Gratin Daubergines à Lalgérienne Recipes

AUBERGINE GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a skillet or frying pan. Add the onion, season with salt and saute on a medium heat until they turn translucent and golden.
• Whilst the onion is cooking prep the aubergine. Place the sliced aubergine into a colander and season with salt, leave to drain.
• Add the crushed garlic and mixed herbs to the cooking onions. If you don't have mixed herbs specifically, simply use any favourite herby flavours that you have in; thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil and marjoram will all work well. A chuck it in approach will always work with sauce like this as long as you limit the herbs to 1tsp- any more will give it a noticeable grainy texture.
• Add mushrooms and courgette, cook for 5 minutes or until they are slightly browned.
• Add the chopped tomatoes with a splash of water. Mix in and simmer over a medium heat until you have your desired consistency. 5 minutes of simmering was enough for me.
• Whilst these are cooking, take the aubergine slices, rinse with water, press moisture out with kitchen roll and add to a hot frying pan which has been lightly brushed with oil. Light spray oil (diet types) work well for this also, use too much oil and the aubergine will go soggy. The point here is to get the aubergine dried out and to bring out some of the flavour, so that once they go into the gratin they won't instantly turn to mush (the only part of this dish that can go so wrong it ruins it). Brown on both sides and set aside.
• Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Add the sugar and Tabasco now if you're using it.
• You're ready to layer up the gratin! intermittently layer aubergine with a thin covering of sauce- I sprinkle a tiny bit of Parmesan shavings between layers. The dish fills up pretty quickly, I normally manage to squeeze in 3 layers of aubergine. When you get to the top layer of sauce, cover it with a layer of courgette circles and sprinkle with lots of Parmesan, keeping a tiny sprinkle aside for when it comes out of the oven. The dryness of the courgette gives the Parmesan the chance to crisp up, if you want the cheesy bit gooey then skip out the courgette.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes on around 180 C/ Gas mark 4. The top wants to be lightly browned.
• Serve with your sides of choice. So filling and contrary to my waffling instructions, actually very easy!

CLASSIC BISTRO STYLE GRATIN DAUPHINOIS - FRENCH GRATIN POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300F/150C/gas mark 2.
• Take a heavy-bottomed dish or an ovenproof gratin dish (a Le Creuset is ideal - the potatoes tend not to catch), and grease it will with some of the butter.
• Layer the potato slices in the dish, slightly overlapping each other, seasoning lightly with the salt and pepper, and sprinkling a liberal amount of cheese on each layer.
• Sprinkle cheese on the top of the last layer.
• Put the double cream, garlic and sprigs of thyme in a pan and bring to them gently to the boil, then remove the thyme and pour hot cream over the potatoes.
• Dot the top of the gratin with the remaining butter and some extra cheese if you wish, and bake for about 1 hr to 1 1/2 hrs, or until the potatoes are soft, and the top is crispy and golden brown.
• Serve bubbling hot as a main meal or as an accompaniment.

FRENCH TIAN D' AUBERGINES - GRATIN OF AUBERGINES/EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 F/230 C or Gas Mark 8.
• Lightly grease the Tian or an oven proof dish with olive oil.
• Cook the aubergine slices in hot olive oil, turning as necessary until they are golden brown on both sides & well cooked through. Drain them well on absorbent paper & allow to cool before assembling the Tian.
• Cheese Custard: Beat together the cottage cheese, grated Italian cheese, eggs & crème fraiche. Season with salt & black pepper to taste.
• Mix the tinned tomatoes with the passata & add the grated or finely chopped garlic.
• Now you can start to assemble the Tian - start with a little of the tomato sauce & then some aubergine slices; tear the basil leaves into small pieces & scatter over with basil flowers if available. Keep layering the dish with the tomato sauce & aubergines & fresh basil until all the ingredients have been used.
• Pour over the cheese custard & decorate with the freshly sliced tomatoes. Bake in the oven for 35 - 45 minutes until golden brown & bubbling. Allow to cool & serve in slices. Delicious with fresh green salad leaves & crusty bread.

TOMATO AND AUBERGINE GRATIN

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees F/230 degrees C.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saute pan and cook the onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and pepperoncino, and cook 1 minute. Then add the tomatoes and cook to a thick, chunky sauce, about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper and stir in the fresh herbs.
• While the sauce cooks, brush the eggplant slices on both sides with olive oil and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet (you'll need to work in batches). Bake until golden and soft, about 15 minutes; turn and bake the other side, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C. Mix together the breadcrumbs with the chili powder.
• In a large gratin dish, starting with just the thinnest smear of tomato sauce over the bottom, layer in the eggplant, then sauce, then breadcrumbs. Repeat until the dish is full. Scatter the Parmesan over top. Bake until the gratin is heated through, and the top golden, about 30 minutes. Serve.

GRATIN D'AUBERGINES à L'ALGéRIENNE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and grease an ovenproof 9-by-12-inch casserole.
• Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Steam them for 5 minutes, or microwave them in a bowl for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size, until the interior is soft. When the eggplants are cool enough to handle, scoop out the pulp with a spoon into a colander, pressing out and discarding the water. Be careful to keep the shells intact.
• Chop the eggplant pulp, transfer it to a large bowl, and mix in all but 1/4 cup of the cheese. Taste, seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon the eggplant-and-cheese mixture into the shells, cover each with a thin slice of tomato, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and drizzle with olive oil.
• Place in the prepared casserole, and bake for 30 minutes. If the tops of the eggplants are not golden brown, put them under the broiler for a few minutes. Serve hot, accompanied by a big salad.