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Saturday, May 2, 2009

AUBERGINE & MINT BRUSCHETTE


The frosts have arrived, so I picked at least a dozen eggplant yesterday and went surfing for recipes.  The following I found on Jamie Oliver's site and will make a nice side serve for lunch with visitors on Sunday.  At least it will use up two aubergine.

ingredients
  1. 2 nice firm aubergines, the round purple Italian ones if possible, sliced lengthways 3mm/about 1/8th inch thick
  2. extra virgin olive oil
  3. white wine or herb vinegar
  4. 2 sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves finely sliced
  5. a small handful of fresh mint leaves finely sliced
  6. 1 clove of garlic, peeled and very finely sliced
  7. sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat a griddle pan until nice and hot.  Lay your aubergine slices on it side by side and when they are nicely charred on both sides, put them into a bowl.  You will probably need to do this in several batches.

While the aubergines are grilling, put 8 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of vinegar, with the parsley, mint and garlic, into another bowl and season with salt and pepper.

When the aubergines are all done, add them to the dressing and mix around, then check the seasoning again and divide on to the bruschette.  Press the topping into the toast so all the lovely flavour gets sucked in!
 

5 comments:

Reya Mellicker said...

That sounds delicious! You're having your first frosts, while here we are having our first muggy days of bugs and thick air.

Glad Ziggy is on the mend!

alaine@éclectique said...

I love the Seasons!

Poor little Ziggy; sleeps a lot but is now eating more and has the occasional drink. We're very surprised and thankful every morning when he/she shows up.

Susan said...

That sounds and looks delicious! I love aubergine (or as we call it, eggplant), although my family only tolerates it. Maybe I will make this for myself when I'm alone.

Thank you for visiting my blog. I really like what I see here and will be back to explore. I see we have a common like of Eva Cassidy's music. And you also have a Marysville! I live in Marysville, Ohio! How interesting! I am intrigued.

alaine@éclectique said...

Susan, I found Eva when her version of 'Fields of Gold' was played for two skaters at an Olympic Games, way back. I had to find out who was singing it, tracked her down on the net and found out that she had died! I couldn't believe such bad luck, for her and the world. I bought two of her CDs. She's become famous posthumously. I must go and see if the website devoted to her is still going.

Yes, Marysville is/was 20 minutes away from us. It was a very popular tourist destination because of the scenery and the old Guest Houses went back to the 1920s. I say WAS, as the town was almost obliterated on Black Saturday, 7th February this year. Fourteen houses remain out of over 400. It is shocking what happened and it's believed that the fire was deliberately lit.

It didn't register that you lived in Marysville, how odd (that it didn't, I mean. I will drop by to pick up the story of the three ladies. LBx

blackbird said...

The recipe looks wonderful. I don't think that it gets hot enough in Seattle to grow eggplants out in the garden unless they're the narrow Japanese type. Under glass would work- another reason for a green house.

I find it impossible to imagine the fires of February- the horror, the devastation and now the remains. My heart goes out to those left behind as they begin to mend.