Wednesday 7 November 2012

Red Pesto and Ricotta Stacks with Eggplant and Tomato


From Veg Out, MQP Publications, 2003.

After making Pumpkin and Polenta Chips I had an amount of the polenta flat left. The recipe stated that it would make 20 chips; I made 20 and had plenty of the polenta flat left. So I decided to make a vegetable stack and use some of the polenta left over as a small base.


The stack needed a pesto to be made of red capsicum so I placed it under the grill until it blackened and then put it in a plastic bag until it had cooled sufficiently to peel it. It was then placed in a blender with a garlic clove, a small handful of pine nuts, a few leaves of basil, a tablespoon of ricotta and a tablespoon of olive oil. It was blended to make the pesto and then seasoned.

I cut four slices from an eggplant and fried them until tender. I placed a tomato in boiling water for a few seconds and then peeled it. I cut rounds from the polenta and fried them.


The stack was easily made: a round of polenta, a slice of eggplant, a helping of pesto, a tomato slice, then the eggplant, pesto and finally another tomato slice. It all went into a hot oven for 15 minutes.

The stack was served with a salad on the side of rocket, cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta cheese.


While the stacks were heating in the oven we had a small antipasto plate with olives, chargrilled vegetables and a chilli dip (all purchased). The ‘crackers’ for the dip were made by taking some slices of bread, cutting off the crusts and then flattening them under a cutting board. They were then brushed with olive oil and fried until crisp.

Again this little book has proved its worth. This was a tasty meal, satisfying yet not one to make you feel you’ve over-indulged.






Taste: ✔✔✔✔
Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔

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