Eggplant And Zucchini Pasta With Feta And Dill Food

EGGPLANT AND ZUCCHINI PASTA WITH FETA AND DILL

Steps:

• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add 2 tablespoons oil and zucchini to skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes.
• While the vegetables cook, boil the pasta in a pot of salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water and drain pasta. Return pasta and reserved cooking water to pot over medium heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 cup of cheese and cook, stirring, until the cheese melts and forms a sauce, about 2 minutes. Stir in zucchini, eggplant and dill; season with salt and pepper.
• Serve pasta in bowls and top with remaining cheese.

ZUCCHINI STUFFED WITH FETA AND DILL

Steps:

• Trim and discard the stem ends from 2 of the zucchini, halve the 2 zucchini lengthwise, and with a melon-ball cutter scoop out the flesh, reserving it and leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Arrange the shells, cut sides up, on a steamer rack set over simmering water and steam them, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are just tender. Invert the shells on paper towels to drain.
• Cut the remaining 2 zucchini crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. In a non-stick skillet cook the onions in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until they are softened, add the reserved flesh, chopped, and the zucchini slices, and sauté the mixture over moderately high heat, stirring, until it is golden. In a food processor blend the mixture with the Feta until the zucchini slices are chopped coarse and stir in the dill. Divide the filling among the 4 zucchini shells, arrange the stuffed zucchini in an oiled flameproof baking dish, and broil them under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 3 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and deep golden.

ZUCCHINI, FETA AND DILL PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C Butter a 22cm square cake tin and line the base and sides with buttered baking paper. Dust the tin with the polenta, tap out the excess, and set tin aside.
• Pile the grated zucchini into a large sieve or colander, sit a plate on top to weigh it down a little and leave zucchini to drain really well.
• Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk them together. Add the oil, chives and dill, mint or basil and whisk them inches
• Press down firmly on the plate over the zucchini to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Stir the grated zucchini into the egg mixture. Crumble in most of the feta (reserving a little for the top of the pie) along with the parmesan, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the flour and mix in until it is combined (wearing disposable gloves and mixing by hand is good, as mixture gets quite thick). Spread the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle the reserved feta over the top. Gently press the cherry tomato halves, cut side up, into the surface of the pie.
• Bake pie for 45-50 minutes, or until the top of the pie is springy when pressed. (It's a bit hard to know when it's cooked. Belinda Jeffery's suggests -- Her first attempt seemed ready after 30 minutes but when she took it out and let it cool a little she realised it was still squishy in the centre, so she put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes (thank goodness it's forgiving!). So when you think it's cooked, make sure the top is quite bouncy, and to double-check, insert the tip of a fine knife down into the middle and press the two sides of the cut apart - it should look quite set.
• When it's ready, take the pie out of the oven and cool it in the tin for 10 -15 minutes. If you're feeling game you can just gently grasp the baking paper and lift the pie out of the tin onto a serving plate, then slide the paper out from underneath. Or, put a wire rack on top and invert the pie onto the rack. Peel away the paper, then sit your serving platter on top of the pie and invert it again onto this. Tidy up any straggly bits and brush the tomatoes with a little oil. Scatter some mint leaves or sprigs on top and serve.