BE A BET TER COOK

THIS MONTH IN THE delicious. KITCHEN…

While the delicious. food team are testing recipes they often debate the best ways to do things, as well as answering cooking questions that arise in the test kitchen. As this issue marks our Italian special, it’s no surprise that recent talk revolved around typically Italian techniques and ingredients, such as the merits of different pasta shapes and creative ways to use staples such as pesto. It’s the kind of information you won’t find anywhere else, and this month it will have you cooking likely a proper Italian nonna.

MAKE THE BOUNTY LAST

AUBERGINES

Here in the UK, an aubergine glut is more likely to be found at the greengrocer’s than in the garden. But it’s nonetheless worth snaffling some of these ebony-purple beauties while the price is right and stashing them away for the winter

FREEZE Slice the aubergine into 1.5cm thick slices, then grill on a ridged griddle until soft and striped with brown char lines. Freeze in bags and use for cooked dishes such as aubergine parmigiana.

PRESERVE: INDIAN-STYLE AUBERGINE PICKLE It’s so moreish you’ll want to spoon it onto crostini. It sounds like cross-cultural sacrilege but tastes so good. Chop 1kg aubergines into 2cm dice and fry in 150ml vegetable oil until golden. Add 1 finely chopped red onion, 1 chopped red chilli, 1/2 tbsp ground cumin, 1/2 tbsp black onion seeds (also known as kalonji or nigella), 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds and 1/2 tbsp ground fenugreek. Cook until the onion is soft, then add 150g brown sugar, 1 tbsp salt, 400g tin of chopped tomatoes and 300ml white wine vinegar. Cook until so thick that you can clearly see the base of the pan when you pull a wooden spoon through the mixture. Pot while still warm in sterilised jars. The pickle will keep for 6 months.

To see a video of how to sterilise jars see deliciousmagazine.co.uk/how-to-sterilise-jars

DON’T THROW IT… HERB STEMS

If you’re cooking with soft herbs such as basil, parsley, coriander, dill or chervil, you don’t always need to pick the leaves from the stems. The soft stalks can be chopped along with the leaves to add extra flavour. If your recipe calls for just the leaves, here are ways to use the stems, rather than throwing them away:

• WHIZZ IN A MINI PROCESSOR with anchovies, garlic, capers, dijon mustard, seasoning, vinegar and olive oil for salsa verde.