A Slice of Science: Salting Aubergines

1. Aubergines are packed with chemicals called anthocyanins. These lil buggers are what make aubergines taste bitter. If you salt your aubergines before cooking them, the salt draws out a great percentage of these anthocyanins, enriching the flavour.

2. Aubergines are quite spongey to the touch - salting shrinks all the air pockets inside the flesh and means that when you go to grill or roast, it’ll absorb a lot less oil. The less oil absorbed, the less greasy the slice. You’ll get silky smooth slices every time.

Now, neither of these things are major. You’ve definitely eaten aubergine before without having salted it and maybe thought it was nice - but to get the most out of this veg, salting is the way to go.

Song Suggestions:

• The Finer Things - Steve Winwood

• Shower the People - James Taylor

Another aubergine recipe to try:

• Cinnamon and Ground Fennel Aubergine stars

How to salt:

- Lay aubergine slices on a baking tray, generously salt on both sides and let sit for at least 20 minutes (or more).

- When you’re ready to cook, just rinse off all the salt under the tap, squeeze as much moisture and liquid out as you can (without tearing the slices) and pat the dry before cooking.

Roasted Red Pepper and Aubergine Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 1 large aubergine

• 2 red peppers

• 3 slices of bread

• Enough hummus for 3 slices of bread

• Salad leaves

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Juice of 1/2 small lemon

• 1 tsp ground fennel

Recipe:

1. Salt your aubergines (details above).

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice and ground fennel.

4. Slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Lay face down on a baking tray and lightly brush with a little olive oil mix.

5. Rinse, squeeze and pat the aubergine slices dry; lay them on a baking tray. Lightly brush on some olive oil mix onto each slice and on each side.

6. Roast for 40 minutes.

7. When assembling the sandwich:

   1. Toast 2 out of the 3 slices.

   2. Grab a slice, add salad leaves, 2 roasted pepper slices and half the aubergine slices.

   3. Spread hummus on both sides of the un-toasted slice of bread. Add it to the sandwich.

   4. Repeat! More salad leaves, red pepper slices, aubergine slices and seal the sandwich with a toasted slice of bread with hummus on the inside.

   5. Best served warm.

---

A Bite Out of Life

This week, I entered the Fortnum & Mason’s Platinum Pudding competition, to share a recipe fit for the Queen. I’ve shared my Chamomile and Orange cake recipe, one that was inspired from my time caring for my grandma in Portugal during the pandemic (she’s Portuguese but afternoon tea was her favourite time of day and oranges and chamomile tea were never far from the table, so I decided to combine the two into a cake in her honour). Being a vegan baker, I know it’s likely to not make it very far (although I think it tastes marvellous) but the experience of putting everything together has been invaluable in and of itself. Baking is something that requires so much specificity and a real attention to detail - my flatmates in the last few weeks have eaten a grand total of 5 of these cakes and whilst I’m yet to hear any complaints about it, I’m sure they’re sick to death of it by now bless them!