Lost! Washed away in the floods.

The Moorhens' nest pictured with the super chick that was precariously built at the top of this ramp (see link) has been washed away as a result of the torrential rain on Monday evening. The chicks will be about 2 weeks old now, I wonder if any survived.

Wednesday -Recipe 2
From the Eat Well for £20 a week challenge (other recipes are tagged wed-recipe)
(I haven't posted a shot of it because it is not a very photogenic dish, but it certainly makes up for that in taste)

Aubergine Curry (Brinjal Bhaji )

Ingredients

2 large aubergines cut into bite size pieces with the skin left on
1 Large onion, finely chopped
2 tble spns Vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter) or one of each
2 inches grated root ginger
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
A cup of water

Method
Chop the aubergine into bite sized chunks, place in a colander, sprinkle with salt and cover with a small plate weighted down. After half an hour the bitter juice from the aubergines will have been drawn out by the salt. Rinse aubergine in cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper.
I use a cast iron casserole dish to cook and serve.

1. Fry the onion in the oil over a low heat until translucent, but not burnt.
2. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and fry for 2 minutes
3. Add the aubergine to the pan and stir. Fry for a few minutes,
4. Add a small cup of water to the pan and put the lid on.
5. Simmer on a low to medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes until the aubergine is soft. If the sauce is very runny, reduce it by cooking for a few minutes more with the lid off.

Traditionally, this recipe used a cup of oil, but to make it more healthy, I have replaced it with water, it doesn’t seem to affect the delicious end result.
You should err on the side of mild with the spices, to enable the flavour of the aubergine to shine through.
Today I added chopped tomatoes, because they needed to be used up!!

It will be served with vacuum packed naan bread from my store cupboard this evening as a main course. There will be plenty left for tomorrow to share with friends, as a side dish to accompany a home made lamb curry, when the flavour will be even more delicious.

Cost:
1 onion 10p
2 aubergines 50p (market price)
2 tomatoes 10p
Spices, garlic, butter, oil etc minimal - say 20p for the lot
1 Naan bread 25p

Total: £1.15 Enough for a large main course this evening and a side dish for 4.