Baked Feta with Blood Oranges, plus

Aubergine and Haricot Beans

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Serves 4-6.

Ready in 1 hour

 

Courtesy of Nigel Slater and published in The Guardian

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I am a great fan of Nigel Slater and I made both these dishes which paired together very successfully.

 

The bean mixture was easy to make and I was introduced to a brand new way of adding chilli, an ingredient I tend to avoid - but Gochujang is full of aromatic spices and adds a gentle warmth to the dish, elevating simple ingredients in a surprising manner.

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This was served with the roasted aubergines and topped with a delicious herby crunchy topping, which was fabulous.

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This was served with the Baked Feta and blood oranges although when not in season, one can use ordinary oranges.    I may experiment with a different type of goat's cheese next time as I would have liked the cheese to melt a little more.

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However, this was a surprisingly delicious dish and one we shall have often in the future.

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Baked Feta with Blood Oranges

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Serves 2-3.

Ready in 35 minutes

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Salty, chalk-white cheese, honey and sweet oranges. Should you prefer, you could always grill the feta – place the cheese, thyme and honey on a piece of foil and cook under a preheated overhead grill until the surface starts to brown.

Ingredients

 

• Feta 2 x 150g blocks

• runny honey 2 tbsp

• thyme leaves 1 tsp chopped

• blood oranges 3

• white wine vinegar 1 tbsp

• Dijon mustard 1 tsp

• olive oil 30ml

• red treviso or other bitter leaf a handful, I used rocket

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Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.
    

2. Place the feta on a sheet of tinfoil large enough to wrap loosely around the cheese.
    

3. Brush the honey over the surface, then scatter with the thyme. Grind over a little black pepper, then bring the edges of the foil together and scrunch loosely together to form a parcel. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until soft.
    

4. Squeeze one of the oranges into a mixing bowl and stir in the vinegar, mustard, a little salt and some more coarsely ground black pepper. With a small whisk or fork, beat in the olive oil. I sometimes make this in a jam jar, shaking the ingredients until they lightly emulsify.
    

5. Using a very sharp knife, peel the other 2 oranges, making sure to remove all of the white pith. Cut each orange into about 6 thin slices and add to the dressing.
    

6. Separate the heads of treviso into individual leaves and wash thoroughly. Shake dry, then toss with the oranges, lightly coating them in the dressing.
    

7. Transfer the leaves and oranges to a serving plate. Lift the cheese from its foil with a fish slice or palette knife, pouring over any honey or juices and place among the leaves and oranges.

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Aubergine and Haricot Beans

 

Serves 4-6. ​​

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Ready in 1 hour

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Ingredients

 

• Aubergines 450g

• olive oil 3 tbsp, plus a little more

• onions 400ggarlic 4 cloves

• gochujang 2 level teaspoons

• chopped tomatoes 2 x 400g cans

• haricot beans 2 x 400g cans

• thyme leaves 1 tbsp

• sugar a pinch
   

• For the crust:

• white bread 100g

• thyme leaves 2 tbsp

• grated lemon zest 1 tbsp

• olive oil 5 tbsp

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Method

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1. You will need a deep 24cm x 14cm baking dish. Remove the stems from the aubergines. Slice each aubergine in half lengthways, then into 1cm thick slices. Heat an overhead grill.
    

2. Place the aubergines on a grill pan, in a single layer, then brush generously with oil. Grill them until soft, about 7 or 8 minutes, then turn with kitchen tongs or a palette knife, brush with a little more oil if necessary, and continue grilling until soft.
    

3. Peel, halve and roughly chop the onions. Warm the oil in a deep, heavy-based casserole, add the onions and let them cook over a low to moderate heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and pale gold. Peel, thinly slice and stir in the garlic.
    

4. Stir in the gochujang and cook briefly, then add the tomatoes and the haricot beans with their canning liquor. Stir in the thyme, a little salt, a good pinch of sugar and the aubergines. Simmer for 10 minutes, then transfer to your baking dish.
    

5. Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6.
    

6. For the crust, process the bread to coarse crumbs in the food processor (or by hand with a coarse-toothed grater). Mix with the thyme leaves and lemon zest. Pour over the olive oil and toss to coat. Scatter over the surface of the beans and tomatoes then bake for 25-30 minutes until the crumb crust is crisp and the filling is bubbling around the edges.
    

7. Alternatively, cook the crumbs, thyme and lemon zest in a mix of olive oil and butter in a pan and sprinkle on to the tops of the aubergine just before serving.

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