Roasted Eggplants

Versions of this dish have been known to make priests faint it’s that good! A perfect roast for vegetarians for NZ Roast Day today. Or make as a side dish for a main meal. Whether you call them aubergines or eggplants, this recipe is tops!

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

4 medium sized eggplants or aubergines
1 tsp salt
½ cup olive oil
2 large onions (red or brown), peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g can chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ tsp each of salt & ground black pepper
½ tsp brown sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
½ – 1 cup water
½ cup grated parmesan

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Trim any stalks off the eggplants, then, using a small knife or potato peeler, peel off strips of the skin lengthways, leaving alternate strips of skin and exposed flesh. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
3. Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a pan and fry each of the eggplants, turning so they brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup of the olive oil in the pan, to a medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook gently for 10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, cook for a further 2 minutes, then add tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until it reduces and deepens in colour – about 10 minutes.
5. Pack the eggplants into an oven proof dish so they fit snugly. Cut a slit in each eggplant, (not all the way through though) and spoon some of the onion and tomato sauce inside each cavity. Spoon the remaining tomato mixture on top.
6. Mix the sugar, lemon juice and water and pour this around the eggplants until it almost covers them. Cover the dish with a lid or double layer of foil and bake for 45 minutes or until the eggplants are tender, even collapsing.
7. Remove the lid or foil, add grated parmesan and bake for 10-15 minutes more until the juices are reduced and syrupy and the top is golden.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature.