The Shaman's Secret
Aubergine's are truly a respectable dwarf's honorary meat. They are really a most remarkable vegetable that only comes to many as they mature and develop a true sense of taste.
There is so much that one can do with an aubergine in a good way and yet so many ways to ruin them in copious amounts of oil so that the wretched things can come to resemble a soggy elfish sandal, If you have had a bad experience with an egg plant, read on for all is not lost.
Ingredients (for two servings)
- 10 whole prawns, shell on ( decent sized ones - shrimp if in the US)
- 1 decent sized courgette
- 1 large red onion
- 1 large beetroot
- 4 large red tomatoes
- Some black olives
- Some green olives
- Olive oil
- some creamed horseradish
- 4 cloves garlic
- Some dried oregano, cilantro or basil as you prefer
Method
Wash the prawns and set aside.
Prepare the beetroot and cut into decent sized cubes. NOTE: Twist off any leave from the top and also twist off the tap root if still attached. This prevents excessive 'bleeding'.
Using a peeler, thinly slice the courgettes into ribbons, sprinkle with a little salt and set aside.
Place the beetroot in an oven pan and sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Put a pan of water on to heat for the courgettes which will be blanched for a couple of minutes and then set aside and kept warm
Meanwhile, chop the red onion roughly (i.e not fine diced but chopped with dwarfish attitude). In a large pan ( we use the base of a metal tagine), add a good portion of oil and heat until , well hot I suppose. Add the onion and stir to prevent sticking or burning. Turn down the heat(or move to the cooler plate on the Aga) and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.
Peel, crush and chop the garlic. Separate into two portions, one for the pot and one for the prawns.
Roughly chop the tomatoes into small pieces. If you don't want the skin peel them first using boiling water but if cut small enough they will not cause any problems with skin on.
Add chopped tomatoes and garlic to the pan and stir in with the onions and cook for a further 5 minutes or so.
Add the green olives to the pot and leave for a few minutes whilst you cook the prawns.
Heat a heavy iron based pan with some olive oil or if you prefer, rape seed oil. Don't let the oil smoke. When hot add the prawns and the chilli and cook until done, and red, turning over mid way through the time. Lay out the cooked prawns on serving plates.
Spoon a couple of spoonfuls of the tomato, olive and onion mix onto the plate
Remove beetroot from the oven and serve with a spoonful of horseradish,some sliced black olives and the herbs for garnish.
Observations
Source: Try salt preserved lemons here.
