This easy roasted aubergine with harissa and creamed Feta is very hands-off and is a virtually effortless vegetarian recipe. You can serve this as a main course with a salad or as a side dish. It’s Middle Eastern-inspired.
INGREDIENTS
60ml olive oil
2 aubergines (about 500g)
flaked sea salt
30g harissa
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
130g feta
50ml whole milk
15g pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon picked dill
pitta, to serve (optional)
METHOD
Set a griddle pan on a high heat and ventilate the kitchen. Rub a tablespoon of olive oil all over the aubergines. Once the pan is very hot, lay in the aubergines and char, turning them occasionally, for about 20 minutes (if your aubergines are big, give them a little more time), until blackened all over, but not grey and ashy. Transfer to a rack set over a tray and leave to cool.
Once the aubergines are cool enough to handle, carefully peel them, discarding the burned skins but keeping the stems attached and taking care not to break up the flesh too much. Using a small knife, cut each aubergine from top to bottom, but keeping it intact at both ends and making sure not to cut all the way through. Gently open up the aubergines, then season each one with a half-teaspoon of salt. Return the prepared aubergines to the rack, so any liquid drips off.
In a medium bowl, mix the harissa with the remaining 45ml olive oil, the lemon juice and maple syrup, and set aside.
With a fork, mash the feta with the milk in a small bowl until reasonably smooth, and set aside.
To serve, spoon all the feta mixture onto a large plate with a lip and, using the back of a spoon, spread it out into a circle with a 1½cm border around the edge of the plate. Baste the aubergines in the harissa mixture, then lay them side by side on top of the feta mix. Spoon any remaining harissa mixture on top of the aubergines, letting the oil run over the feta and out towards the edges of the plate.
Original Recipe Yotam Ottolenghi
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