Aubergine, spinach and ricotta rolls

I made these vegetarian rolls for dinner last night, and they went down a treat.

Oozing cheesy spinachy yummyness

For four people, you’ll need:

2 aubergines

a bag of fresh spinach (I’m sure that frozen will be fine ;-) )

a tub of ricotta

a jar of tomato sauce – I think I used a Scala one

some parmesan cheese (or whatever is festering at the back of the fridge)

Turn your grill on. Slice the aubergines about 1cm thick slices down the length and lay them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush the aubergine with a little more oil and grill for about two minutes on each side.

Switch your oven on to 200° and boil the kettle.

Wash your spinach well (the amount of meals I’ve ruined from finding grains of sand in the fresh spinach here is unreal. I find the best way is to fill the sink with water and shake handfuls of spinach through the water). Put it on a large colander and pour some boiling water over the spinach to wilt it. Squeeze the spinach well to get rid of the excess water.

In a bowl, mix the ricotta with a grating of nutmeg and salt and pepper. Mix the spinach through it.

Get a large oven-proof dish ready beside you. Take one of the aubergine slices and put a good spoonful of the cheesy spinach mixture in it and roll the aubergine around to close in all the cheesy goodness. Lay it closed-side down in the dish. Keep going until all the cheese and aubergines are used up.

Pour the jar of sauce over the aubergines and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until piping hot and bubbling and golden.

Devour. 

Pork and fennel tray roast with lemon and coriander

I’ve made this three times now, and this is the first time I’ve been quick enough to get a photo before it’s devoured! It’s really simple, and the kind of dish you can pretty much prepare, pop in the oven and leave there while you potter around. From fridge to table, it takes an hour.

Roast pork and fennel with lemon and coriander

The recipe comes from the May 2012 edition of delicious magazine.

For four people:

2 large red-skinned potatoes cut into chunks (new potatoes are in, so I used 3-4 per person)

2 fennel bulbs, sliced into eights

3 red onions, quartered

Olive oil

2 pork fillets (I used 600g), trimmed and cut into 8

Paste

2 preserved lemons, rinsed and dried and cut into pieces

A dribble of olive oil

Garlic cloves (I love garlic, so I use lots)

Chili – whatever amount you like, either flakes, dried or fresh

1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

1 tablespoon of honey

chopped coriander

Heat your oven to 180°.

Put the potatoes and fennel into a pot of salted water, bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Drain well and put into a roasting tin together with the onions and the olive oil. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

While all that’s going on, either blitz all the paste ingredients in a blender or chop up finely and mix together (second option = less washing up). I always add a crumbled stock cube too, and of course a little salt and pepper.

Rub the paste all over the pork pieces and leave aside.

When your veg have hit the 20 minute mark in the oven, tumble the pork pieces on top and return the lot to the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until the pork is cooked through and the vegetables are soft.

As I’d some parsnips in the fridge this week I used these too. I just boiled them with the potatoes and fennel first. Yum.

Photos are en route (probably tonight).