Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italian. Show all posts

Sunday 29 October 2023

Caponata


Its a classic Sicilian starter or a side dish.
 

The sweet and sour dish is eaten with bruschetta,  meat or fish, rice or pasta. It’s a type of vegetarian relish, some add fish to the dish. It’s made with egg plants , bell peppers, celery, tomatoes, zucchini, onions, olives, capers etc. Apart from the vegetables white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar is added for the tanginess and honey, raisins or sugar is added to the dish for sweetness. Some time pine nuts are also added. Each house has their own variant of making Caponata. This dish is eaten when warm, room temperature or cold .. this dish can be cooked a day prior and refrigerated and eaten the next day. 

Ingredients 
3 Long Eggplant cut into cubes 
1 Yellow Zucchini cut into cubes 
1 small Red Bell Pepper cut into half and sliced 
1 Onion cut into half and sliced 
1 Celery stalk sliced 
5 to 6 crushed Garlic 
4 tbsp Green Olives sliced 
Few fresh Parsley for garnishing 
2 tbsp Capers or Pickled Green Peppercorn 
Salt to taste 
1/2 tsp Pepper corn crushed 
4 tbsp White wine vinegar or Red wine vinegar 
3 tbsp Tomato sauce 
1 tbsp Honey 
2 tbsp Olive Oil 
Method 
Sprinkle little salt and drizzle little oil on the egg plants and zucchini, grill the vegetables at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Keep them aside. Take a pan, add the olive oil, add the onion, garlic,  bell pepper, and celery, sauté until the onions are lightly browned. Add the olives, capers or pickled pepper corn, tomato sauce, white wine or red wine vinegar, honey, salt and crushed pepper. Stir and sauté for few seconds, add the grilled egg plants and zucchini. Stir and cook for another minute. Sprinkle fresh parsley. Let the dish come to a room temperature, serve the dish with bruschetta. 

Tuesday 7 July 2020

Baked Stuffed Eggplant with Chicken, Cheese and Veggies..


This dish is super delicious... 
Any vegetables like mushroom, zucchini, capsicum, tomato etc can be added... instead of chicken... prawns, sausage, bacon etc can be added... or make it only with vegetables... this dish can be eaten with bread or to make it a complete meal, cooked pasta can be added with the vegetables.. 



Ingredients 
1 big size Eggplant cut into half and scooped out the flesh from the center
4 Garlic cloves  finely chopped 
1/2 cup chopped Mix coloured Capsicum 
1 small Tomato chopped 
Scooped  Brinjal flesh
Some Olive slices  
1/2 cup small Chicken pieces 
Salt to taste 
1/2 tsp  Pepper powder
1/2 cup  Arrabbiata sauce or Béchamel Sauce
1/4 cup Amul Cheddar Cheese cut into small cubes 
Some Amul Mozzarella Cheese pieces 
1 tsp Olive Oil

Method 
Once the flesh of the brinjal is scooped out, immediately apply olive oil and salt on the brinjal. Take the scooped  brinjal  and place them on a baking tray. Take a bowl, add garlic, capsicum, tomato,  olives, scooped brinjal flesh, chicken, cheese, salt, pepper and sauce of your choice. Mix all the ingredients together. Add this into the brinjal cavities. Add mozzarella cheese from top and bake the brinjals at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes in a preheated oven. Serve this with bread.

Friday 19 June 2020

Creamy Cheesy Potato Bruschetta



Bruschetta is an Italian dish. There are many variations of toppings used for bruschetta, the common one is tomato, garlic, basil and olive oil... added on the grilled / toasted bread.. other vegetables, beans, cured meat and cheese are also used. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetiser. 
Here I had few pieces of sourdough slices and 2 boiled potatoes left... to create this delicious dish for my starter. 
Ingredients 
8 Slices of Sourdough bread slices 
2 medium size Boiled Potatoes 
1/2 tsp Garlic finely chopped 
3 tbsp Cream Cheese 
2 tbsp grated Mozzarella cheese
3 tbsp Cream
Salt to taste 
1/2 tsp Pepper Powder 
1/2 tsp Fresh Parsley chopped or dried Parsley
2 tbsp Olive Oil 
Few pickled vegetables like cherry tomatoes and few olives sliced 
Some chilli flakes and dried parsley for sprinkle 
Method 
Take a bowl, mash the boiled potatoes, add the garlic, cream cheese, cream, mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper and parsley. Mix all the ingredients together. Take a baking tray, keep the bread slices and drizzle olive oil on both the sides of the bread. Toast the bread at 180 degrees celsius in a preheated for 5 minutes on one side, turn the bread and toast the bread for another 5 minutes. Take out the tray, cool the bread slices, spread the cheesy creamy potato spread on the bread. Add the sliced olives and cherry tomatoes and grill the bruschetta for another 5 minutes at 180 degrees celsius. Remove, sprinkle chilli flakes and dried parsley, serve hot. 

Wednesday 8 May 2019

Stir Fried Salmon cooked in Orange and Garlic Sauce

This an amazing dish made with Italian flavours for lunch. The dish is sweet and tangy in taste. This can be served with bread or rice. 
For the Stir Fry
Ingredients
10 pieces of Salmon Fillets
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Pepper Powder 
3 cubes Butter
Method 
Apply salt and pepper on the fish fillets. Take a pan, add butter, let it melt. Stir fry the fish until  brown on both the sides. Remove the fish and keep it aside. 
For the Sauce
Ingredients 
Stir Fried Salmon Fish 
400 ml of Fresh Orange Juice 
2 tsp Garlic chopped 
1 tsp Pepper Powder 
1 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste 
2 tbsp All Purpose Flour 
1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary 
Sweet Basil for garnishing 
Butter left in the pan 
Method 
Take the same pan, use the leftover butter. Heat the pan, add the chopped garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the all purpose flour, sauté it for another minute. Add the fresh orange juice. Stir and let it simmer. Add the sugar, salt to taste, Pepper powder and dried Rosemary. Stir and let it continue to simmer until the gravy begins to thicken.  Add the fish. Switch of the flame and add the sauce over the fish. Garnish with Basil leaves. Serve it with Bread or Rice. 

Sunday 5 March 2017

Garlicky Creamy Spicy Tuna Pasta....

A quick meal for a lazy day. Any type of Pasta can be used in this recipe. Instead of Tuna, boiled shredded chicken can be added. Absolutely love the flavour and it is very easy to make. 
Ingredients 
250 grams Spiral Pasta boiled and drained 
1 canned Tuna flakes or fresh Tuna boiled and shredded 
1/2 cup Fresh Cream 
1/4 cup Marinara Sauce 
1 tbsp Garlic chopped 
1 Jalapeno Green Chilli chopped
1 Pickled Red Jalapeno Chilli Chopped 
1 tbsp Green and Black Olives chopped 
1 tbsp each Cheddar and Mozzarella Cheese grated 
1 tbsp Butter 
1/2 cup Starch Water from the Pasta which was boiled 

Method 
Take a wok, add butter, let it melt. Add the garlic and the green  jalapeño. Sauté it for few minutes.  Add the cream and let it simmer for a minute. Add the marinara sauce and mix it with the cream. Add the pasta and the tuna flakes. Toss it. Let it cook for a minute. Add the starch water. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the liquid reduces. Before serving garnish with red jalapeño, olives and grated cheese. 

Saturday 17 September 2016

Fish Quenelles (Dumplings) with Spaghetti Baked in Marinara Sauce....

Quenelles are popular in France usually made with fish,meat and at times are vegetarian too. They are light and fluffy dumplings and are made by adding eggs,cream and herbs into fish or meat. The oval shape of the dumplings are formed using a spoon. It is then poached in salt water and then baked or cooked in various types of sauce. It can be served with pasta or spaghetti...

Here is my recreation of the dish with ingredients available in my kitchen...

Ingredients
8 medium cubes of Any white Boneless Fish
2 Egg Whites
2 Whole Eggs
1/2 cup Fresh Cream
2 cups of Marinara Sauce
1 cup of Mozeralla and Cheddar cheese mix
Few leaves of Fresh Thyme
2 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 packet of Spaghetti

Method
Take a big pot of water and let it boil. Once it starts to boil add salt and reduce the flame and let it simmer. Take a food processor or chopper. Cut the fish cubes into smaller pieces and add it into the processor or chopper. Give couple of pulses. Add the egg whites, salt and pepper corn and blend it. Add the whole eggs, cream and thyme. Blend it once more. It will be a creamy batter. Keep it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Take a spoon full of the batter and try to give it a oval shape. Drop it in the simmering water. Poach it for 4 minutes and once done will float in water. Once cooked drain it out on an absorbent paper and keep it aside. Don't discard the water,  boil the spaghetti in the same water and drain the spaghetti. Take a baking tray. Add olive oil, 1 cup of marinara sauce and boiled spaghetti and toss it. Arrange the Fish quenelles on the spaghetti. Pour the marinara sauce over it. Sprinkle the cheese and bake it in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Serve it hot.

Simple Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
1 kg ripe Tomatoes 
1 tetra pack Tomato purée 
2 Garlic cloves chopped 
Salt to taste 
1/4 tsp freshly ground Pepper powder
1 Bay leaf 
2 fresh finely chopped Basil leaves
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
Give a slit on the tomatoes. Blanch them in boiling water and as the skin starts to peel, remove them from the water, cool it in cold water and peel the skin out. Lightly blend them in a blender. Add the oil into the pan, heat it. Add the garlic. Sauté it until translucent. Add the tomatoes,tomato purée,bay leaf and salt. Simmer it on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the basil leaves and pepper powder, reduce the heat to low and simmer for another 10 minutes until the sauce becomes thick. Sauce is ready to use.

Sunday 14 August 2016

Burger Pizzas and Handmade Flat Bread Pizza....

Burger Pizzas and Handmade Flat Bread Pizza... 

I call it "Quick Fix Pizza"... 
When my friend called me, it was 7:30 pm in the evening. Uncle (her father) wanted to visit us. I had already planned to invite him over dinner, so then I decided why not today itself... My initial though was to order food from out, but my friend said that since children wanted to have Pizza Burger, we would order the burger pizzas from out, but from the time I have started baking, I hate to order pizzas from out... But to make the Burger Pizzas, first I have to bake the burger buns and then make the pizza.. It was already 8:30 pm.
 So tried some tricks to save some time on baking the burger bread and then to make the pizza burgers on time for the children to enjoy. I did save some time, but for the children to enjoy was bit delayed... 
    Let's see how to proof the bread dough in a warm oven to save the time for baking, especially when the kneading time is also reduced. 
You need a warm place for the yeast to rise quickly when you are lacking time... This method some what solves the problem.
Let's see the recipe......
Since I made Vegetarian Pizza burger and Pizza, I used lots of vegetables cut into small cubes..... 
Onion, Green - Yellow - Red Capsicums, Mushrooms, Baby Corns, Green - Black Olives, Pickled Red Chilli sliced, Pickled Gherkins and Tomatoes too. (Which I missed)
1 block of Pizza Cheese or 50:50 Cheddar Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese 
Pizza sauce 
Sprinkle of Dry Oregano and Chilli flakes.. 
2 tbsp Milk, 1 tbsp Oil and 1/2 tsp Honey for the wash
(Keep all the above ingredients ready while proofing the bread.)

For a Quick Pizza Sauce.....
Ingredients
6 Ripe Tomatoes cut into cubes 
6 big size Garlic pod chopped
1 big size Onion chopped 
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Dry Mix Herbs or Fresh Basil Leaves chopped 
1 tsp Pepper powder 
1 cup Tomato purée
2 tbsp Olive oil
Method
In a wok, add olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for a minute, add the onions. Sauté till translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir and cook it for 5 minutes. Add the tomato purée, salt, pepper powder, sugar and mix herbs, stir and let it simmer for 5 minutes more. Keep it aside.
For the Burger Buns.....

Ingredients 
500 grams Flour ( Whole Wheat + All Purpose Flour ) 
                                      60          :           40 
2  and 1/4 tsp Dry Yeast or 1 Dry Yeast Sachet  
1/2 cup + 1 1/4 cups Luke Warm water 
2 tbsp Sugar 
Salt to taste
3 tbsp Olive oil 
Sprinkle of Dry Oregano (optional) 
Method 
Take a mixing bowl. Add the flour and salt and mix it. Take 1/2 cup lukewarm water, add sugar and mix it. Add the yeast, stir and dissolve the yeast in the water and let it stand for 10 minutes to rise. 
( This is the first step... Very very important... The yeast has to rise. )
Make a well in between the centre of the flour. Add the yeast water, 1 1/4 cup water and 1tbsp of oil in the centre of the flour. Mix it with a wooden spoon. Lightly knead it for 2 minutes. The dough is bit sticky at this stage.. ( if you feel the dough is very sticky, then sprinkle some flour and knead it. ) Add 1/2 tbsp oil and continue kneading for minute. Add 1/2 tbsp oil again and continue kneading for another minute. 
( Instead of 10 minutes, I kneaded it for just 4 minutes. Saved 6 minutes.) 
Now apply the remaining oil on the dough, cover the bowl, wrap the bowl with a napkin and keep it in the oven at 60 to 70 degrees Celsius.. (The oven has to be warm and not hot.) keep an eye on the bowl. After 3 to 4 minutes please feel the bowl.. If it has become hot.. Remove it from the oven and keep it out till it cools down. Keep it back in the oven. In 30 to 40 minutes the dough will rise. 
 ( Saves almost 30 minutes of stage 1 proofing time ) 
Remove the bowl from the oven. Punch the dough and knead it for a minute. Make 9 equal portions of the dough ( 100 grams of each portion ) the remaining dough would be made into hand made flat bread Pizza.. Grease a baking tray. Take a portion, to make the burger bun, push the dough from in between the thumb and index finger. It will form a ball. Now gently roll the ball with the help of the palms. Place the rolled dough on the baking tray. With the help of the fingers, lightly flatten the ball. Repeat the process. Keep the dough balls at a distance from one another. Cover it with a napkin and keep it in the oven for 20 minutes for rising at 60 to 70 degrees celcius. Now take the tray out of the oven, remove the napkin. Increase the oven temperature to 190 degrees celcius. Keep the oven for preheating. Meanwhile apply the milk wash on the buns. Sprinkle dry oregano on the buns (optional). Bake the buns for 10 minutes. Remove and apply another milk wash. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove again and apply the last milk wash. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more until brown in colour. Remove it out from the oven. Brush in oil on the buns. Remove the buns from the tray and cool it.
To make the Hand made Flat Bread Pizza........
In between baking the buns.. Grease another baking tray. Take the remain dough, stretch it with your palms and spread the dough uniformly on the tray and cover up the tray completely. Grate the cheese over the dough. Apply the pizza sauce. Arrange all the cubed vegetables, olives and pickled vegetables. Put some more grated cheese on top. As the buns are ready, increase the oven temperature to 200 degrees celcius and bake the pizza for 25 minutes until the cheese has melted and the edges of the bread has become brown. Take it out from the oven and keep it for 10 minutes before cutting the pizza.
To make the Burger Pizza......
Take the burger buns and cut the buns horizontally. Take a baking tray. Place the lower portion of the buns on the tray. Put the grated cheese, then put a tbsp of the pizza sauce, put the all the vegetables one after the other. Finally put some more grated cheese. Bake the buns at 190 degrees celcius for 10 minutes or  till the cheese has melted. Take the. Tray out from the oven, place the top portion of the buns on the cheese. Put the tray back into the oven and back it for 10 minutes more. Remove the tray and serve it hot..... 




Wednesday 1 June 2016

Chicken Drumstick cooked in Garlic and Mushroom Sauce served with Handmade Orecchiette....

Chicken Drumstick cooked in Garlic and Mushroom Sauce served with Handmade Orecchiette....

Ingredients
5 Chicken Drumsticks 
1 bowl Cleaned and sliced Mushrooms 
1 garlic Pod peeled and cleaned 
2 cups Mushroom soup or Vegetables soup ( I have used Knorr Vegetable soup Pack) 
1/4 cup Amul Cream 
1/2 cup Milk 
Salt and Pepper to taste 
3 tbsp Butter
1 tbsp Parsley chopped 

Method
Take a  pan, add butter. As the butter melts, add the chicken drum sticks and cook the drum sticks till light brown on both the sides. Remove it and keep it aside. In the same pan, add the whole garlic cloves and mushrooms. Sauté it till the water evaporates and the mushrooms are light brown in colour. Remove the mushrooms and keep it aside. In the same pan, add the soup, stirring it constantly on a low flame add the cream and milk. Cook on low heat add salt and pepper. Stir it. Add the chicken drumstick, cover and cook till the chicken is done. Add the sautéed garlic and mushrooms. Stir it and take it off the flame. Garnish with parsley leaves. Serve hot with hand made Orecchiette pasta..... 

Orecchiette 
 Orechie meaning "ear" and -etta meaning "small" is a variety of home-made pasta typical of Apulia, a region of southern Italy. Its name comes from its shape, which resembles a small ear. It is made from Semolina or wheat flour and water and is rolled into thin long strips and cut into small pieces. Then each piece is given the shape of a ear.

Ingredients
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Semolina 
Water as required

Method
Take semolina and wheat flour and mix it. Make a well in between the flour. Add water little at a time and knead it into a soft dough. The dough will be a bit sticky. Use little flour to dust the platform and then continue to knead. Divide the dough into 3 portions. Take one portion while  cover the  rest of the dough with a moist cloth. Sprinkle flour on the platform and  roll  the dough into a long strip. Cut small portions from the strip. Repeat the same for the remaining dough. Take a cut piece and with the help of a palm and the thumb, press the portion from the centre and give it a pull. It will look like a ear shape. Boil water in a pot. Add the pasta and cook it till done. Drain the water, drizzle olive oil on the pasta. Serve with garlic and mushroom sauce..

Tuesday 16 February 2016

Pizza Uttappam

Pizza Uttappam 
Indo Western Fusion cooking... Italy meets South India.. Uttappam is a South Indian Dish and it is served with an Italian Pizza topping.. 


For the Pizza Sauce 
Ingredients
3 Ripe Tomatoes cut into cubes 
4 big size Garlic pod chopped
1 Onion chopped 
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Dry Mix Herbs
1/2 tsp Pepoer powder 
1 cup Tomato purée
1 tbsp Olive oil



Method
In a wok, add olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for a minute, add the onions. Sauté till translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir and cook it for 5 minutes. Add the tomato purée, salt, pepper powder, sugar and mix herbs, stir and let it simmer for 5 minutes more. Keep it aside. 


For the Dosa / Uttappam Batter
Ingredients 
3 cups Rice
1 cup Urid Dal / Split Black Gram 
1 tbsp Fenugreek seeds 
Salt to taste 

Method 
Wash and soak all the 3 above ingredients seprately overnight. Grind the ingredients in a grinder and keep it for fermenting for 8 hours. Add salt and if required then add water for the right consistency. 
P.S. I normally grind a kg of rice and 300 grams of dal and divide the batter as per my requirements into separate vessels and refrigerate it. 
We can also take 2:1 proportion of rice and dal. 3:1 proportion of rice and dal gives crispy dosas.

For the Pizza Uttapam
Ingredients
Pizza sauce
1 bowl of Dosa / Uttappam batter 
1 cup Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese mix grated 
2 tbsp Black Olives sliced 
2 tbsp Red picked chillies sliced 
1 Onion sliced
1 Green Capsicum sliced
1/2 Red Capsicum sliced
1/2 Yellow Capsicum sliced 
8 Mushrooms sliced 
Sprinkle of Pizza mix dried herbs 
Olive oil to drizzle 

Method
Take a pan, add one ladle full of batter in the pan, keep it on a low flame, sprinkle some cheese, add the pizza sauce on the batter, arrange the vegetables on by one on the pizza. Add some more cheese on top, drizzle some oil on top and sprinkle pizza mix. Cover and cook, for 2 to 3 minutes till the base has become brown and crispy. Serve hot. 

Monday 1 February 2016

Chicken Meat and Veggies Stuffed Buns...

Chicken Meat and Veggies Stuffed Buns...


Chicken Meat  Stuffing 
Ingredients 
150 grams Chicken minced
1 Egg
1 Onion chopped finely 
1 tsp Garlic chopped finely 
1 tsp Green chillies chopped finely
1 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped 
1/4 cup Spring Onions chopped finely
3 tbsp each Yellow and Red Capsicum chopped finely 
2 tbsp Carrot chopped finely 
1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese grated
Salt to taste 
1 / 4 tsp Pepper powder 
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

Method 
Take a mixing bowl and mix all the above ingredients. Knead it very well for 5 minutes till all the fats incorporates well. Keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.

Buns 
Ingredients 
400 grams  All purpose flour 
1 1/2 tbsp Dry Yeast
2 tbsp Sugar 
1/4 Cup Lukewarm Milk 
1 Cup  Lukewarm Water
2 tbsp Melted Butter
Salt to taste
Egg wash 
Chicken stuffing
2 tbsp Mozzarella grated 
Italian seasoning for sprinkling 

Method
Take a mixing bowl. Add flour and salt. Mix it. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Add sugar, yeast and 1/4 cup lukewarm milk + 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Stir it with out disturbing the surrounding flour. Cover and let it rise. After it rises. Start mixing the flour... Add water little at a time to make a soft dough. Add 1/2 tbsp melted butter, Knead the dough for 5 minutes adding 1/2 tbsp melted butter in between. Rub some butter on top, cover and keep for rising double in size. Rub some butter on the palms. Sprinkle some flour on the platform, take the dough, punch it and knead it again for sometime. Divide the dough into equal proportions. Grease the baking tray.  Rub some butter on the palms. Take one portion of the dough. Roll the dough giving it a round shape. Flatten the dough and take a portion of the stuffing in the centre of the dough, close the edges and give it a round shape. Repeat the process with other buns. Place each buns on the baking tray at some distance. Cover with soft Malmal cloth till it rises double in size. Brush it with egg wash. Bake it in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees celcius for 20 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven, sprinkle grated mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning from top. Bake for another 5 minutes more at 160 degrees celcius till brown on top. Cool the buns a bit and remove it from the tray. 

Thursday 7 January 2016

Italian Fried Rice

Italian Fried Rice 

Ingredients 

2 cups of Cooked Rice 

1 Onion chopped 

1/4 cup Green and Yellow Capsicum chopped 

1/4 cup Red Cabbage chopped 

2 tsp Red Pickled Chilles sliced 

1 tsp Garlic cloves minced

2 tbsp Sliced Green Olives 

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Italian Seasoning 

1/2 tsp Pepper powder 

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tbsp Parmesan cheese powder 

2 tbsp Olive oil 

Baby Parsley for garnishing  or chopped Parsley 


Method 

In a large nonstick pan, add oil. Add the garlic and onion, saute till light brown in colour. Add the cabbage, capsicum, olives and red chillies. Stir it and cook for 3 minutes. Add salt, pepper powder, Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese and vinegar. Stir in the rice. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Garnish with parsley.


P. S. Vegetables like Mushrooms, Zucchini, Broccoli, Carrot can be added..

Friday 1 January 2016

Rice,Lentils and Aubergine Risotto

Rice,Lentils and Aubergine Risotto

Ingredients
1 cup Rice
1 cup mix Lentils
1 cup Aubergine cut into small cubes
1 medium Onion chopped
2 big Tomato paste
6 Garlic cloves minced
3 cups Vegetable broth
1 tsp dried Basil
1 tsp dried Oregano
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1/4 cup Italian cheese mix
2 tbsp Olive oil

Method
Take a pot. Add olive oil. Add garlic and onion, saute it for 2 minutes. Add the aubergine and stir fry it for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, salt, 1/2 tsp of each basil and oregano. Add the rice and lentils... Stir for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth. Stir and cook till the rice and lentils are done, add the Parmesan cheese and stir. Sprinkle the Italian cheese mix, oregano and basil from top. Serve hot.