Global Recipes - MamaBake Style

Please excuse my terrible photo - I assure you the professional photo from Ivan over at  the Macarthur Chronicle is a billion times better. We should be in the Chronicle next week - Molly may possibly make her Chronicle debut as well ;)

Well today was the day MamaBake in Macarthur made it's 'Global Recipes' debut - I did all my food prep last night like a good person so I didn't have to run around like a headless chook this morning (between going up to school/somehow ending up doing reading groups - lord knows how I was volunteered for that) and had it all bowled up ready to go - one must look one's best even if one is a bowl of rice, some vegetables and some grilled bread.

As part of the Global Recipes interview I was asked what my connection to the dish was - now I'm not Russian by blood (which is where the recipe comes from) - but my husband is. This was the my 'first' introduction into Russian food, at my first Russian Christmas by my husband's late Grandmother (Baba - short for Babooshka meaning Older Female Relative). She sat and told me to eat because I 'eat like a sparrow' (which for those that have seen me know is FAR from the truth - I'm just not overly comfortable eating around people initially).

Without further ado here is the recipe - not technically correct in the old school way, more a 'geez I don't have the time today to stand and chop and dice' version...it's the 'poor man's caviar' as when you do it properly it does kind of resemble caviar.

tastes good on it's own hot/cold, on toast (that's what it is meant to be for) or on rice (my favourite)

all food is diced :)

Ikra - the cheat version

1 large eggplant
couple of zuccini
2 large onion
couple of heaped teaspoon of minced garlic
tin of tomatoes (normal 425g sized tin)
red capsicum

salt/pepper/sprinkle of sugar/lemon juice/olive oil

heat some oil in a pan - on med heat add onion, fry til onion soft
add capsicum and garlic and fry til soft
add zuccini and eggplant, salt, pepper and a desert spoon of sugar, tin of tomatoes
bring to boil - cover and simmer for 1hr
remove lid - cook for a further half hour or until most of the liquid is gone
add a splash of lemon juice/salt/pepper to taste

eat

Tasty, full of vegetables - use as a side dish with stroganoff or just as a vegetarian dish.