Saturday 30 November 2013

Baked eggplant and ricotta rolls








Ingredients Nutrition
Olive oil spray
2 medium eggplants
480g (2 cups) fresh ricotta
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
70g (1 cup) finely grated parmesan
1 x 575g btl Primavera Pasta Sauce
85g (3/4 cup) coarsely grated mozzarella
Cooked polenta (optional), to serve
Method Notes
Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C. Spray 2 large baking trays with olive oil spray to lightly grease. Cut the eggplants into sixteen 1cm-thick slices lengthways. Arrange the eggplant, in a single layer, on the prepared trays. Lightly spray with olive oil spray. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until golden.
Step 2
Meanwhile, place the ricotta, basil and three-quarters of the parmesan in a medium bowl and stir until well combined. Taste and season with pepper.
Step 3
Place 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture on 1 eggplant slice. Roll up firmly to enclose filling. Place the roll, seam-side down, in a 30 x 20cm (base measurement) baking dish. Repeat with the remaining ricotta mixture and eggplant. Pour the sauce evenly over the rolls. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining parmesan. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until the mozzarella melts. Serve with polenta, if desired.

Cold salads




Garlic Cheese Bread












Garlic Cheese Bread
Recipe type: Appetizer
Prep time:  5 mins Cook time:  15 mins Total time:  20 mins
Serves: 8

Cheesy Garlic Bread Recipe – The perfect way to transform a simple baguette from ordinary to extraordinary without much effort!
Ingredients
1 baguette, horizontally cut in half
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened or partially melted
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1-1.5 cups shredded cheese (any type you like) * I like a blend of Parmesan, provolone, and Mozzarella
optional 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place both sides of the baguette on a cookie sheet with the crust side down and the cut side up. In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic and spread evenly on baguette halves. Be sure to press the garlic butter down with the back of a spatula or spoon so the small pieces of garlic are pushed into the air pockets of the bread. Bake bread for 15 minutes and remove from oven. Change the oven setting to high broil. Evenly sprinkle cheese over the halves of bread and stick the cookie sheet back in the oven. Broil for 1 minute or until cheese has completed melted and shows a few golden bubble marks. Remove from oven and carefully slice bread in diagonal pieces and serve. Store remaining slices of bread in the freezer in a ziplock bag to use in the future. Enjoy!