Happiness on a plate - Grilled Aubergine on Garlic Toast with a Tomato Salsa

Brinjal/Aubergine is a very versatile vegetable..well I could be biased when I say that because I simply love it. Begun Bhaja and Baingan Bharta are my absolute favourite.But sadly the boys in my house are not fond of the vegetable at all.I am however always on the lookout for new and innovative way to try out the brinjal.On my last trip to Delhi , one of my fave aunts took me to a quaint little cafe somewhere in GK( sorry I don't remember the name ) for some coffee but the hungry (or greedy maybe) wanted to eat something. A dish on the menu appealed to me instantly - an open sub sandwich with grilled aubergines.The dish was innovative but it lacked flavour and was not seasoned right. I had thought of recreating the dish but forgot about it for a long time and remembered it again now.So today I made it at home my way - Grilled Aubergine on Garlic Toast with a Tomato Salsa. If brinjal appeals to you , you are surely gonna love this dish.

 Ingredients:

Brinjal/ Aubergine - 1 medium round - cut into thin round slices

Tomato - 1 large - finely chopped

Yellow/red bell pepper - 1 small - finely chopped

Garlic - 3-4 pods- crushed

Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped

Tomato puree - 2 tbsp - I used Dabur Homemade

Basil leaves - 4-5 - finely chopped + few for garnish

Olive oil - 1 tsp

Feta cheese - 2 tbsp - crumbled

Oregano - 1 tsp

Chilli flakes - 1 tsp or more if you like it that way

Black pepper - 1 tsp  - crushed

Salt - to taste

Sugar - 1 pinch

Garlic bread - few slices

Method:

For the salsa:

In a pan heat the olive oil , add the crushed garlic and the chopped onions. Saute till translucent.Tip in the chopped tomatoes and the bell pepper. Add the tomato puree , oregano and the red chilli flakes. Cook till the mix gets mushy , remove from heat and keep aside. Let there be a crunch in the salsa.

  Now getting on with grilling the  aubergines and the toast. Just season the sliced aubergines with salt and pepper and grill them on a very hot pan. Also slightly toast the garlic bread slices along with it. This takes about 2 mins on each side.

 Take the grilled aubergines off the pan and assemble on top of the garlic toast. Put a spoonful of salsa on the top and garnish with a generous crumble of the feta cheese.

Serve hot with a side of some extra salsa.

Chocolate Chip Muffins with Vanilla Sugar

 

pic from google

It was Teachers Day and I wanted the kiddo to take something homemade for his teachers. It has been a tradition of sorts. As kids we would always take a handmade card and some home made goodies for my teachers. Maa would make sure that she baked something and I have also started doing the same. I also remember taking flowers from our garden for my teachers but never anything fancy or expensive. That somehow never appealed to me...the joy of making a card at home is something else and I encourage the little one to follow the same. So here is the recipe for very easy Chocolate Chip Muffins with Vanilla Sugar. The recipe has been broadly adapted from here

Ingredients:

Flour - 1 and 1/2 cup

Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 2 tsp

Milk - 1 cup - room temperature

Butter - 1/2 cup melted

Egg - 1 medium

White /Dark chocolate chips - 1 cup

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Vanilla sugar - 2 tbsp - or you can use brown sugar instead

Method:

In a bowl combine the flour ,sugar ,baking powder and the chocolate chips. Mix well.

In another bowl , combine the milk ,melted butter, vanilla essence and the egg. Blend well into a smooth mixture.

Add the dry ingredients in two parts - mixing well after each addition. 

Grease and line a muffin /cupcake tin.

Fill the batter 3/4 th into each cup. Sprinkle some vanilla sugar /brown sugar on top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 25- 30 mins or till a tooth pick comes out clean.

 Yes..my little boy was very happy to take these for his teachers and they loved it too!