Eunice Power visited Today with Maura and Dáithí to share her recipe for Roasted Aubergine with Feta Cheese and Almond Stuffing with Roast Pepper and Chilli Sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 sweet red peppers
- 2 teas sweet paprika
- 1 red chilli and a pinch of chilli flakes
- 2 cloves of garlic sliced
- 200mls of olive oil
- 100mls water
- 2 large aubergines
- Olive oil
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of cumin seeds
- 30g of breadcrumbs
- 60g of flaked almonds - toasted
- 200g of feta cheese
- 1 small bunch of fresh coriander
- Toasted flaked almonds and basil leaves to decorate
Method
- Blacken the skin of the red peppers under a grill or over a hot flame, then put them into a bowel, cover with clingfilm, and when cooled, remove skin and scrape out seeds.
- Put the flesh into a pan with the paprika, chillies, garlic, olive oil and water. Simmer for two minutes, then whiz with a hand blender until the sauce is emulsified. Leave to cool.
- Slice the aubergines lengthways- each aubergine should yield four slices.
- Brush each slice on both sides with olive oil and roast them in the oven at 200C until lightly coloured.
- Finely chop the red onions and garlic, and fry them in a little olive oil with the cumin seeds until soft. Add the breadcrumbs and cook for one more minute.
- Toast the almonds briefly in the oven or on a dry pan.
- Crumble the feta cheese and chop the coriander, then gently mix these with the almonds and cooked onion.
- Divide the stuffing in 4 and pack on four slices of aubergine
- Place the remaining slices on top – almost like a sandwich.
- Place filled aubergine on baking tray lined with parchment and bake for 10-15 minutes at 170C.
- Serve one stuffed aubergine per person with some of the pepper sauce poured over the top at room temperature.
- Decorate with basil and toasted almonds.
