Inspire me with asparagus

These are our lastest recipes from our Sister vs Sister cook off in New World supermarket's REAL Magazine, and the photos in their full glory. We had so much fun coming up with the recipes using Asparagus, styling and photographing them, and best of all taste testing them...over and over just to make sure they worked.....(what a job!) we really wanted to share them with you...so here they are...

VOTE FOR VANESSA'S DISH TO BE IN TO WIN

Asparagus and eggs are a match made in heaven – they just work. My pasta dish is a take on the traditional carbonara. Once again, it’s a dish I have never made before because I generally don’t cook with cream, however I often order it when out. I decided to use evaporated milk as it’s not as rich as a restaurant dish and has less fat, so it could be served often as part of your family meals. However, if you prefer cream, use it by all means. The asparagus gives the dish a healthy shot of colour and a break from the creaminess of the sauce. Buon appetito!

Vanessa's Spicy Sausage and Asparagus Cabonara
What you need

4 garlic cloves, chopped or sliced

6 good-quality spicy sausages

1 bunch fresh asparagus

2 eggs, beaten

375 ml-can evaporated milk or cream

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

500 grams penne pasta

Fresh parsley 

How to make
1. Pan-fry the garlic in a little oil over a medium heat.

2. Grill or pan-fry the sausages and then slice diagonally.

3. Remove woody ends from the asparagus and microwave (2-4 minutes), boil or steam. If microwaving, add 3 tablespoons of water. Check the asparagus so you don't overcook it – it should still be firm to the bite.

4. In a bowl mix the cooked garlic, eggs, evaporated milk and half the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water until al dente (firm but not hard to bite) for about 14 minutes.

6. Drain and return pasta to the pot (don't put the pot back on the element as the heat will cook the eggy carbonara sauce). Stir through the egg mixture.

7. Serve sprinkled with remaining Parmesan and top with the sausages and asparagus.Garnish with ground black pepper and chopped parsley.

TIP...I made the mistake of putting the pan with the sauce and pasta back on the element with it turned off as I like my food really hot. My recommendation is not to do this as it's a fine line between ending up with scrambled eggs or having a silky smooth sauce!



Ingrid's Spring Asparagus Farinata

I love making pizza and bread and in memory of our Nonna Maria, who passed away recently at the grand age of 91, and who cooked with such passion, hands waving all over the place, flour flying through the air, I’m attempting a farinata.

This is an Italian flatbread made with chickpea flour. No kneading required in this dish, so it’s much simpler than bread making and similar to a crispy savoury pancake. Asparagus goes well with the nutty flavour of the chickpeas and the shavings crisp up nicely under the grill. It’s known as street food in Italy and made in large copper pans in wood-burning ovens. Vendors tear off pieces and serve it on wax paper to eat on the spot, however I think it’s a nice change for lunch served with a crisp green salad.

VOTE FOR INGRID'S DISH TO BE IN TO WIN

What you need

I used a 30cm pizza pan but you could use a large oven-proof frying pan. Do it in batches if your frying pan is small. The batter only needs to line the pan, much the same as a pancake.

Batter
1 cup chickpea flour 
1 cup lukewarm water
½ teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons oil

Topping
1 bunch fresh asparagus, shaved (see tip)
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (oregano or thyme)
1 tablespoon oil


How to make

1. Preheat oven to 230°C or 210°C fan bake.
2. In a bowl sift the chickpea flour and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Slowly add the lukewarm water, whisking continuously until smooth. Stir in the oil. Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes.
4. Place the shaved asparagus in a separate bowl. Add a splash of olive oil; mix to coat.
5. Drizzle olive oil into pizza pan. Place pan in the preheated oven for 5 minutes until oil is hot.
6. Pour in the batter. Scatter with the shaved asparagus and fresh herbs.
7. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until batter is set. Turn the oven grill to highand grill the top for 5-10 minutes until golden and crispy.

To serve: Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt then, when slightly cooled, cut into wedges and serve with a green salad.

TIP...

To shave asparagus, hold the woody ends like a handle and peel with a vegetable peeler; set aside the tough ends. Slice any leftovers into thin strips. Use the woody ends to flavour soups or stocks.

Easy Italian seafood dishes for the family

Sadly a few days ago our Nonna passed away. She was the quintessential Italian Nonna, she always wore an apron, had a strong Italian accent and was often emotional. Our memories of her are surrounded by food. Thankfully she passed on her recipes to our dad who bought us up on lots of Italian inspired meals. This blog post is dedicated to our Nonna Maria...

Vanessa's dish: Classic and easy tomato sauce 

What you need 

Olive oil

Salt 2 teaspoons but if you are like me, you will want to add more.

2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes 

1 punnet or tube of tomato paste (you can use a tin of tomato puree instead)

2 onions

4 cloves of garlic

Secret ingredient - a teaspoon sugar (optional but it does sweeten the tomatoes)

Add enough oil to a pot to cover the bottom and saute the chopped onions, when soft add the garlic and soften. (be careful not to burn the garlic)

Add the tins of chopped tomatoes, tomato paste or puree and then add 1 tin of water. 

Add salt and sugar to taste 

All you need to do now is simmer the sauce uncovered until it starts to reduce. its a bit of a balancing act where you will need to add more water if it becomes too thick and more puree/paste if its not thick enough. The paste/puree adds extra depth to the tomato taste and help thicken along with the simmering. 

I usually simmer it for at least 30 minutes however 20-30 minutes still results in a good sauce. Often its even nicer the following day.

Steamed mussels

Add clean and de-bearded mussels to a pot with a lid with a couple of tablespoons of water or wine. Turn up the heat to high and wait a few minutes. Don't be tempted to open the lid to often as it lets the steam out and reduces the temperature. You need it to be HOT to open the shells. When I check the mussels I take the open ones out straight away and quickly put the lid back on and steam the rest. 

If after about 10 minutes some shells haven't opened - throw them away. 

I find the quicker you get the mussels out once they have opened, the better - they don't need to cook any longer. Set them aside until you are ready to plate up. 

Grilled tomatoes and lemons

Cut both the tomatoes and lemons on half. Place in an oven proof dish and drizzle with olive oil. (don't bother using oil on the lemons)

Grill until the tomatoes are soft and starting to caramelize.  

Set them aside until you are ready to plate up.

How to assemble 

1. Cook your spaghetti in lots of salted rapidly boiling water. It is said the water needs to be salty like the sea and  use a large pot. 

2. When al-dente (to the bite) - meaning taste it and it should be firm, not soft like tinned spaghetti!!! 

3. Drain and add the tomato sauce and mix through. 

Some people like to mix the sauce through it first, others like to add the sauce to individual bowls of spaghetti - your choice. 

4. Arrange the mussels, tomatoes and lemons in bowls and top with black pepper. 

Enjoy

Vanessa X 

Nonna Maria with her grandchildren Vanessa and Ingrid picking and eating oranges in Keri keri and Nonna with her first born son Rino (our dad) 

Ingrid's dish: Crispy fried calamari

Whenever I think of Nonna, she's either sitting in her rocking chair, a big mug of coffee in her hands, watching daytime soaps on TV or she is cooking in the kitchen. Nothing was ever too much trouble, if you wanted gnocchi made at ten o'clock at night, the potatoes were boiled up and mashed and a simple tomato sauce was created. The tablecloth came out and we sat up to buttery soft italian dumplings. As a kid, I remember feeling very cherished by my Nonna. 

I also remember fried calamari being thrown together at a moments notice, a few visitors popping over, the playing cards coming out and a raucous night filled with loud laughter and hands slamming down on the table when the last card was played.

When I decided to do fried calamari for this blog post, I could imagine Nonna trotting off down to the local fishmonger, whereas I went to the local asian supermarket - how things have changed! I picked my squid, and regrettably told the fishmonger not to prep it, as I'll do it myself! (um...crazy idea...)

An economical dish, this whole squid cost $4.50 and served four people accompanied with a wintery salad.

So I brought it home and googled - "How to prepare squid, which I have to say, totally grossed me out. I couldn't do it without gloves on, I was a total wimp! When I accidentally pressed the eye a little too hard and it squirted 'eye juice' all over my kitchen window, I could hear my Nonna laughing out loud in the background thinking what a ridiculous situation I had got myself in. So please, what ever you do, get it prepped at the asian supermarket, fish monger, or risk being turned off calamari for life!

However, it was all worth it in the end. It's a great dish to share, its rustic, economical and it really does transport you to al fresco dining on a cobblestone street on the Mediterranean seafront.

Make a simple tartare dip, by mixing 3 tablespoons of store - bought mayonnaise, a handful of capers, a squeeze of lemon juice and chopped gherkins.

Crispy fried calamari

Serves 4

What you need 

1 fresh squid (cut into strips)

1/2 to 1 cup of standard flour

vegetable oil, fill frypan up to 1cm

salt and pepper to taste

lemon wedges

How to prepare

First, get the fish monger to prep the squid! (i.e.: remove all the yukky bits!!!) Once home, pull the tentacles out and cut the tentacles away from its body. Slice open the body, lie it flat and lightly score the surface to tenderize it. Cut into even strips same width as tentacles. Pat dry with a paper towel.

In a plastic bag, mix flour and salt and pepper. Add squid strips to the bag and give it a shake until squid is evenly coated.

Heat oil in a frypan on high heat. When sizzling, add calamari in batches until crispy and golden. They should only take about 2 mins. Drain on a paper towel. Serve piled high with lemon wedges. 

ALSO TRY: Sprinkled with fresh Italian parsley or parmesan.
HAVE WITH: Thinly sliced boiled potatoes garnished with olive oil, salt and cracked pepper.

Enjoy

Ingrid X 

Cooking with lemons

My little lemon tree is a real survivor. When I planted my tree some five years ago, it was placed in a hole strewn with old roots, in a garden that has major drainage issues, and all through winter my little lemon tree has sat in it's very own swimming pool. It really has fought hard to establish itself. It's first year it produced one hard lemon, then nothing the following two years. But this year, little suns popped up in the corner of my garden, and lifted my spirits. The only problem was I had to swim across the lawn to get them. So this food fight is in celebration of my tough little lemon tree and soggy Ugg boots. Enjoy Ingrid

Vanessa's dish
Lemons are abundant this time of year, so much so that they are often left rotting under swelling lemon tress. Such a shame. I have one such tree next door and every year its bursting at the seams and it appears its only me collecting the rewards. Usually its either for lemon and honey drinks, a squeeze or two over fish or to look fresh and inviting in a big glass bowl on my dining table.

Lemons add a touch of summer to a long winter

For our 11th food-fight I pondered with the idea of something sweet and zesty but the trouble is I always lick the spoon and spend a couple of days scoffing the treat!
I have just started a 10 week challenge at the gym and because I have low willpower when it comes to food, I have opted to use the lemons in a savoury dish. To zoosh it up a bit so its not just adding a squeeze to a dish I have attempted homemade fresh pasta.  

Fresh homemade fettuccine - delicious

Fresh pasta is actually pretty easy to make, not much can go wrong with the dough. Rolling it out takes a bit of getting used to but its worth the effort. The trouble I had was the dough/pasta sticking together after I placed it onto a plate - even with extra flour. (any suggestions - please comment)

What amazes me, is the cost of fresh pasta in the supermarket, like with my cheese making its not actually the ingredients that adds to the cost, its the process and the time - home made pasta is in this category. But once prepared, cooking it is a breeze and it lasts for about 3 days in your fridge.

Homemade pasta with lemons, capers and olive oil  
You will need
500grams flour
4 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
Water to mix

How to make the pasta dough
In a bowl (or on the bench) measure out the flour. Add the eggs and olive oil to a well in the centre and mix them up taking a bit of flour from the sides of the well. Keep doing this until its coarsely mixed.
Add a bit of water to make it into a smooth dough. Knead Knead Knead for about 10 minutes. You will need to add flour as you go along to stop it becoming sticky. When you have kneaded it for 10 minutes, wrap it in glad wrap and put it in the fridge while you make the pasta sauce.

Pasta sauce
you will need about...
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup capers
Salt and pepper to taste

2 chopped tomatoes

1 chopped onion

6 cloves of garlic (depending on how garlicky you like it) 

Shrimps or prawns (shelled or not)

Saute the onions and garlic in a little oil until soft, throw in the chopped tomatoes and capers and briefly cook. Add the oil and lemon juice and heat through. Finish with salt and pepper and chopped coriander or basil.

Now its time to roll out the pasta.
If you have a pasta maker, put small flat balls through the non blade rollers and keep thinning the dough by reducing the width of the rollers. When it's about 2-3mm thick, feed it through the fettuccine rollers. If you don't have a pasta maker, you can just use a rolling pin and a knife - it might even be easier. Apparently you can roll up the thinned dough into a tube shape and cut through so you get long ribbons.
My tip is to constantly add flour to prevent sticking and avoid the spaghetti rollers as I found them too small and the dough kept getting stuck.

Boil a large pot with salty water, I heard Ray McVinnie on NZMasterchef say it needs to be as salty as the sea. When its boiling, add the fresh pasta and cook until al dente or firm to the bite. Approx 5 minutes. Whilst this is cooking reheat the lemon and oil sauce and sauté the shrimps briefly in their own pan. When the pasta is cooked, drain and add the lemon sauce then toss through the shrimps. Serve with chopped herbs. Bellissimo!!!

Fettuccine with lemon, capers and shrimp - simple and fresh

Confession - during the final photo shoot I headed to Ingrid's house with everything and the kitchen sink but arrived and realised I left the pasta sitting on my kitchen bench! GUTTED! Time wasn't on my side so I raced to the supermarket to get store bought pasta for the shoot and our lunch! When I arrived home hungry and Jake was in bed I feasted on my own fresh pasta, sauteed frankfurters, store bought pasta sauce fired up with chili and capers. 

All I can say is totally satisfying and delicious - I will be making my own pasta again! 
Vanessa

Ingrid's dish

I was so impressed with candied lemons, sticky and gooey and sweet but still with the tartness. I would also recommend using them on top of a cake (lemon or vanilla), with the sticky sweet lemon juice dripping down the sides - no need for any icing.

Lemons were more successful than limes, the limes skins were tough whilst the centres disintegrated.

 

Lemon and lime tart with candied lemons

What you need
Pastry

125g butter (cold, and cut into cubes)
100g (1/2 cup) caster sugar

1 x egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon zest (grated finely)

250g  (2 cups) flour

How to make
In a food processor, blitz the butter and sugar until just combined. Add beaten egg, vanilla and zest, lightly mix. Add flour and process until crumbly. Don't over mix. Should only need a few seconds. Knead lightly on a floured surface, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30mins.

Roll pastry on floured surface until large enough to fit loosed based flan tin 24cm. Grease tin. Lift pastry into tin. Press into sides. Trim edge. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for another 30 mins.

Preheat oven to to 200C or 180C fan forced oven. Remove plastic wrap, and line with foil, making sure the foil goes over the edges. Add rice or beans for blind baking. Blind bake for 10mins. Remove rice or beans and foil and bake for another 5 mins. Reduce oven temp to 160C / 140 fan forced. Let cool.

Lemon and lime zest filling

What you need

5 eggs (3 whole, 2 yolks only)

3/4 cup caster sugar

1 x lemon (juice) approx 50mls plus zest

1 x lime (juice) approx 50mls

200mls cream

50g butter (melted)

How to make

Whisk eggs, yolks and sugar until creamy. Add cream and melted butter. Mix in lemon and lime juice and lemon zest. Whisk. Pour into cooled pastry.

Bake for 40 mins until filling has set. It should have a slight wobble in the centre when ready. Cool.

.

Candied lemons

What you need

1 1/2 cup of caster sugar

2/3 cup water

3 lemons (sliced thinly) (My candied limes weren't so successful, so just stick to lemons.)

How to make

Put sugar and water in a pot on medium heat, and stir until sugar dissolved. Add sliced lemons and bring to the boil. Cook until the liquid thickens. Around 10 mins. Let cool and place lemon and lime candied slices on tart. Pour syrup into a jug. Serve with yoghurt and warmed up lemon syrup. Enjoy

Indian or Italian for dinner tonight?

Even though we are sisters, we have a very different approach to food and photography. Each fortnight we are going to choose the same ingredient or theme and post the result. These are the results...

Potato facts

• The Incas measured time by how long it took for potatoes to cook.
• China is the world's largest potato producer.
• Potatoes are grown in more than 125 countries (even in space - in 1995).
• Potatoes were first eaten more than 6,000 years ago by indigenous people living in the Andes mountains of Peru.

Agria Potatoes - perfect for a curry

Vanessa's dish: Chicken and potato curry

I find it strange that although this curry is packed with spuds, Lewis still eats his with rice. He would never ever eat a curry without rice. Me on the other hand rarely have it with rice, I pack the bowl full of baby spinach leaves and pile on the curry with an extra scoop of the juices. 

This curry is remarkably simple and uses things I bet you already have in your kitchen. The trick is the technique and being able to add more or less as you go along... 

Every time he makes a curry it's different, but always delicious. I never buy  curry from takeaway shops especially knowing how easy and quick it is to make.

I will do my best to describe the process, so give it a go and good luck!

Agria Potatoes - cheap and cheerful  $2.50 per kg

Lewis's chicken and potato curry

What you need

Chicken-either thighs or be brave and cut up a whole chicken (Adding the bone gives more flavour but I like boneless thighs) About 8 thighs is perfect for 4 people.

Approximately 3-4 tablespoons Curry powder - mild, medium or hot - anything goes

1/2 cup Vegetable oil

1/2 cup water

2 onions

1 bulb of garlic

1 small piece of ginger

1 teaspoon of mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

Agria potatoes - peeled and chopped into large cubes

Fresh coriander

Rice, roti or nan bread

How to make

(this is the tricky bit - its more like a bit of this, a bit of that and you get better, the more you make it!)

Preparation

Finely chop the onions.

In a mortar and pestle pound the garlic and ginger with salt.

Chop the chicken in to bite-sized pieces.

Peel and chop the potatoes into large cubes. 

Roughly chop the coriander leaves and stalks. 

Lets cook

Saute the onions in the vegetable oil. ( I would typically use less oil BUT it does give the curry a better flavour with more) 

When slightly brown, add the cumin, mustard seeds, garlic and ginger. Fry to release the flavours briefly.

Add the curry powder and do the same then add about 1/2 cup water.

Add the chicken and give it a good stir around to totally coat the chicken. 

Put a lid on and turn up the heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

There should be enough liquid in the pot but at this stage you can add a bit more water.

Add the potatoes, and salt then simmer until soft -  another 15 minutes or so should do.

Taste and add more salt if needed.

When ready add the coriander and serve hot. 

Never buy takeaway curry again!

Lewis's chicken and potato curry - amazing!

Ingrid's dish: Spinach gnocchi with pesto and toasted pine nuts

My darling Italian grandmother is an expert at gnocchi, and my dad is a close second, so I thought it was my time to try and create the lightest, softest Italian dumplings and hope to live up to their reputations.
 

I always thought you had to turn your kitchen upside down with flour and sticky dough because that's how I saw my Nonna and father do it. And in true familial style, that's exactly what I did! I went about mashing potatoes and kneading with gusto, the mess felt well deserved.

Use mashing potatoes such as Agria.

There are some food products that you should never buy from the shop, and gnocchi is now coming off my shopping list. Say NO to stodge! My home-made gnocchi was bellissimo! 

A little messy but not in anyway difficult, you will find most ingredients in your pantry or fridge, and you can make it your own, by adding different spices, herbs and ingredients.

I used store-bought pesto to mix through the gnocchi but if you have got the time and the basil, Try Vanessa's recipe for home-made pesto http://foodopera.blogspot.com/2011/03/march-food-fight-two-ways-to-use-basil.html

Toasted pine nuts finished the dish off, and it was given five stars by the bloke and my son, in fact we had it again the next day, even though the dough was quite sticky and needed some extra kneading and flour. I think this might be my most successful dish thus far. Enjoy

Melt in your mouth Italian dumplings

What you need (serves 4)

Gnocchi
4 large potatoes (mashing potatoes such as agria) - chopped/ cubed

2 egg yolks (beaten)

2 Tbsp milk

salt/ pepper
4 nobs of frozen spinach defrosted (or a bunch of chopped and wilted fresh spinach)

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (extra for garnish)

dusting of flour

Pesto: I used store-bought but if you want to make your own see Vanessa's recipe for pesto http://foodopera.blogspot.com/search/label/Pasta

I also threw a handful of pine nuts into a fry pan and toasted them until golden, and sprinkled them over the top of the gnocchi to finish.

How to make

In a pot, add water and boil potatoes until soft. Drain water and mash potatoes. Add egg yolks, milk, salt and pepper. Mix through spinach and parmesan cheese until you have a dough. Don't over mix.

On a floured surface, roll into logs, adding flour when the dough gets too sticky. Cut into 1.5cm rectangle shapes.

Drop gnocchi into salted boiling water in batches, for about 3 mins or until the gnocchi has risen to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon.

In a pan, heat pesto and lightly mix gnocchi into sauce. Place on a plate and scatter toasted pine nuts, and grated parmesan.

Cooking with aubergines

Even though we are sisters, we have a very different approach to food and photography. Each fortnight we are going to choose the same ingredient or theme and post the result. These are results of our first food fight.

Beautiful Thai round aubergines, so easy to cook and cute to display in a bowl on the table.

Aubergines
Aubergines or eggplants, love or hate? These underused and under rated vegetables are the food for our first food fight. The common aubergine in NZ is the large purple oval shaped one (See Ingrid's dish) but if you check out the Asian fruit and vege markets you will find the thin small purple ones and the round, green Thai ones above. 

Food facts 

The Italians call it "melanzane," which means "crazy apple."

China is the top aubergine producer in the world.

An aubergine is almost 95% water.       

Aubergines may worsen the symptoms of arthritis.

An aubergine is actually a fruit.

Thai green chicken curry with aubergines and button mushrooms

Vanessa's dish

Aubergines are often synonymous with Italy (as Ingrid mentions in her blog  below) however I opted for one of my favs "Thai Green Chicken Curry". It actually started when I saw the cutest aubergines at the Asian fruit shop, then found large bags of the smallest button mushrooms - I was in heaven!  Many people I know don't use the Asian fruit and veg shops because they feel a bit out of their comfort zone with all the weird (yes some stuff is) but mostly wonderful products. They really are fantastic, better and more authentic, and even cheaper than the supermarkets. Take a chance and give something new ago.  

Thai green curry with aubergine, chicken and mushrooms

You will need...

Splash of vegetable oil

1 Tbsp Thai  green chicken paste

2 Tbsp Thai fish sauce (it might not smell great but trust me, its delicious and worth using - it gives the salt taste)

2 onions (I used red) 

1 tin coconut milk

water to thin if desired

500grams Chicken Thais oops mean thighs (actually any boneless bits will do, I just prefer the moistness of the thighs) 

Aubergines - one large purple or 8 small green Thai

Mushrooms - a couple of handfuls 

A bunch or two of chopped coriander

How to make

In a deep pan or wok heat the oil and fry the onions, add the green curry paste and fry for a minute or so to release the flavours. ( this bit might make your eyes water so open windows and shut door if kids around).

Add the fish sauce and fry for a minute longer. 

Add the coconut cream, aubergines and mushrooms, simmer gently.

After about 5 minutes add the thinly sliced or chopped chicken. The aim is that the chicken is white rather than golden and that it's really tender hence not over cooking. (its a bit of a juggle getting the cooking time right for the three ingredients but there is leeway and just taste along the way). 

If its thickening up too much, just add water. I used to prefer the thicker creamer curry but now like it better watered down. 

The main tip is not to add too much curry paste at the beginning - its pretty potent and if you are using a low fat option instead of coconut cream there is the potential to split/curdle. I have used evaporated milk and curry paste and it does a pretty good job but heed the advice above and cook on a lower heat. 

To assemble      

Serve with hot jasmine rice and garnished with lots of coriander. 

Small bowls work well as does an icy cold Thai beers such as Tiger or Singa.   

Enjoy!   Vanessa   

These button mushrooms were too cute to leave out of the blog, I didn't even cut all of them and just left them whole.

Ingrid's dish

 

A great way to use up tomatoes, aubergines and basil, all in abundance in your gardens or at supermarkets right now.

I'm always a little bit embarrassed when people find out that I'm half Italian, and then find out I can't speak a word of it. I'm convinced people think that its compulsory if you grow up with a Papa Guerrino you should speak the lingo. But, you see, my papa was trying to do the 'right thing'. He was immersing himself in New Zealand culture with his kiwi bride, and apart from the Ciao's and the Bella's we all spoke English.

That’s not to say, Vanessa and I completely missed out on the Italian side of things. We were brought up by an accomplished cook who learnt from his mama how to make things the traditional way. We grew up with freshly rolled pasta, handmade gnocchi and lightly dusted crostili.

So for our first food fight challenge, I decided to stick with what I know, Although I changed the Mozzarella (creamy cheese that melts), and went for ricotta. Why? well because it was cheaper (and lower in fat, not that I much care for that) It might not have photographed as well, white blogs instead of sticky cheesy swirls but who wants to add another $10 to a dish. Enjoy…Ingrid

Aubergines are very filling, and have virtually no fat, which makes it a perfect main dish.

Baked aubergine with tomatoes, ricotta and Parmesan

You will need
Serves 6
3 Eggplants
salt/ pepper
flour
3 eggs, beaten
Oil

1 onion
1 garlic clove
2 cans, diced tomatoes, or if like me, you have tomatoes growing out of your ears, 12 red tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste
bunch of basil
ricotta (this dish traditionally uses bocconcini, or mozzarella, but have you checked out the prices!!!, so I opted for ricotta, it worked well)
Parmesan


How to make
Slice eggplant into 1cm slices, and sprinkle salt. Leave covered in a colander for around an hour. This will draw the liquid out. Pat dry with paper towel. Dip in Flour, then beaten egg and shallow fry each side until golden. Drain on paper towel.

Sauce
In a pan, add chopped onion and garlic. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and bring to boil. Season. When it starts to thicken, reduce heat and add chopped basil.

To assemble
In a ovenproof dish, coat bottom of dish with sauce and first layer of eggplant on top. Add dots of ricotta and grated Parmesan. Repeat layers and finish with sauce and grated Parmesan on top. Bake at 180C for 30mins. Let it cool for 5-10 mins before serving.