Badymjan - Aubergines with Tomatoes
Hello!
It feels like it has been forever since I last wrote here.
My desk has been waiting patiently for the arrival of a new computer (the old one broke down just before Christmas), the end of the school holidays, and the return of peaceful morning routines. I had not realised how much I missed the calm of writing until recently.
These past few months, my attention had to shift elsewhere. I needed to slow down and turn inward for a while. Writing has also required a certain flexibility in a house full of teens. There is always music playing or the television blaring, doors opening and closing, and someone needing to be driven somewhere or picked up. I would not have it any other way, but it does mean the quiet moments are rarer than they once were.
Even so, throughout the busy holidays, I still found time to cook, to jot down recipes, and to photograph. The editing had to wait, mostly due to the absence of my computer, but the work itself continued.
I am currently parenting two high school–aged children, and it is an entirely new terrain. It is beautiful, unfamiliar, and unravelling in directions I could not have anticipated. Navigating through the uncharted emotional sea of teen-hood calls for more attunement, and for a letting go I was not prepared for, just yet.
And so this space fell quiet for a little while. But now, sitting here at my desk, listening to the rustling of gum leaves beyond the window and the magpies calling somewhere in the distance, it feels good to be back. I have missed this space.
There is a so much to catch up on. We now have ten chickens. Many of them are still young, though growing faster than I can keep up.
The two we hatched at the beginning of December are nearly three months old now. We named them Penelope and Henrietta and, to my great relief, we did not have to rename them Pedro and Henry. I seem to have a particular talent for ending up with roosters.
We now have two young cockerels, Sage, who was meant to be a hen, hence the name, and Frizzle, who was also meant to be a hen. As you can imagine, early mornings have become something of a competition over who can crow the longest.
Chickpea, our older rooster, has gone to a new home. A very lovely place, I am told, with far more hens than we could offer him.
At the end of January, we finally had a fence installed around the farmyard to keep the kangaroos and emus out. They do quite a bit of damage to the fruit trees and will eat almost anything green. There is plenty of greenery in the paddock, but for reasons known only to them, the roos seem to prefer my roses.
Sadly it has not been the best year for tomatoes. Many succumbed to fungus, which I am blaming on the particularly damp mornings we had this summer, though perhaps the soil is trying to tell me something. I have been meaning to test it, to see if there is some mineral deficiency I have overlooked.
Everything else, however, seems to be thriving.
After nearly twenty years here, I finally applied for Australian citizenship. I have been putting it off for a long time, though I am not sure why. It feels strange to make it official now, when life has been here for so long already. This place has shaped so much of who I am. It is where I built a home and birthed my children, and where my gardens grow.
Spending time in the garden has made me think about care. How life is reciprocal in more ways than we know, and how quickly things falter when care is absent.
In recent years, there has been a certain heaviness in the air. I have felt it particularly these past months. Perhaps it is the uncertainty so many of us carry, the noise of politics, or the at times relentless pressures of everyday life. There is intensity in the way people speak to one another, especially online. It is easy to forget that each person carries their own private landscape. That each of us lives with our own internal weather.
I have noticed, in myself too, how easily hardness can take hold. How instinctively and quickly it rises, often in the name of protection. And how, afterwards, it rarely feels right. It leaves behind a heaviness. A sense of having moved further away from something essential.
The garden reminds me, again and again, that all living beings, whether plants or tiny bees, respond best to patience and care.
Perhaps people are not so different.
Perhaps we are softer than we allow ourselves to be.
Badymjan - Simple Aubergine and Tomato Stew
A few days ago, I picked a basketful of aubergines.
Aubergines have been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
Their seedlings are one of the first things I plant each spring, and one of the last I am still picking well into autumn.
When I cook aubergines, the first thing I do is salt them. I stack the slices in a colander and leave them for an hour or two, letting the salt draw out the bitterness and firm the flesh. It improves the texture and helps them hold their shape in the pan, less likely to collapse or soak up more oil than they need.
Although, in this particular dish, I am generous with the oil.
I fry the aubergines first, until golden and soft, and then set them aside. In the same pan, I cook the peppers, garlic, and tomatoes, letting them break down a little bit before returning the aubergines with a small splash of water and a little sprinkling of cumin and turmeric.
I let everything simmer for about 30 minutes to give the flavours time to meld.
You can serve this dish as a main or as a side. It is just as good warm as it is at room temperature. I often bring it to the table with garlicky yoghurt and a fresh loaf of bread.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 medium size aubergines (eggplant), sliced to 1 cm thick rounds
Salt
3 tomatoes, sliced
1-2 sweet peppers ( or 1 capsicum), roughly chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Method
Place aubergine slices in a colander, and sprinkle each layer lightly with salt. Leave for 1–2 hours. When ready, gently squeeze the slices to remove excess liquid and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
Heat a generous layer of olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Fry the aubergine slices in batches, without crowding the pan, until golden on both sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed. Add the sliced peppers and cook for several minutes, until they begin to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook briefly, just until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and cook gently, allowing them to break down a little bit and release their juices, then add the cumin and turmeric.
Return the aubergines to the pan. Add a small splash of water, just enough to loosen everything. Lower the heat and let the dish simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, until the aubergines are completely tender.
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature, with garlicky yoghurt and fresh bread.
Garlicky Yoghurt
Ingredients
½ cup Greek-style yoghurt (unsweetened)
1 small garlic clove
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon dried mint (optional)
¼ cup cold water
Method
Place the yoghurt in a small bowl.
Crush the garlic with the salt into a smooth paste, then stir it into the yoghurt.
Add the dried mint, if using.
Gradually stir in the water until the yoghurt loosens to a soft, pourable consistency.
Taste and adjust if needed. It should be gently garlicky and lightly seasoned.
