Charred eggplant in olive oil with chilli, cumin + garlic
Got a couple of eggplants that need using and don’t know what to do with them? Make this antipasti-style olive oil preserved eggplant! It’s the perfect thing to have at hand to add flavor to sandwiches, burgers, platters or to stir through cooked pasta for a simple meal. This recipe can easily be halved/doubled/tripled to make as much as you like.
Ingredients
2 medium eggplant (aubergine) ends trimmed, sliced into 1cm rounds
2tablespoonsfine sea salt
1tablespoonhoney or pure maple syrup
4clovesgarliccrushed
1/4-1/2teaspoondried chilli flakes
2tablespoonsred wine or balsamic vinegar
1/4teaspoonground cumin
1/4teaspoonfreshly ground back pepper
125ml (1/2 cup)extra virgin olive oilplus extra to brush
Instructions
Lay eggplant rounds on a cooling rack, sprinkle with salt and set aside 10 minutes. Quickly rinse the salt off, and pat dry with a clean tea towel.
Heat griddle pan or BBQ, brush both sides of each eggplant piece with extra olive oil and grill in batches, for 1-2 minutes each side or until charred and tender. Remove from the pan and repeat until all are cooked.
Meanwhile, combine honey/maple, garlic, chilli flakes, vinegar, cumin and black pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Drizzle in olive oil and whisk again. Transfer charred eggplant to the oil mixture and toss well to coat. Pack into a 500ml glass jar. The eggplant needs to be fully covered in olive oil, so top up with a little more if needed. Cool, then eat or store in the fridge for up to 10 days. Bring back to room temperature before eating.