I was tidying up the vegetable garden this afternoon and one of the things I did was cut back the basil because it was getting out of control.  It seemed a waste to put it all in the green bin, so I took it inside and made some pesto.

So tonight's dinner was pasta (oricchiete) with pesto, a radicchio salad (there's only two plants left now) and some grilled tomatoes (they were a bit too soft to use in a salad).

Getting bored over on PA SN? Who's the picture meant to represent?

Super Nova wrote on Mar 7^th, 2014 at 7:48pm:


The wording in your first post is a little misleading and you didn't post a picture of a vegetable, but a  parody of a person. I know that you're too nice to be malicious so as it doesn't look like a vegetable - I was curious as to what the picture represents.

Frances wrote on Mar 5^th, 2014 at 7:09pm:


The good thing about Basil is that you never run out of seeds. I just sowed some, along with some Siberian tomatoes for winter.  THis is my first attempt at winter tomatoes, so it will be interesting to see how they go.

St George of the Garden wrote on Mar 7^th, 2014 at 8:31pm:


You leave Mr Rudd out of it!

That's a beautiful eggplant George...!

The Mole wrote on Mar 11^th, 2014 at 1:20am:


It's not very big though, but I guess it comes down to how you use it.

Ahem.  Vegetarian moussaka. That's how I would use it.
            +++++++++++++ 
Serves: 7

1 large eggplant, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
2 potatoes, thinly sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tin (440g) whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
220g lentils, (about 1/2 tin) drained, juice reserved
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
125g crumbled feta cheese

Sauce
====
30g butter
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 1/4 cups (315ml) milk
black pepper to taste
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup (30g) grated Parmesan cheese

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
Heat oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat. Lightly brown eggplant and zucchini slices on both sides; drain. Add more oil if necessary, brown potato slices; drain.
Saute onion and garlic until lightly browned. Pour in vinegar and reduce. Stir in tomatoes, lentils, 1/2 the juice from lentils, oregano and parsley. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes.

In a 23x33cm casserole dish layer the eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, onions and feta. Pour tomato mixture over vegetables; repeat layering, finishing with a layer of eggplant and zucchini.

Cover and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan combine butter, flour and milk. Bring to a slow boil, whisking constantly until thick and smooth. Season with pepper and add nutmeg. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes, and stir in beaten egg.
Pour sauce over vegetables and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for another 25 to 30 minutes.

A MEAT moussaka sounds nice, one or two of those will be on the menu in the coming few months. Heh—now I have my mincer I don’t even need mincemeat to make it!