Octopus Aubergine
Song suggestions:
Green Green Grass (Acoustic) - George Ezra
Letter To Ur Ex - Mahalia
Ingredients:
1 aubergine
Generous supply of salt
125g tofu (experiment with flavours if you like, smoked tofu works well here!), and olive oil to fry
Rice/pearl barley (and 1 tsp ground cardamom, optional)
Salt and pepper
4 sundried tomatoes
1 tbsp tahini
1/2 lemon
Basil
Recipe:
Turn the oven on to 180°C. Slice the aubergine, keeping the calyx (green stem bit at the top) intact. Slice it by slicing the aubergine halfway down the middle, rotating it a quarter and slicing in half down the middle again, then slicing either side of this middle cut to make the rest of the octopus ‘tentacles’.
Generously salt the aubergine flesh and set aside for 30 minutes.
Take a break for these 30 minutes (there is nothing to do) - put a wash on, call your Dad, do that 10 minute task you’ve been putting off for ages.
Once back from your break, thoroughly wash the salt off the aubergine. Pat dry, brush with olive oil and put into the oven.
As the aubergine roasts, prepare the remaining ingredients: your tofu, the grains and your sun-dried tomatoes.
Cube the tofu and set in a pan on a low heat and begin to fry. Increase the heat after 10 minutes to medium to get a nice golden coating on the outside. Leave to fry as you set your grains to boil. Remove from the heat once a deep golden brown colour is reached.
Cook your grains e.g. brown rice, pearl barley, according to packet instructions. Season the water with salt and once cooked, stir in 1 tsp of ground cardamom (optional).
Slice the sun-dried tomatoes into little pieces.
Assemble your dish: grains on the bottom, octopus aubergine on top, scatter the tofu, sun-dried tomato pieces and ripped basil. Drizzle with tahini, a generous squeeze of the lemon juice and a crack of pepper.
Top tip: if you prefer, dissolve the tahini in 1 tbsp natural yoghurt, mix in the lemon juice and a little bit of garlic powder or one small, minced garlic clove.
Why you should salt your aubergines
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.
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.
