I love aubergines and use them several times a week in varIous ways for supper dishes. But for my taste, they must never be cooked in liquid, but either fried or roasted instead. They are also perfect for stuffing.
When you buy aubergines, check they are firm and not spongy, which denotes age, while their prickly ends should be green and sharp.
One great breakthrough for ease of use is that it is no longer necessary to carry out the pre-cooking ritual of spr
inkling salt on chopped or sliced aubergines and draining off the brown liquid half an hour or so later. Like cucumbers, the bitterness seems to have been bred out of aubergines, making them even easier to use.
STUFFED AUBERGINESThis is my rather less rich version of Anna del Conte's classic recipe.
SERVES 6 AS A MAIN COURSE
6 even-sized trimmed aubergines, each cut in half lengthways
1/2 pint/285ml olive oil, for brushing the aubergine, the bread for the croutons, and for frying
6 tablespoons croutons, made by brushing 6 slices of bread – crusts cut off – with olive oil on either side. Slice the bread into even dice, and roast or fry until they are evenly coloured and crisp
2 red onions, skinned and diced
1-2 fat cloves of garlic, skinned and finely diced
3 anchovies, drained of their preserving oil and chopped
2 teaspoons large capers, drained of their wine vinegar and chopped
12 black olives, chopped (I use Kalamata olives)
1 level teaspoon sliced fresh red chilli (optional, or a grating of dried chilli)
about 15-20 grinds of black pepper
3oz/85g coarsely grated Parmesan
Brush the halved aubergines with olive oil and roast them in a hot oven, 200C/ 400F/Gas Mark 6, for 20 minutes – you can use the oven heat for roasting the diced bread to make the croutons.
Remove the aubergines from the oven and, when cool enough to handle, scoop out the soft inside of each half into a bowl. Put the aubergine halves into an ovenproof dish brushed out with olive oil.
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan and fry the diced onions until completely soft and beginning to turn golden at the edges, then stir in the diced garlic and the chopped anchovies. With a knife, chop the aubergine flesh in the bowl, and add this to the contents of the sauté pan, mixing and frying all together for about a minute. Stir in the chopped capers and black olives and, if using, the chilli. Season with black pepper – the anchovies provide the saltiness. Cool.
When cold, mix the croutons through this mixture, and divide between each roast aubergine half, as evenly as possible. Scatter the grated Parmesan over each stuffed aubergine half and bake in a moderate heat, 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, for 30-35 minutes, or until the Parmesan has melted over the surface. Serve warm.
ROAST AUBERGINE MOUSSEThis can be made a day in advance.
SERVES 6
4 aubergines, trimmed
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
4 leaves of gelatine soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
1/2 pint/285ml stock made with Marigold powder and boiling water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 red onions, skinned and finely diced
1-2 fat cloves of garlic, skinned and finely diced
1 teaspoon salt
about 15 grinds of black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 pint/285ml crème fraîche
2 large egg whites
Brush the aubergines with olive oil, then roast them in a hot oven, 220C/420F/Gas Mark 7, for 20-25 minutes, or until they are completely soft when stuck with a fork and their skins are darkened.
Meanwhile, drip excess water from the soaked gelatine leaves and drop them into the hot stock, adding the lemon juice. Swirl the pan a bit and the gelatine will dissolve. Leave to cool.
Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and fry the diced onions for about three minutes before adding the diced garlic. Fry for a further couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper, take the pan off the heat and cool.
Peel the skin from the cooled aubergines and put the flesh into a food processor and whizz it, with the cooled onions and garlic mixture. Add the cold gelatine and stock and scoop this mixture into a bowl. Stir in the chopped parsley. Leave till beginning to gel – you can speed this up by stirring in the crème fraîche if it is very cold, from the fridge.
In a clean bowl whisk up the egg whites with a pinch of salt, until they are stiff and glossy. With either a flat whisk or a large metal spoon, fold the whites quickly and thoroughly through the aubergine mixture. Pour into a bowl and leave to set.
TOMATO, BLACK OLIVE AND CAPER RELISHI serve this to accompany the mousse.
Serves 6
8 large vine tomatoes, each skinned, seeds removed and the tomato flesh diced
12 black olives, preferably Kalamata, stones removed and the olives chopped
3 teaspoons large capers, drained from their wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
about 15 grinds of black pepper
Mix together all ingredients thoroughly. Serve in a bowl, it's just perfect with the mousse.
MARINATED GRILLED AUBERGINE SLICESThese make a good accompaniment for literally anything. But the aubergine slices must be cooked through, and not burned, which is all too easy if the grill is too hot.
SERVES 6
24 slices of aubergine, cut lengthways, each about 1/2 in/1cm thick (you will need approximately 4 large aubergines for this, but buy more if the aubergines are small)
1/2 pint/285ml good olive oil
a few sprigs of thyme
1 fat clove of garlic, skinned and very finely diced
flaky salt
black pepper
Brush each slice of aubergine on each side with olive oil. Put them on a char-grill which is white-hot, with no flaming red coals. Grill the slices in batches, turning each over using tongs to cook on their other sides as the slices brown. Be careful not to let them scorch. As they cook, lay them in a large, shallow dish.
In a bowl mix the sprigs of thyme with the chopped garlic, salt and pepper, and the olive oil. Spoon this marinade over the grilled aubergine slices on the dish, and leave for several hours. As the aubergines cool, they absorb the flavours of the marinade.
The full article contains 1093 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
