GRILLED AUBERGINE & FETA

At the weekend, I was watching Simon Hopkinson‘s programme The Good Cook on BBC1. On the show he cooked a variety of amazing looking dishes including Mediterranean stuffed peppers and spicy smoked haddock pilaf and then came…grilled aubergine with feta. It looked incredible and so easy to make.  I was going to Borough Market on Saturday anyway, to buy my haggis for Burns Night, so while I was there I bought an aubergine, some garlic, feta and flat leaf parsley.

Sunday was a very cold and wet affair.  Its not nice to wake up to your windows rattling from the wind outside and getting battered by the rain. This is precisely when I crank up the heating, pull the blinds down, draw the curtains, light all my candles and switch my fairy lights on.  I do love cocooning myself in my flat when its horrible outside.  Especially if I have a fridge full of lovely food to keep me company!

I wanted something delicious to eat, something that would remind me of summer, so I decided to make Simon Hopkinson’s grilled aubergine and feta dish. I am so glad I did as it tasted fantastic and really brightened up a cold, rainy Sunday. This recipe is unbelievably easy to make so please, if you love aubergines like I do, try it out. I will definitely be making this again and again.

When I made it, I used just one aubergine as it was just for me. The recipe below is taken from the BBC Food website and is for four people. You can watch Simon making the dish here.

Ingredients
4 long, thin-skinned purple aubergines/eggplants
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a little sea salt and black pepper
150g/5oz feta cheese
lemons, for serving

Preheat the grill to high.

Run a small, sharp knife round the top of the aubergine/eggplant, 1cm/½in or so below the stalk and only just cutting through the skin; then make four evenly spaced, similarly shallow cuts, along the length of the aubergine right down to the end. Then rub a little olive oil into the skin.

Grill the aubergines for about 20 minutes, turning every 5-7 minutes or so, until evenly cooked with charred skin, and until the aubergine feels soft, but not too collapsed within.

Transfer to a large plate and allow to cool for two minutes, then peel away the aubergine skin in four long, narrow sheets using a small knife.

Without cutting right through the stalk end, cut the aubergines in half lengthways and gently prise apart until you have two horizontal halves remaining attached at the top end. Season with a little sea salt and pepper.

Then mix the garlic and parsley with the olive oil until well combined and spoon the mixture over the aubergine.  Crumble the feta cheese over the top then squeeze a little lemon juice over the top.

Serve warm, or at room temperature.