Caponata

Ingredients 50g sultanas, 50g olives, 1 aubergine, 10-15 cherry tomatoes, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp muscovado sugar, 1 onion or 1 stick celery, olive oil, 1 piece dark chocolate.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

Caponata is a hot Sicilian aubergine salad, one of those marvellous Italian dishes which is equally lovely alone as antipasti or tossed with rice or pasta to make a meal. I particularly like this with butter beans to form a sort of stew. This combination of sultanas, olives and balsamic vinegar is the perfect balance of sweet and savoury flavours, soaked up beautifully by the melt-in-the-mouth perfection of aubergine. The leftovers are marvellous spread onto bread for lunch the next day.

1) Slice the aubergine into cubes, toss with a tsp of salt and add to a colander to rest for at least half an hour to allow the bitter juices to drain away. I like to set the colander on top of a bowl so that I can check the progress - from one aubergine you will get at least 50ml of liquid!

2) Peel and finely slice the onions, or finely dice the celery and add to a pan with a glug of olive oil. Sizzle for at least 10 minutes to allow them to soften completely, then add the brown sugar, sultanas and balsamic vinegar. Turn off the heat and leave to rest so that the sultanas soak up the wonderful flavours and become plump and juicy.

3) In a separate pan, Fry off the aubergines in a little oil until they are completely soft and the skin has turned a dark and vibrant purple. Transfer to the pan of onions/celery and sultanas and turn on the heat.

4) Pit the olives and blitz in a blender (or if you can't get hold of good olives - for goodness sake don't bother buying unpitted ones, they're like hunks of rubber! - a good olive tapenade will suffice), quarter the tomatoes then add both to the pan. Stir gently so as not to break the tomatoes down too much, just bring everything together.

5) Whether serving hot, or cold, grate a little good quality dark chocolate to season (I used 85% here but if your tastes are not quite so pure, 70% will be bitter enough).

Aubergine & bean croquettes

Ingredients 1 can cannellini beans, 1 aubergine, 1 tsp paprika, 1 garlic clove, breadcrumbs, 1 egg, cooking oil.

Makes: 10 Preparation: 30 minutes

When Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty brought the charred aubergine into my life, I was a happy little bunny. Personally I prefer not to remove the burned skin as I think it adds so much gorgeous smoky flavour to the delicacy of the bean mash. If you liked my Butterbean Croquettes, you're going to love these!  

1) Using tongs, hold the aubergine over the open flame of your hob or a barbecue, turning around until the skin is evenly charred and the aubergine is softened.

2) Simmer the beans for 10 minutes in hot salty water, then drain and add to a blender along with the aubergine, 1 crushed garlic clove and the paprika. Pulse thoroughly until combined and season with salt.

3) Set out three dishes, one with a beaten egg, one with breadcrumbs and one to rest the croquettes on. Scoop out a handful of the mixture and form it into a ball, packing tightly - then roll out into a sausage shape or small bites as above.

4) Dip the croquette into the egg, then roll in the breadcrumbs until covered evenly. Either shallow fry or bake in the oven until the crumbs are golden and crispy, then serve hot.

Tofu & aubergine soba noodles

Ingredients 6 baby aubergines, 150g tofu, 3 tbs pomegranate molasses, 1 red chilli, 3 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, 175g soba noodles.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 30 minutes (plus overnight for marinating)

Being allergic to soya, tofu is something that never makes its way into my vegetarian cooking. When I was asked recently to come up with a recipe, I asked my guinea pigs to describe the texture for me and as a result decided to treat them like the aubergines - melt-in-the-mouth sponges to soak up delicious flavours. The marinade is sweet and spicy from the pomegranate molasses and chilli combination, but with a smoky umami undercurrent from the soy sauce.

1) Slice the tops from the aubergines and slice in half lengthways. Sprinkle the inside half with salt to draw out the bitter juices, then wipe them with some kitchen towel after 5 minutes. Slice each piece in half widthways.

2) Slice the top from the chilli and slit it lengthways. Scrape out the seeds with your knife and discard. Cut the flesh into pieces and add along with the chunks of aubergine and tofu to a freezer bag.

3) Add the pomegranate molasses, oil and soy sauce to the freezer bag, seal and shake well. Leave in the fridge overnight.

4) Pour the contents of the freezer bag into an ovenproof dish and roast for 25 minutes at 200 degrees.

5) Add the noodles to boiling water and stir until soft (about 5 minutes), drain and pour in with the aubergines. Season with a little salt and serve hot or cold.

Bean & aubergine ravioli

Ingredients 2 aubergines, 1 can cannellini beans, 1 bulb garlic, basil oil, dried basil, passata.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 45 minutes

Given that I find it intensely irritating when people, upon discovering that I am a vegetarian, suck air in through their teeth, grimace and say "oooh I could never be a vegetarian" or worse still ask "what do you EAT!?"... I feel a little guilty for the exclamation which will follow this absurdly long sentence.
I could never be a vegan. 
There I said it. I'm sorry. Mainly for the lack of dairy, because we all know that I am a filthy cheese whore, but mostly for pasta. Oh pasta, how I love thee.
But I don't want to alienate my lovely vegan followers by being so closed minded, so here you are darlings - a way to make ravioli without using eggs.
The aubergine squidges together and seals perfectly (as long as the aubergine slices are the same size - not all of mine were!) and the wonderful bean paste in the centre gives this a substantial feeling without the dreaded bloat that pasta causes. So hurrah all round for aubergines!

1) Slice the aubergines to half centimetre thick discs and sprinkle with salt. Leave to rest until you see dark juices beading the surface, then wipe away with kitchen towel.

2) Rinse the beans and put on the hob to boil for 5 minutes. Strain and add to the blender.

3) Put the entire bulb of garlic in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Squeeze the puree from 3 cloves into your blender along with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of basil. Pulse until smooth and set aside to cool.

4) Melt a little basil oil in a frying pan and add the aubergine slices (I cook 4 at a time), turning immediately to allow them to soak up the oil evenly. Sizzle until the oil is completely soaked up by the aubergine before turning again - then continue turning until the surface of the aubergine colours and the skin changes to a vibrant, shiny purple. Set aside to cool.

5) Squeeze the rest of the garlic bulb into the passata and warm through on the hob before serving.

6) Fill the centre of half of the slices of aubergine with the bean puree and top each with another slice. Pinch the edges to seal and add to the sauce.

Aubergine timbale

Ingredients 1 aubergine, 2 red bell peppers, 4 cherry tomatoes, 1 camembert, butter, 3 eggs

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

I recently bought some new pudding moulds and have been going timbale crazy lately. These aubergine timbales are absolutely lovely - meltingly soft aubergine, juicy roast tomatoes and peppers and succulent, gooey Camembert.

1) Slice the aubergines to half centimetre thick discs and sprinkle with salt. Leave to rest until you see dark juices beading the surface, then wipe away with kitchen towel.

2) Slice the top from a bell pepper and remove the core and seeds. Slice into slivers.

3) Slice the tomatoes in half and then into quarters. Slice the core and seeds from the tomato and then roast in the oven along with the peppers for 20 minutes at 200 degrees.

4) Melt a little butter in a frying pan and add the aubergine slices (I cook 4 at a time), turning immediately to allow them to soak up the butter evenly. Sizzle until the butter browns and is completely soaked up by the aubergine before turning again - then continue turning until the surface of the aubergine colours and the skin changes to a vibrant, shiny purple. Set aside to cool.

5) Rub the inside of the pudding moulds with a thin layer of butter, and then line the pudding moulds with the aubergine slices, starting with the base, then working up to sides. If you press firmly, the aubergine will stick together well.

6) Fill the cases with tomato, aubergine and globs of Camembert.

7) Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk thoroughly, then pour over the other ingredients until each pudding case is full.

8) Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes at 180 degrees, then turn out the timbales from the cases carefully and serve.

Butter roast pepper & aubergine al forno

Ingredients 1 aubergine, 1 bell pepper, 75g passata tomatoes, butter, pasta, cheddar, 1 white onion, 1 glass red wine.

Serves: 4 preparation: 30 minutes

It's possible to make a fabulous pasta sauce with little more than tomatoes and butter - thick and glossy with little need of seasoning. I've taken those principles and applied them to make this unbelievably wonderful, indulgent pasta sauce. Words cannot describe the combination of pepper, tomato, butter and aubergine - made richer with wine and onion this is a feast for every sense.

1) Slice the aubergines to half centimetre thick discs and sprinkle with salt. Leave to rest until you see dark juices beading the surface, then wipe away with kitchen towel.

2) Slice the top from a bell pepper and remove the core and seeds. Roast in the oven until the skin has almost completely blackened and pulse thoroughly - skin and all - in the blender.

3) Peel and finely slice a white onion and sautee with a little butter until completely soft. Add the red wine and cook off, then transfer to the blender with the pureed roast pepper and blend to incorporate.

4) Put the pasta on to boil - the sauce can take 2 cups to serve 4 or 3 cups to serve 6 if you add an extra 15g passata.

5) Melt a little butter in a frying pan and add the aubergine slices (I cook 4 at a time), turning immediately to allow them to soak up the butter evenly. Sizzle until the butter browns and is completely soaked up by the aubergine before turning again - then continue turning until the surface of the aubergine colours and the skin changes to a vibrant, shiny purple. Repeat for all the aubergine slices, then cut them in half.

6) Transfer the roast pepper and onion mixture to a pan along with the passata and stir through on a low heat. When the pasta is cooked, strain and stir into the sauce along with the aubergine slices.

7) Spoon the pasta and sauce into an ovenproof dish and top with a layer of grated cheddar. Personally I think a sharp vintage cheddar is perfect here, if you preffer those milder, waxy cheddars this will leave you with a greasy layer on the pasta once it is cooked so I would use grated mozzarella and a sprinkling of parmeggian instead. Bake for 5-10 minutes on a medium heat until the cheese is golden bubbly and serve with salad.

Quinoa & aubergine salad

Ingredients 1 cup Quinoa, 1 aubergine, 1 bell pepper, 4 baby plum tomatoes, paprika, kamalata olives, salt, rapeseed oil

Serves: 2 Preparation: 30 minutes

I love aubergines, simply love them. They soak up flavour like majestic sponges and when cooked well, just melt in your mouth. This salad can be served hot or cold and is simply fabulous.

1) Remove the top and core from a bell pepper and shake out the seeds. Slice finely, drizzle with a little rapeseed oil and roast in the oven along with the baby plum tomatoes for 20 minutes.

2) Slice your aubergines and lay the slices in a colander. Sprinkle salt on the aubergines and set aside.

3) Soak the quinoa for 5 minutes and rinse well in a sieve. Depending on where you buy it, it naturally has an acrid coating called saponin which you don't want flavouring your food!

4) Cover the quinoa in salted water and bring to the boil for about 15 minutes, stir continually as it soaks up the water and fluffs up, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool

5) The salt will have drawn the bitter liquid from the aubergines, rinse the liquid, pat the aubergines dry and brush with rapeseed oil. Dry fry in a very hot pan for about 5 minutes per slice, turning frequently. When the aubergines are ready the skin will have turned violet and the flesh will have darkened in colour and become meltingly soft.

6) Stir the tomatoes and peppers into the quinoa, seasoning well with salt, black pepper and paprika. I also like to add some finely diced black kamalata olives but this is entirely to taste.

7) Layer the aubergine and quinoa mixture using a circle mould, pressing each layer firmly. Serve hot or cold.

Roast aubergine, tomato & halloumi burrito

Ingredients   Baby aubergine, plum tomato,     halloumi, Hummus: Chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds

Serves: 1 preparation: 30 minutes


As well as my ode to roast pepper today, I am waxing lyrical about roast aubergine. It is The Sex and this makes a gorgeous snack.


1) To make your own hummus, see previous recipe. Spread the hummus on the centre of a tortilla.


2) Slice the tops from the baby aubergines and rest them skin side down in a roasting dish. Sprinkle with a little salt to draw out the bitter juices, drizzle with basil oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes along with the tomatoes.


3) Add the halloumi slices to the oven during the last 5 minutes, then layer the tomato, aubergine and halloumi over the hummus.


4) To fold the burrito, take the left and right side and lift to ensure the contents are dead centre, then first fold the bottom over the contents, then the left and right sides and tuck in the top.

Aubergine & pomegranate salad

Ingredients     6 baby aubergines, 1/2 pomegranate, 3 tablespoons Greek yoghurt, basil oil, salt, cumin, chilli flakes.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 30 minutes


Aubergine is one of my favourite vegetables, I love to roast it to melting perfection and the combination of cumin, chilli and pomegranate with the cool yoghurt makes this a great dish to serve with lamb.


1) Slice the tops from the baby aubergines and rest them skin side down in a roasting dish. Sprinkle with a little salt to draw out the bitter juices, then add a light dusting of cumin and ground chilli flakes. Drizzle with basil oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.


2) Slice the pomegranate in half and hold over a bowl, fruit side down. Bang sharply with a wooden spoon to release the jewels. Alternatively, if the pomegranate is very ripe, it's sometimes as quick to just break it in half and peel off the membrane. Stir into the yoghurt.


3) Remove the aubergine from the oven and top with the yoghurt. Serve hot or cold.

Stuffed aubergine canapes

Ingredients Baby aubergine, mozarella pearls, walnuts, basil oil, salt

Preparation: 30 minutes

I love aubergines, they're so versatile and I love to roast them until they're  melt in the mouth perfection. These cute canapes are a good way of using the whole baby aubergine to create two recipes with minimal ingredients.

1) Slice the baby aubergines into three pieces - two with the skin side to stuff with walnuts and one long strip to wrap around mozarella.

2) Sprinkle the aubergines with salt to draw out the bitter juices, set to rest for 5 minutes then rinse under the tap.

3) Set them in an ovenproof dish - skin side down for the outer pieces - and drizzle with basil oil. Roast at 200 degrees for 20 minutes.

4) Finely dice the walnuts and spoon them onto the pieces of aubergine. Wrap the strips of aubergine carefully around the mozarella pearls and then return the aubergine to the oven for a further 3-5 minutes.

Serve warm or cold

Red rice with roast aubergine

Ingredients     150g red Camargue rice, 1   aubergine, passata tomatoes, oregano, coriander, salt, olive oil, 1 pint vegetable stock.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 40 minutes


Camargue red rice is the most recently discovered variety of rice and is very similar to those used in risotto like arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano because it's unmilled which gives it the sticky starch releasing quality. It's grown in in the wetlands of the Camargue in the South of France (hence the name). It has a dark reddy-brown colour with a really intense nutty taste so I complemented this with roast aubergine - the perfect combination.


1) Slice the top from the aubergine, slice it in half lengthways and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 200.


2) Unlike making risotto, you don't need to make it in three stages, adding a ladle at a time. It can be fully submerged and will still become sticky and create a creamy sauce. Stir the rice as it cooks, then add passata tomatoes and finely chopped oregano once the stock has cooked off.


3) Dice the cooked aubergine and stir it into the rice, then serve.

Giant cous-cous with roast aubergine

Ingredients 150g Giant (aka Israeli) cous-cous (I bought mine from Millie's Organic in Leeds), 2 limes, basil oil, 10g freshly chopped mint, 100g passata tomatoes, 3 baby aubergines, salt.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes

Cous-cous is made using semolina which has been sprinkled with water, hand rolled and then passed through a sieve, dusted with more semolina and rolled and passed through again to form the granules that you can buy in the shops. Cous-cous in Israel has a much larger granule and personally I prefer it, the texture is more like the bubbles in a tapioca pudding and it's absolutely delicious, absorbing flavour more intensely than the smaller grains do. The sauce contrasts so beautifully with the flavour of roast aubergine and it just melts in the mouth.

1) Slice the tops from the baby aubergines and slice into quarters, first lengthways and then widthways. Arrange skin side down in a roasting dish and sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitter juices. Drizzle with basil oil and roast in the oven at 220 for 30 minutes.

2) Pour the cous-cous into a pan of boiling salted water and stir through for 6-8 minutes before straining in a sieve and setting aside.

3) To make the dressing, squeeze the juice of 2 limes, a tablespoon of basil oil and the passata tomato into a pan and stir through.

4) Add some finely chopped mint, then stir through the cous-cous and aubergine.

Spinach & aubergine curry

Ingredients  8 baby aubergines, 2 tbsp garam    marsala, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp mustard    seeds, 2 tbsps ghee or vegetable oil, 200g spinach, 1 white onion, 1 bulb garlic, passata, salt, olive oil, 1 red chilli pepper.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 45 minutes


I love curry, the scent of toasting spices, the gentle bubbling inside my enormous cast iron wok and that delicious high one gets from the exotic heat of the chillies. This dish is rich with flavour and has the most amazing buttery soft textured aubergines. Give it a try - perfect with my peshwari naan - this is the ultimate winter warming comfort food.


1) Slice the tops from the baby aubergines and slice in half lengthways, then horizontally. Arrange in an ovenproof dish with the skins down and sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitter juices. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.


2) At the same time, put an entire bulb of garlic into an ovenproof dish and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.


3) Put the mustard seeds and spices in the wok and toast for about 2 minutes - once the mustard seeds begin to pop, it's time to add the ghee (about 2 tablespoons) and stir through.


4) Peel and dice the onion and finely chop the chillies, then add to the spiced ghee and stir through until the onion has softened completely (5-10 minutes).


5) Once the aubergines and garlic are cooked, add the aubergines to the pan along with just enough passata to bring the ingredients together.


6) Peel the garlic and mince through the press until you are left with the puree. Stir into the curry and add the spinach leaves.


7) Once the spinach has wilted it's ready to serve.

Mediterranean balsamic roasted vegetables

Ingredients 3 Baby aubergines, 1 pointed pepper, 5 baby plum tomatoes, mozarella, basil oil, salt, basil, oregano, balsamic vinegar.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

Served hot as a side dish, or served cold as a salad, this delicious combination of flavours is one I come back to again and again.

1) Slice the tops from the baby aubergines and slice in half, lengthways. Set skin side down around the edges of an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with salt.

2) Slice the tops from the pointed peppers, remove the core and seeds and arrange in the centre of the roasting dish. Drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar, taking care to avoid the aubergine for now.

3) Prick the baby plum tomatoes to allow the juices to escape rather than split the skin and rest on the peppers. Drizzle the entire roasting dish with basil oil and sprinkle with a good pinch of finely chopped basil and oregano.

4) Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 to allow the basil oil, tomato juices and balsamic vinegar to glaze all of the vegetables.

5) Stir in the mozarella (I used little pearls of mozarella) and serve.

Roast aubergine & chickpea salad

Ingredients 5 baby aubergines, 1 can chickpeas, 5 baby plum tomatoes, cumin, Rachel's Organic coconut yoghurt, parsley, coriander, salt, basil oil, 1 onion.

Serves: 8 Preparation: 1 hour


1) Cut the stems from the aubergines and slice them in half. Sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitter juices then drizzle with basil oil and bake for 30 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees.


2) Pour the can of chickpeas into a pan and boil for 5 minutes. Strain into a colander and remove the shells.


3) Peel and finely dice one white onion and sautee in butter for 5 minutes. Add a handful of finely chopped parsley and coriander. 

4) Add the chickpeas back to the pan along with 2 tablespoons of Rachel's Organic coconut yoghurt and 5 baby plum tomatoes cut into quarters.

5) Simmer, stirring frequently until the chickpeas are soft, then serve with the aubergine and more yoghurt.

Roast aubergine & fig salad

Ingredients   100g Rasperries, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon basil oil, 30g basil, 2 figs, 3 baby aubergines, rocket, 30g goats cheese.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 20 minutes


I don't think I will ever get tired of the fig and goats cheese combination. If ever two ingredients were made for each other, it was these! If you haven't already - try my F&GC tart, F&GC linguine or F&GC parcels.
This salad has a zingy, tangy basil & raspberry vinaigrette dressing which brings out the sweetness of the fig, the tartness of the goats cheese and the warm, salty aubergine and peppery rocket bind it all together. The perfect autumn salad.


1) Remove the stalk and cut the baby aubergines in half, lengthways. Set them skin side down in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitter juices. Drizzle with a generous slosh of oil and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.


2) Grind the basil leaves in a mortar and pestle until as much liquid has been extracted from the leaves as possible. Add the raspberries and grind to a fine pulp and parse through a sieve to extract the basil and raspberry juice.


3) Add a tablespoon of basil oil, a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and whisk until combined.


4) Toss the rocket with a little of the dressing and arrange the roast aubergine and figs on top of the salad leaves. Crumble the goats cheese over the top and drizzle with salad dressing.

Olive Pesto with roast aubergine

Ingredients   Basil oil, 30g basil, 30g kamalata  olives,1/2 clove garlic, 30g parmigiano, salt, baby aubergines, pasta

Serves: 2 Preparation: 30 minutes


Today I treated myself to some Lingue di Suocera squid ink pasta by Pastificio Marella. These long twisted ribbons with "sharp" edges are named Mother in Law's tongues in Italian which always makes me smile - mainly smugly because my MIL to be is so lovely. I couldn't think of a more perfect way to serve this than smothering it with olive pesto and succulent roasted baby aubergines. This Genovese style pesto would go just as beautifully with linguine but if you can get hold of Pastificio Marella products they really are worth a try.


1) Remove the stalk and cut the baby aubergines in half, lengthways. Set them skin side down in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitter juices. Drizzle with a generous slosh of oil and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.


2) Put the pasta on to boil in hot salted water whilst you make the pesto.


3) Genovese style pesto is incredibly fine and involves pulverising the basil literally one leaf at a time in your mortar and pestle - if you don't have the patience then you could use a blender but nothing will release the basil juice and create that silky Genovese texture like the traditional method. 


4) Once the basil is crushed to a fine pulp, add finely diced kamalata olives, minced garlic and parmeggian. Add a glug of basil oil until it has reached the desired consistency. If you can manage not to eat most of it before the pasta is cooked you're made of stronger stuff than I!


5) Once the aubergines have baked, slice them in half again lengthways and stir them into your pesto. Strain the pasta and stir into the pesto, ensuring that the ribbons are thoroughly coated and serve.

Sun dried tomato & roast vegetable conchiglie

Ingredients    Sun dried tomatoes, tomato passata, 4 garlic cloves, aubergine, courgette, parmigiano, conchiglie pasta

1) Slice the aubergine into thick slices and rest in a colander. Sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitter juices. After 20 minutes, rinse off the juice and pat dry. 


2) Cut the aubergine into chunks and roast in the oven along with some sliced and quartered chunks of courgette. If your sun dried tomatoes are marinated with oil - use some of the oil to drizzle on the vegetables before roasting.


3) Using the same oil - add some into a pan and crush 4 cloves of white garlic into it. It has a wonderfully rich flavour but keep the heat low as this type of oil will burn very easily. Don't use the oil if it contains vinegar or herbs or spices as these flavours will likely burn too and leave you with a bitter mess!
Add the tomato passata and stir through.


4) Finely slice the sun dried tomatoes and add to the pan, along with the roasted vegetables. You shouldn't need to season further due to the intensity of the sun dried tomatoes (and bear in mind this will be topped with parmeggian too!) but this is entirely to taste.


5) Boil the conchiglie for 10-15 minutes in boiling salted water. Strain the pasta and stir it into the sauce, spinkle with shaved parmeggian and serve.



If you can't bear the thought of eating a vegetarian dish, why not stir through some parma ham?

Tapenade stuffed aubergine

Ingredients   Kamalata olives, sun dried tomatoes,  capers, olive oil, aubergine, parmigiano

Following on from my Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade - this is a great way to use up leftovers!


1) Finely slice an aubergine and rest the slices in a sieve before sprinkling with salt. This will draw out the bitter liquid - rinse them after 15 minutes and pat dry.


2) Spread the aubergine with tapenade and layer with another slice of aubergine. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes before topping with parmeggian. Bake for a further 5-10 minutes and serve.

Baba ganoush

<><><><><><><>

</></></>

Ingredients Aubergine, truffle oil, garlic, cumin, garam marsala, coriander

1) Slice the aubergine and cover with generous dash of salt to bring out the bitter juices. Rinse after 20 minutes and roast in the oven for a further 20 minutes.

2) Crush 4 garlic cloves and sautee in truffle oil on a low heat so that the garlic does not burn. Stir in a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of coriander and a teaspoon of Garam Marsala.

3) When the aubergine is roasted, drop it in a blender with the spiced garlic oil and blitz thoroughly. If you wish you can peel the aubergine first but I think the skin adds colour and flavour to this wonderful comfort food.

I served this with Fudge's sesame and pumpkin seed flatbread which was absolutely fabulous.