Golden Briami Tart

This golden briami tart features eggplant, onion, tomatoes, bell pepper and, of course, garlic, pan-fried till golden then baked in puff pastry crust.

Some of the best advice about growing older and still keeping an active mind is the recommendation to learn something new each day. A few days ago, the new word and dish briami was mine. I came across it while searching for Greek recipes. 

Many recipe sites called briami Greek ratatouille so I knew we would love it. Ratatouille is one of our favorite dishes, although I don’t roast my vegetables, preferring to brown them in a hot pan rather than turn the oven on. It takes a little longer but the result is so worth it!

Since I was being untraditional with my cooking method, I decided to go one step farther and bake the briami in puff pastry. It turned out so pretty and delicious as well. 

Golden Briami Tart 

Traditional briami also has potatoes but I didn’t have any on hand. If you want to include a few new potatoes or cubed potato in the vegetable line-up, those would be a lovely addition. 

 

Ingredients

1 sheet puff pastry (8.6 oz or 245g)

1 large eggplant

1/2 large onion

18 cherry or grape tomatoes

1/2 green bell pepper

2 cloves garlic

Extra virgin olive oil

Fine sea salt 

Freshly ground black pepper

For garnish, if desired:

Chopped green onion tops

Method

Trim the stem off of your eggplant and cut it into chunks. No need to peel it if the skin is not hard or bitter. 

Heat a non-stick skillet and cook the eggplant in batches in the hot pan, turning the pieces occasionally till they are browned on all sides. 

Drizzle in a little of the olive oil and fry for a few minutes more until the eggplant is a deeper brown and the oil has all been absorbed. Tip each batch of cooked eggplant into a large bowl when it’s done and season with a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds from a black peppermill.  

Cut the onion into thick slices, making sure to have a little of the core in each slice to hold the layers together. Remove the seeds from the bell pepper and cut it into slices as well. 

In the same hot skillet you used for the eggplant, brown first the onions and then the bell pepper, adding a drizzle of olive oil to each when done. Put the onion and bell pepper on a plate to cool. 

Finally, add the small tomatoes to the pan and cook them for a few minutes, until they are a little scorched all round. Tip them into the bowl with the seasoned eggplant, add the garlic and stir gently. Leave all the vegetables to cool. 

Cut a large enough piece of baking parchment to line a large baking pan. 

When the vegetables are cool, unroll the puff pastry sheet onto the baking parchment and gently use a rolling pin to stretch the pastry till it’s about 10 x 14 inches or 26 x 36cm. Move the baking parchment to your baking pan. 

Fold the edges of the pastry in once and try to get the sides to stand up by pinching the corners together. 

Use the tines of a fork to dock the base of the pastry. Spoon the eggplant and tomatoes onto the puff pastry.

Distribute the onions and bell pepper around decoratively. 

Pop the whole pan into the refrigerator to chill while you preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C (convection) or 425°F or 218°C (normal oven.) 

Bake the tart in your preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the puff pastry is risen and golden. - Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes before cutting to serve. Sprinkle on some chopped green onions for garnish, if desired. 

This makes a lovely lunch or dinner for six, if you add on a side salad.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday - hurrah! -so that means my Sunday FunDay group is sharing recipes again. This week the theme is Greek food! Check out the list below. Many thanks to our host, Amy of Amy’s Cooking Adventures. 

• Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Greek Cabbage Roll Rice Bowls
• A Day in the Life on The Farm: Makaronia me Yiaourti
• Palatable Pastime: Spanakopita Bites
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla: A Polarizing, Perplexing Greek Wine + Kouneli Stifado
• Sneha’s Recipe: Greek Hot Dogs
• Food Lust People Love: Golden Briami Tart

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo

This bowl of warm comfort is called Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo and each spoonful is a light yet cozy delight on a chilly night.

It’s not cold here in Texas yet but I am anticipating those days with soup! The traditional Italian dish of tortellini al brodo – that is to say, cooked in broth – doesn’t have meatballs or spinach but I couldn’t resist the urge take it up a notch by adding both. 

Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo

If you don’t have ground turkey, by all means substitute another light ground meat like pork or chicken. You can also skip the meatballs altogether but why would deprive yourself like that?

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 lb or 450g ground turkey

1 egg

1 green onion, white and green, minced

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup or 20g panko

olive oil

For the tortellini: 

8 cups or 1.9L chicken stock

1 lb 4 oz or 567g fresh tortellini (I used one Buitoni family-size pack.)

To serve: 

Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and line the bottom of a baking pan with foil or silicone liner to make clean up easier.

In a large bowl, mix the ground turkey, egg, green onion, sea salt, red pepper and a few generous grinds of black pepper together until well combined. 

Add in the panko and mix again. 

Use a small poon or melon baller to divide the mixture into little portions. 

Wet your hands so the mixture doesn’t stick to them and rolls the portions into balls. Drizzle the meatballs with a little olive oil. 

I made 64 mini meatballs. You can make yours bigger, of course, but they won’t be as cute. 

Bake them 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn your oven to broil for 5 minutes to brown them. 

Add the meatballs to a large pot along with the chicken stock. Bring the stock to a simmer. 

Add tortellini and cook until just before al dente according to package directions.

Tip in the spinach and stir. You may have to add it in batches to get it all to fit. 

Divide the broth, tortellini and meatballs among bowls and top with grated Pecorino Romano. 

If you have any leftovers, I suggest you store the broth and the tortellini in separate containers or the tortellini will absorb all of the broth!

Enjoy! 

Today my Foodie Extravaganza friends are all sharing pasta recipes in celebration of National Pasta Month. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

• Baked Mostaccioli by Palatable Pastime
• Blue Evolution Penne by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Casunziei All'Ampezzana (Beet Filled Pasta with Poppy Seeds) by Tara's Multicultural Table
• Chinese Pickled Mustard and Noodle Soup by Pandemonium Noshery
• Grain-Free Garbanzo Beans Pasta and Paneer Soup Magical Ingredients
• Instant Noodles Shots by Sneha's Recipe
• Karen’s Lasagna Bolognese by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Meatball, Spinach and Tortellini al Brodo by Food Lust People Love
• One Pot Lasagne Soup by Our Good Life

Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board.

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Creamy Lima Beans with Bacon and Mustard

Posh beans on toast! These Lima Beans with Bacon and Mustard are creamy and soft and utterly more-ish. Plus they take hardly any time at all to make. 

Do you write in cookbooks or is writing in books verboten in your house? I must confess that while I wouldn’t write in a novel, I do make notes in my cookbooks, in pencil. How else am I going to remember what I actually did since I have a hard time following a recipe word for word? 

Cookbooks, even my favorite ones by my favorite authors, are jumping off points to improving a dish and making it suit our palates and available ingredients. 

Case in point is the recipe I’m sharing today, adapted from Nigel Slater’s The 30-Minute Cook. The first time I made it, I added the following pencil scrawl to the bottom:

“Very good over crusty bread. Next time: add more wine & cream. Serve over rice.” 

And the next time, I did just that! And it was so good! The orange on top is my homemade habanero sauce and extra Parmesan was also a good decision. If you don’t have this cookbook, I can highly recommend looking for a secondhand copy online. 

Creamy Lima Beans with Bacon and Mustard

This recipe serves two but is easily scaled up for more. It’s perfect for a weeknight or a light lunch, on its own or with a small salad on the side. 

Ingredients

1 can (14 oz or 400g) lima beans

4 slices smoked bacon

1 tablespoon canola or other light oil

1 shallot or small onion

1/2 cup or 120ml dry white wine

1/4 cup or 60m heavy cream

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 1/2 oz or 70g extra sharp cheddar, grated

To serve: 2 slices crusty bread, toasted (and buttered, if desired)

Method

Pour out the liquid from the can of lima beans and rinse them with cool water. Set them aside in the sieve to drain. 

Cut the bacon into small strips and finely dice the onion. 

In a large frying pan, cook the bacon in the oil until the bits are crispy. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it softens and turns translucent. 

Spoon out any excess fat and add the beans to the pan, along with the white wine. 

Bring the liquid to a boil and then turn the heat down to simmer. Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. 

Add in the cream and the mustards. Give it a good stir and turn the heat back up to get it just boiling again.

Then simmer for a couple of minutes. Stir in the grated cheese and simmer till it melts into the sauce. 

To serve, spoon over toasted crusty bread, buttered, if desired. 

Enjoy!

Today I’m joining my Festive Foodie friends to celebrate National Cookbook Month by sharing recipes from our favorites. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host, Jolene of Jolene’s Recipe Journal.

• Betty Crocker Blueberry Muffins by Art of Natural Living
• BBQ Chicken Tortilla Wraps by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Carrot Cake Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting by An Affair from the Heart
• Chickpea Tortilla Soup by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Chocolate Crepes by That Recipe
• Joanna Gaines Chocolate Chip Cookies by Jen Around the World
• French Classics Made Easy: Savory Stuffed Crepes by Our Good Life
• German Chocolate Cookies by Blogghetti
• Helga's Meatballs by Palatable Pastime
• Lima Beans with Bacon and Mustard by Food Lust People Love
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins by Family Around the Table
• Vegan Green Loobia Polo by Magical Ingredients
• Wild Rice and Onion Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories

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