Ingredients

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

A pinch of salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Espelette pepper (we don’t have this, so used sweet smoked paprika instead – you could use cayenne pepper)

2 medium aubergines (eggplants)

A handful of chopped parsley to garnish (we used chives instead)

For the couscous

160g/1 cup of couscous

Zest of 1 lemon

A pinch of salt

180ml/ 3/4 cup boiling water

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

For the yoghurt sauce

6 tbsp plain natural yoghurt

1 tbsp lemon juice

A pinch of salt (we left this out and it was still yummy!)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Pound the garlic and salt in a pestle and mortar until it forms a smooth paste. Blend in the oil, tomato paste and Espelette pepper (or alternative).

3. Cut the aubergines lengthways into 2cm-thick slices. Cut out the spongy core and then place the batons on the tray. Brush with the spicy marinade and then place in the middle of the oven to cook for 30 minutes (or until tender).

4. When you have just over 5 minutes to go, boil the kettle for the couscous. Place the couscous in a large bowl with the lemon zest and salt, and then pour over the boiling water. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.

5. Make the yoghurt sauce by mixing the yoghurt with the lemon juice and salt. Drizzle the oil over the couscous and fluff it up with a fork.

6. Serve the aubergine chips on a bed of couscous, drizzle over some yoghurt sauce and sprinkle with some chopped parsley or chives. Enjoy!

The post Spicy aubergine chips with couscous appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

I often decided to make up a recipe when I have a particular ingredient that needs using up, and this recipe came out of one of those occasions. We had a little bit of goats cheese left and, after feeling uninspired following a quick internet search, I decided to get a few simple ingredients and go for it! You don’t need much of the goats cheese at all – if you don’t like really rich food then you could probably just leave it out. We used some salami Napoli here, which is optional too if you would prefer a meat version.

This recipe uses the creamy basil pesto recipe that I’ve already posted, so you’ll need to make a batch of that before cooking the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

Linguine (cook enough for 2-3 people)
Olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped into fairly small pieces (but not finely chopped)
A handful of cup mushrooms, quartered
8 slices of salami Napoli (optional)
Ground black pepper
100g baby leaf spinach
1 batch of creamy basil pesto (click on link above)
25-50g goats cheese to serve (optional)

Method

1. Add some boiling water to a pan and cook the linguine according to the packet instructions.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pan, and add the onions. Cook until softened and beginning to brown before adding the mushrooms.

3. If adding the salami, tear each slice in half and add to the pan. Leave for a few minutes to cook.

4. Just before the pasta is ready, add the spinach to the onion and mushrooms, along with some ground black pepper. Allow the spinach to wilt a little.

5. Drain the pasta and stir the pesto through. Then add the vegetables and stir again. Plate up and then crumble a little goats cheese over the top, with a little more black pepper.

Enjoy!

The post Linguine with creamy pesto, caramelised red onion and spinach appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.