The cookery thread

[Gus Mears]

One of my favourite midweek meals at the moment: roasted aubergine, onion, courgette, garlic, tomatoes and chickpeas with feta, fennel seeds, parsley and lemon peel. Not especially difficult apart from putting things in at the appropriate time, healthy and delicious.

 

[SuperBacon]

Gus, that looks fucking lovely. I know it’s simple, but got some instructions/timings as I’d love to do that 

[Gus Mears]

No worries. 

Put some oil on a baking tray with foil into the oven for about ten mins at 180/gas mark. 

While that's warming up, chop the aubergine into chunks and crush and chop a few garlic cloves. Add those into the oil and season. 

After about ten mins, add the chunks of onion and fennel seeds then cook for another 20 mins or so before adding the courgette. After another twenty mins, add the tomato and more seasoning. After ten more minutes, add the drained chickpeas, turn up the oven to 200/gas mark 5, cook for about a further ten mins, add the feta for a few minutes until it softens up and then turn the oven off and take out.

At this point, just use a grater to add the zest of a small lemon, plus more seasoning, mix up and leave for five mins before eating.

This is pretty forgiving mate, so just move timings and temperatures around if it seems right. Key thing is giving the aubergine and onion enough  time to soften before the whole mix gets a bit more soggy when the tomatoes go in. Also, feel free to add more olive oil if you feel the need to. It's a cracker to take into work for lunch too.

Edited July 11, 2019 by Gus Mears

[SuperBacon]

That’s very kind of you, cheers 

[tiger_rick]

Just a little one. Pulled up some wonky carrots and potatoes we grew yesterday:

Last night's tea. Did Greek Pastitsio again. With goats cheese salad and homemade coleslaw using our colourful carrots:

Warm cookies for afters:

[Rey_Piste]

I have cooked a roast lamb dinner for a friend and it was really nice apart from my friend's carving knife being blunt as fuck. So everyone ended up with big old chunks of meat.

[Onyx2]

Looks lovely, but the plate being balanced on the edge of the counter is giving me hives 

[Rey_Piste]

My friend took the picture and she spent a good 90 seconds fannying about with the plate for pictures. She still fucked it up, you can barely see the parsnips.

Edited July 23, 2019 by Rey_Piste
Fanny not fancy.

[Onyx2]

4 minutes ago, Rey_Piste said:

My friend took the picture and she spent a good 90 seconds fancying about with the plate for pictures. She still fucked it up, you can barely see the parsnips.

Put it near loads of natural light. Improves food pictures hundredfold.

[gmoney]

Square plate. Bad form. 

[Rey_Piste]

1 minute ago, gmoney said:

Square plate. Bad form. 

It's also black, white plates look better. (Not a racist)

[Onyx2]

30 minutes ago, Rey_Piste said:

It's also black, white plates look better. (Not a racist)

Nah they don't. White leaches the colour out of everything. Off-white is best.

[Carbomb]

2 hours ago, Onyx2 said:

Nah they don't. White leaches the colour out of everything. Off-white is best.

 

3 hours ago, Rey_Piste said:

It's also black, white plates look better. (Not a racist)

 

[SuperBacon]

Gave it a go @Gus Mears and although my chopping skills are still awful, and the distribution of feta is bad, it came out alright.

Cooking for one is rubbish and I wouldn’t even have tried this a year ago, but it smelt and tasted lovely. Thanks for the tips! Might try something more adventurous next time 

Looked better plated: 

Edited July 27, 2019 by SuperBacon
Forgot photo

[Onyx2]

Great stuff! Not my dinner, but I'd recommend turning the oven up higher next time, get some char on those veg.