish sauce and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Throw in the cleaned shrimp and let them simmer until done. Put out the fire and add the shredded lime leaves. Serve with the eggplant and rice. 2 portions.

recipes:aubergine with tomato (vegetarian & non vegetarian)

You can use courgette or sweet pepper instead of aubergine.

ingredients: Soy meat 75 gr, tomato 4 big ones, 2 small onions, olive oil, pepper, salt, 2 aubergines, 2 red chili peppers, parsley, stock, 1 cup of water, paprika powder, parsley

Boil the soy meat in some stock until soft (5 min.) and drain. Meanwhile fry the chopped chili peppers and onion until soft (in olive oil). Add the drained soy meat, a bit of pepper, salt and paprika powder fry for another 10 minutes. Now put in the peeled and diced tomato, a cup of water pepper and salt and let it simmer until the juice has evaporated. Take from the fire and add shopped parsley.

While frying, put the aubergines in the oven at 180°c until soft, drizzle with olive oil. Take a tajine and wipe it with some oil, put in the aubergines and slice then lengthwise. Fill the aubergine with the tomato sauce and poor the rest of the sauce around it. Close the tajine and let it simmer very slowly for another 30 minutes. Serve with bread or rice. Or as we do with Greek pasta.

Substitute the soy meat with minced beef or lamb if you like your meat. Or with beef sliced into small strips, if you try this, first fry the beef in hot butter for one minute on each side, take it out of the frying pan and let it rest until the tomato sauce is finished and everything goes into the tajine.

Cut the aubergines in four parts before putting them in the oven, if you want it to look like the picture.

You don't need a tajine, but you need to simmer it slowly in a closed pot or cooking pan.