Aubergines are a very common vegetable in the Mediterranean, particularly in Spain. This aubergine dish is great to serve as a tapa or a side dish, especially in spring and summer. It is the perfect make-ahead dish that you can take out a few minutes before serving. Ingredients (Serves 6-8 as an appetiser): · 2 aubergines, medium size or 1 large · 240 ml extra virgin Spanish olive oil · 3 roma tomatoes · 75 ml Spanish sherry vinegar · 2 green onions, finely chopped (optional) · 10 grams capers, minced · 3 cloves garlic, minced · 175 grams fresh basil leaves, chopped · 2 basil sprigs for garnish · 1 French-style baguette
Directions: 1. Trim off any stems or blemishes on the skin of the aubergines. Cut aubergines crosswise into slices about 1cm thick. 2. Note: Slices 6mm thick are a bit too thin. They will burn easily and fall apart after they are dressed with oil and vinegar. Slices 13mm thick take too long to cook under the grill and the skin can be hard to cut or chew. 3. Turn on broiler to heat. Place slices on a baking sheet and spray with oil, using a ‘mister’ if you have one. If not, lightly brush each slice with olive oil. Place baking sheets under broiler on second shelf from top, so that they are not too close, or they will burn. When one side is slightly browned and soft when you press lightly, turn slices over, apply olive oil and return to broiler. Depending on your broiler, the distance from the pan, it may take 20-25 minutes to cook. 4. You may find that slices that are directly under the broiler cook much faster than those at the far corners of the pan. Keep a close eye on the pans and rotate the slices on the cookie sheet. Remove slices individually as they are done cooking and place on a large platter or serving plate. Don’t be afraid to overlap slices on the serving plate. It works just fine for serving and will be more appetising. 5. While the aubergine is broiling, finely chop the tomatoes and place them into a medium size mixing bowl. Finely chop the green onions and put the garlic cloves through a press or mince them by hand and place in the bowl with tomatoes. Remove the capers from the jar with a slotted spoon, so that they drain. Chop the capers and mix into the bowl with other ingredients. Make sure that stems are removed from the basil leaves, and then chop the basil and place in bowl. 6. Pour olive oil and vinegar into the bowl and mix with the other ingredients. 7. Allow the aubergine to cool a few minutes. Then, spoon the tomato vinaigrette sauce over the eggplant. Serve immediately with sliced bread or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. If you refrigerate this dish, be sure to take it out of the fridge a few minutes before serving, so that it returns to room temperature. You will not taste the rich flavors of this dish if it is served ice cold. For more inspiration about where to eat in Spain and how to create Spanish dishes visit www.spain.info/uk