a quick eggplant supper

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a quick eggplant supper
serves 2

Along with mushrooms, eggplant (aubergine) are up there as the more ‘meaty’ textured vegetables. I love halving an eggplant and roasting until tender but sometimes that just takes too long. Here’s where this dish comes in handy. By dicing the eggplant and sauteing it in a hot pan, it cooks much quicker.

Just make sure you cook it until it is squishy and tender, there are few things worse than hard old eggplant.

2 medium eggplant
large handful pinenuts
small bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves picked
4 tablespoons pesto

1. Heat a large frying pan on a high heat.

2. Cut eggplant into cubes no more than 2cm (in) in size but preferably lesss. Add a very generous glug of olive oil to the pan and add eggplant.

3. Cook, stirring every few minutes for about 15 minutes or until eggplant is very soft. If it starts to burn, reduce the heat to medium or even lower.

4. Season generously, toss in the pinenuts and parsley.

5. Serve with pesto on top.

prepare ahead?

Absolutely, although I’d wait until you’re serving before adding the pinenuts, parsley and pesto.

leftover potential

Absolutely, Will keep in the fridge for a week or more.

variations for fun

vegan – make sure you use a dairy free pesto, like my Sicilan Nut Pesto.

higher protein – beef it up by tossing in a drained can of white beans to warm through at the end.

tomato – toss in a handful of halved cherry tomatoes at the end for some colour and freshness.

tapenade – replace the pesto with a good quality olive tapenade.

carnivore – chop a generous handful of hot salami and add at the end instead of the pine nuts.

problem solving guide

icky eggplant – if the eggplant tastes yucky or feel hard in the mouth, it means it wasn’t cooked long enough. If you can, return to the pan and keep cooking. The secret with eggplant is to cook it until you think it’s done and then give it another few minutes.

burning or sticking to the pan – back off the heat and add a little more oil.

too oily – eggplant does love to soak up the oil, which is part of the secret to getting that wonderful silky texture. Serve with a few handfuls of paper towel for blotting. And next time be a little more restrained with the olio.

serving suggestions

Great on it’s own. You could serve as part of an antipasto platter.

It also makes a great sauce to serve with short pasta or butter beans.

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