Pesto gratinated aubergine with caponata
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Ingredients
Tomato sauce
- 70ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 onions , diced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 400g of tinned chopped tomatoes
- salt
Vegan pesto
- 50g of basil , leaves picked
- 15g of pine nuts , toasted
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice , fresh
- 1/4 tsp flaky sea salt
- 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast, or grated vegan cheese
- 150g of Panko breadcrumbs
Caponata
- 5 aubergines
- 70ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 75g of red onion, diced
- 2 celery sticks , peeled and cut into 1-2cm cubes
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
- 75ml of red wine vinegar
- 35g of capers
- 75g of Kalamata olives
- 2 tbsp of golden raisins , soaked in hot water for 15 minutes
- 25g of sugar
- 1 lemon , zested and juiced
- 25g of pine nuts
- 2 tbsp of chopped parsley
- 1/2 bunch of oregano, picked leaves only
- salt
Method
2
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes. Add the tin of tomatoes and leave to simmer for 25 minutes on a low heat or until the oil rises to the top
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 400g of tinned chopped tomatoes
3
Meanwhile, make the pesto. Add all the ingredients apart from the breadcrumbs to a blender and blitz to a rough paste
- 50g of basil , leaves picked
- 15g of pine nuts , toasted
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp of lemon juice , (fresh)
- 1/4 tsp flaky sea salt
- 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast, parmesan replacement if not nutritional yeast then a substitute vegan cheese would be fine
4
Slice the aubergines head to toe about 2cm thick. Take 6 of the largest sliced centre-cut pieces and set aside. Dice the remaining aubergine slices into 2cm cubes
5
To make the caponata, heat some of the olive oil and begin by frying off the reserved aubergine slices until golden on both sides. Remove from the heat and allow to cool on kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil
- 70ml of extra virgin olive oil
6
Add a little more oil to the same pan and fry the diced aubergine until well caramelised. Remove and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. Work in batches to avoid overloading the pan
7
Once the aubergine cubes have all been browned off, add a little more oil to the same pan and sweat off the onion and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook until translucent, then add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a further 2 minutes
- 75g of red onion, diced
- 2 celery sticks , – peeled and diced into 1-2cm square
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
8
Add the red wine vinegar and leave to reduce by two-thirds. Add the aubergine back into the pan along with the tomato sauce, capers, olives, soaked raisins and sugar. Leave to simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until all warmed through
- 75ml of red wine vinegar
- 35g of capers
- 75g of Kalamata olives
- 2 tbsp of golden raisins , soaked in hot water for 15 minutes before being added
- 25g of sugar
9
Remove from the heat and taste. Season with salt, lemon zest and juice then fold through the herbs and pine nuts (reserving some oregano leaves to garnish). It should have a sweet and sour flavour. If you have time, the caponata tastes even better when made up to 2 hours in advance to allow the favours to develop. It could also be made the day before and be served up at room temperature
- 1 lemon , zest and juice
- 25g of pine nuts
- 2 tbsp of chopped parsley
- 1/2 bunch of oregano, picked leaves only
- salt
10
Preheat an oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Weigh out the pesto and add an equal amount of Panko breadcrumbs (you may not need all 150g). Stir to combine, then spread this mixture over the top of each slice of aubergine. Place in the oven for around 8 minutes or until you have a nice golden crumb
- 150g of Panko breadcrumbs
11
Serve up the slices with a generous helping of the caponata. Drizzle with a little extra oil and garnish the caponata with the reserved oregano leaves
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Pesto gratinated aubergine with caponata
