Making television programmes is always exciting. I remember my early days on Open House, when it all seemed to be over in a flash. Mary and Marty made me so comfortable and always made me feel that what I was saying and doing was interesting (quite a skill).
These days, most of what I do is recorded and, by the time I see the programme, it seems like a long time has passed since it was made.
Last week, I had the chance to go through the rough cuts of my next Food Trails series, which will be on RTÉ1 this coming September, and I was thrilled with what I saw.
For many years now, David Hare and his team have been finding great places and people to feature, and making programmes that I really enjoy being a part of.
But on to this week’s recipes. These oven-baked Mediterranean vegetables go very well with cheese. You can change the vegetables depending on what you have available, or according to your tastes.
I have used Cooleeney cheese here, which is a soft mould-ripened cheese with a beautiful creamy texture and distinctive aftertaste. It is produced on the Maher farm from their own herd in the heart of Co Tipperary. I recorded there for TV a few years back.
Another favourite cheese to use here comes from nearby Corleggy Cheeses – they have very cleverly named their soft cheese ‘Cavanbert’.
When we were growing up, a regular Sunday lunch was a very chunky ratatouille. It was one of the first things my mother taught me to cook. It is beautiful with grilled fish or chicken, or tossed in pasta.
In the cookery school, we put it on top of puff pastry and serve with goat’s cheese. I call it Mediterranean puff pizza.
Happy Cooking,
Neven
Baked Mediterranean vegetables with tomato, Cooleeney cheese
and Parmesan
Ingredients: Serves 4
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, cut into cubes
1 large red pepper, halved, seeded and cut into cubes
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 large aubergine, cut into cubes
450g vine tomatoes
450g small courgettes
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
175g Cooleeney or Camembert cheese, sliced
2 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lightly dressed green salad and crusty bread, to serve
Method
1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the red onion and saute for a couple of minutes until lightly browned.
2 Add the red pepper, garlic and aubergine, season to taste and cook over a low heat for 12-15 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
3 When cooked, scatter the sauteed vegetables in the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Cut the tomatoes and courgettes into thick rounds and then arrange in overlapping rows on top of the sauteed vegetables.
4 Tuck in the slices of Cooleeney cheese and sprinkle over the thyme and basil. Season generously, then drizzle over the remaining olive oil and bake for 30 minutes until all of the vegetables are just cooked through and tender and the cheese is bubbling.
5 Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and Parmesan, then return to oven for 10 minutes to form a light crust. Serve with bowls of the green salad and bread.
Oven baked tomatoes with
ratatouille and basil crust
Oven baked tomatoes with ratatouille and basil crust. \ Photos by Philip Doyle. Food styling by Janine Kennedy
Ingredients: Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small courgette, finely diced
1 small aubergine, finely diced
1 red pepper, halved, seeded and finely diced
8 large vine tomatoes
1 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp fresh chopped oregano
2 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat a heavy-based frying pan, add half of the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally.
2 Stir in the courgette, aubergine and red pepper and continue to saute for five minutes until the vegetables are beginning to soften. Stir in the tomato puree with the balsamic vinegar, sugar and oregano and gently cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste and keep warm.
3 Trim a 1cm (1/4in) slice off the top of each tomato and discard, then carefully scoop out the pulp with a teaspoon (reserve the pulp for another recipe, such as a tomato sauce). Carefully spoon in ratatouille mixture.
4 Mix the breadcrumbs in a mini blender with the basil and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then blitz until green in colour. Season to taste and sprinkle on top of the stuffed vine tomatoes.
5 Arrange in a baking tin lined with non-stick parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are heated through and the basil crumbs are crisp. Be careful not to overcook or tomatoes will lose their shape.
6 Using a fish slice, transfer two stuffed vine tomatoes on to each warmed plate to serve.
Read more
Neven Maguire: very versatile Irish pork
Neven Maguire: the fruits of summer are upon us
Making television programmes is always exciting. I remember my early days on Open House, when it all seemed to be over in a flash. Mary and Marty made me so comfortable and always made me feel that what I was saying and doing was interesting (quite a skill).
These days, most of what I do is recorded and, by the time I see the programme, it seems like a long time has passed since it was made.
Last week, I had the chance to go through the rough cuts of my next Food Trails series, which will be on RTÉ1 this coming September, and I was thrilled with what I saw.
For many years now, David Hare and his team have been finding great places and people to feature, and making programmes that I really enjoy being a part of.
But on to this week’s recipes. These oven-baked Mediterranean vegetables go very well with cheese. You can change the vegetables depending on what you have available, or according to your tastes.
I have used Cooleeney cheese here, which is a soft mould-ripened cheese with a beautiful creamy texture and distinctive aftertaste. It is produced on the Maher farm from their own herd in the heart of Co Tipperary. I recorded there for TV a few years back.
Another favourite cheese to use here comes from nearby Corleggy Cheeses – they have very cleverly named their soft cheese ‘Cavanbert’.
When we were growing up, a regular Sunday lunch was a very chunky ratatouille. It was one of the first things my mother taught me to cook. It is beautiful with grilled fish or chicken, or tossed in pasta.
In the cookery school, we put it on top of puff pastry and serve with goat’s cheese. I call it Mediterranean puff pizza.
Happy Cooking,
Neven
Baked Mediterranean vegetables with tomato, Cooleeney cheese
and Parmesan
Ingredients: Serves 4
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, cut into cubes
1 large red pepper, halved, seeded and cut into cubes
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 large aubergine, cut into cubes
450g vine tomatoes
450g small courgettes
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
175g Cooleeney or Camembert cheese, sliced
2 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lightly dressed green salad and crusty bread, to serve
Method
1 Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the red onion and saute for a couple of minutes until lightly browned.
2 Add the red pepper, garlic and aubergine, season to taste and cook over a low heat for 12-15 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
3 When cooked, scatter the sauteed vegetables in the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Cut the tomatoes and courgettes into thick rounds and then arrange in overlapping rows on top of the sauteed vegetables.
4 Tuck in the slices of Cooleeney cheese and sprinkle over the thyme and basil. Season generously, then drizzle over the remaining olive oil and bake for 30 minutes until all of the vegetables are just cooked through and tender and the cheese is bubbling.
5 Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and Parmesan, then return to oven for 10 minutes to form a light crust. Serve with bowls of the green salad and bread.
Oven baked tomatoes with
ratatouille and basil crust
Oven baked tomatoes with ratatouille and basil crust. \ Photos by Philip Doyle. Food styling by Janine Kennedy
Ingredients: Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small courgette, finely diced
1 small aubergine, finely diced
1 red pepper, halved, seeded and finely diced
8 large vine tomatoes
1 tsp tomato puree
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp fresh chopped oregano
2 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat a heavy-based frying pan, add half of the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally.
2 Stir in the courgette, aubergine and red pepper and continue to saute for five minutes until the vegetables are beginning to soften. Stir in the tomato puree with the balsamic vinegar, sugar and oregano and gently cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste and keep warm.
3 Trim a 1cm (1/4in) slice off the top of each tomato and discard, then carefully scoop out the pulp with a teaspoon (reserve the pulp for another recipe, such as a tomato sauce). Carefully spoon in ratatouille mixture.
4 Mix the breadcrumbs in a mini blender with the basil and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then blitz until green in colour. Season to taste and sprinkle on top of the stuffed vine tomatoes.
5 Arrange in a baking tin lined with non-stick parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are heated through and the basil crumbs are crisp. Be careful not to overcook or tomatoes will lose their shape.
6 Using a fish slice, transfer two stuffed vine tomatoes on to each warmed plate to serve.
Read more
Neven Maguire: very versatile Irish pork
Neven Maguire: the fruits of summer are upon us
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