from In Season: Cooking with Vegetables and Fruits by Sarah Raven

3 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds)
2 TB. olive oil
8 oz. feta cheese
2 TB. extra virgin olive oil
juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the eggplants into large chunks and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the top and roast them in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, break up the feta into small lumps.

Take the eggplant out of the oven and, while it is still hot, stir in the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and feta. Season with salt and pepper to tastes. Once it has cooled down a little, add plenty of parsley.



from In Season: Cooking with Vegetables and Fruits by Sarah Raven

1 medium zucchini
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 red onions
2 eggplants, cubed
1/3 cup apple juice
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 TB. sunflower oil
Small bunch of herbs (savory, tarragon, parsley), chopped

Peel the squash, deseed it and cut it into chunks about 1/4 inch thick. Put in a colander and sprinkle well with salt, then leave to drain.

Lay the chunks out in a single layer on a baking pan in a low (300 degree) oven for about an hour. This will dry them out further. Then pour over a little olive oil and increase the heat to 425 degrees for another 15 minutes. This will brown the chunks around the edges.

Meanwhile, put the onions and eggplants on another baking pan. Pour over a little bit of olive oil and roast in a medium (350 degree) oven for 45 minutes.

In a pan, mix the apple juice with the balsamic vinegar and reduce it by three-quarters over low heat. Add the sunflower oil.

Mix the roasted vegetables together and dress them with this mixture. Scatter the herbs on top.



3 eggplants (about 2 pounds)
2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with 2 teas. of salt
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
3 TB. tahini
8 TB. olive oil
3 leeks, cleaned and cut
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Clean and cut leeks. Toss in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes. Pull out and cool.

Increase temperature to 425 degrees and cook eggplants whole in the oven for about 45 minutes.

Let the eggplants cook, then cut them in half and scrape away the skin. Put all the insides and juices in a food processor. Add leeks, garlic, lemon juice and zest, tahini and olive oil. If it’s too thick, add water. Add salt and pepper to taste.



from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater

4 medium onions
1 1/4 cups whipping or heavy cream
handful grated Parmesan

Set the oven to 350 degrees. Peel the onions and bring them to a boil in a deep pot of water. Leave them at a bright simmer for about twenty-five minutes, until tender. Lift them out with a draining spoon.

Slice the onions in half from root to tip and put them cut-side down in an oven-safe dish. Tip the cream over the onions. Season with salt, pepper and the grated cheese and bake for twenty-five to thirty minutes, until golden and bubbling.



from In Season: Cooking with Vegetables and Fruits by Sarah Raven

1/2 cup mixed dried fruit, such as raisins, apricots and prunes
1 cup orange juice
1 pound white onions
1 TB. olive oil or 1 TB. butter
1 TB. brown sugar
1/2 lb. apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
4 TB. balsamic vinegar
salt and black pepper

Chop the mixed fruit and marinate it in the orange juice for an hour or so. Slice the onions and sweat in the olive oil or butter with the sugar over low heat until they become translucent and golden brown. Add the apples, mixed fruit and vinegar, and cook for about 25 minutes, until most of the liquid has gone. Season, put into warmed sterilized jars and cover while still hot. The keeps well in the fridge for up to a month.



5 carmen peppers
25-30 tomatillos
1 white onion
3-4 heirloom tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 teas. salt

6 chicken breasts
1 teas. cumin
1 teas. chili powder
1 cup Monterey Jack, shredded (optional)
salt and pepper

Turn on broiler and preheat grill. Peel paper shell off of tomatilos and rinse off sticky film. Halve the tomatillos and place cut-side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Place under broiler for 5-7 minutes. When cooled, peel off the skin.

Grill carmen peppers until soft, about 5 minutes. Finely chop all ingredients (including tomatillos) and mix together in a bowl.

Toss chicken in olive oil, cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper. Grill until nearly cooked through, marking each side. Place the salsa and cheese on top of the chicken and bake in the center of the oven until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

3 onions, julienned
2 orange peppers, diced
3 red peppers, sliced
8 yellow tomatoes, roasted, smashed and drained
4 garlic cloves, shaved
14 inch pizza dough (available at the deli)
2 oz. goat cheese
2 TB. butter
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Toss the peppers, garlic and tomatoes in olive oil and roast for 15 minutes in the oven. Meanwhile caramelize onions with 2 TB. butter. When the roasted vegetables are finished, smash and juice tomato to remove some of the liquid.

Lightly coat pizza dough with olive oil. Spread roasted vegetables and caramelized onion on pizza dough. Top with goat cheese and basil and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. Serve immediately.