Remember our herby oil from last week? Well, we actually ended up making more and used it in various ways! This week we have a recipe for you with our favourite summer vegetable: aubergine! We love aubergine because it reminds us of our childhood summers. You see, in Greece this vegetable is used only during the summer and takes part in many traditional recipes, such as moussakas or briam. Some people also stuff it with rice or mince, or even bulgur wheat (and we actually did so in our last cooking workshop)!
This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit, one of our favourite magazines. The dish includes gently fried aubergine, crunchy cucumber, tangy Greek yogurt and caramelised onions. Our herby oil helps bring everything together.
And a little secret: You can plate this dish for your guests, or, what we prefer is to lay all ingredients (fried aubergine, cut cucumber, yogurt, caramelised onions, herby oil and so forth) separate at the table and let everyone make their own version.
Serves 2 as main with leftovers or 4 as a side
700g (4 medium-small) aubergines
4tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 medium onion
4 cloves of garlic
1tbsp olive oil
1 large cucumber
a small bunch of fresh spinach
To serve:
4 tbsp Greek yoghurt (optional)
4 tbsp herby oil
Cut the aubergine in bite-sized pieces. In a shallow frying pan, and over medium heat place 2 tbsp of olive oil and half of the aubergine. You need to form a single layer, so that the aubergine doesn’t steam. Season with salt, pepper and ½ tsp of dried oregano. Gently fry the aubergine for approximately 10min until cooked inside and charred outside. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and the aubergine. Remove and set aside too.
Finely chop your onion and garlic.
Using the same frying pan, place 1tbsp of olive oil and over medium heat gently fry the onion, for approximately 5min, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 5 more minutes, until everything is caramelised. Remove and set aside.
Cut your cucumber in bite-sized pieces. Wash and dry your spinach.
To serve, lay the yogurt on each plate. Top with aubergine, onions, cucumber, spinach. Add the herby oil. Instead of the herby oil you can of course drizzle some olive oil and add fresh chopped herbs.
