It never occurs to me not to cook. Putting a meal together for myself is as much a part of my day as getting out of bed in the morning. The alternatives are delicious, I’m sure: a phoned-for pizza in a box the size of coffee table; sushi by the trayful – a jewel box of raw fish and shiso leaves; a supermarket korma on the table in a minute. But the truth is that the idea never crosses my mind.
None of which means I always think about dinner in time to shop. Many a meal is the result of a hopeful scrabble through the fridge. A game that involves sniffing rather than reading a sell-by date. Sometimes the results astound me, other times not so much. I don’t expect to eat something dazzling every day of my life, just something that makes me feel I have looked after myself and those I cook for.
This week has seen more than the usual amount of cupboard rummaging and fridge foraging. It has been a clearing out, a tidying up. A week when the fridge was down to its last wrinkled aubergine, its final paper bag of not-quite- past-it mushrooms. Yes, I popped out for cream and parsley, but the shops have barely had a penny from me these past few days.
The best dish of the lot, and the one I think worth telling you about, was what I will loosely call an aubergine ragu. By which I mean the spongy flesh of the eggplant was cooked slowly with mushrooms and onions and a few somewhat less-than-perky herbs to a woodsy, herb-freckled sauce. In place of rice, the sort of just-tender slate-green lentils that introduce a little texture into the business. Not earth-shatteringly original, gasp-out-loud gorgeous, just something truly worth cooking. Understated, frugal, everyday stuff. The sort of food that quietly makes the world go round.
Aubergine ragu, cream and parmesan lentils
Serves 4
aubergine 1, small to medium
olive oil 6 tbsp
onions 2, medium
garlic 4 cloves
thyme sprigs 8
rosemary 6 twigs
chestnut mushrooms 200g
puy or other small lentils 400g
double cream 250ml
parmesan 75g, grated
parsley 3 tbsp, chopped
zest of a small lemon finely grated
Cut the aubergine into 2cm cubes and place in a large, deep casserole together with 3 tbsp each of olive oil and water. Put the casserole over a moderate heat and cook for 5 minutes or so, till the aubergines are starting to turn golden, lower the heat slightly and cover with a lid.
Peel and roughly chop the onions. Warm the remaining olive oil in a shallow pan then add the onions, stir, and leave them to cook over a moderate temperature. Peel and crush the garlic, then stir into the onion. Pull the leaves from the thyme sprigs. Remove the needles from the rosemary, chop finely, then stir, together with the thyme leaves into the softening onions.
Quarter the mushrooms, combine with the onions and leave to soften and colour. Season the onion and mushroom mixture with salt and a little black pepper then stir into the aubergine. Leave to simmer, very gently, over a low heat, partially covered with a lid.
Cook the lentils in a saucepan of boiling water for about 15 minutes until tender but with a slight nuttiness to them, adding salt about 5 minutes from the end of cooking. Drain the lentils, then return to the pan, pour in the cream, bring to the boil, then fold in most of the grated parmesan and check the seasoning. It might need a little ground pepper.
Serve the lentils in shallow bowls or plates, with some of the aubergine on top. Mix together the chopped parsley, lemon zest and the remaining parmesan and scatter over the top before eating.
Baked apple mascarpone fool
A rather nice touch is to finish this soft and creamy dessert with a couple of slices of apple – something sweet and firm like a Cox – that you have fried for 2 minutes in a little butter and sugar until they start to caramelise.
Serves 4
sharp apples, such as Bramley 850g
caster sugar 100g
double cream 250ml
sweet Marsala 4 tbsp
mascarpone 125g
Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Core the sharp apples, score a line around the circumference of each fruit, piercing just below the skin, then place them snugly in a roasting tin. The purpose of the scoring is to stop the fruit exploding as they cook.
Bake the apples for about 20-25 minutes, taking an occasional peep to check their progress. The apples are ready when they are risen and the top has fluffed up like a soufflé. If they have collapsed into a puddle of froth, no matter.
Remove the fruit from the oven then scrape the flesh into a bowl using a small spoon, discarding the skins as you go. If there are any caramelised juices in the tin, combine them with the apple then set aside.
Put the sugar, cream and Marsala in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat till thick and creamy, but not so stiff that the mixture can stand in peaks. Fold in the mascarpone then combine with the crushed apple, taking care not to overmix.
Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater
