Aubergine Carpaccio
An attractive way to appreciate the humble aubergine.
Equipment
- Roasting Tray
- Paring Knife and Chopping Board
- Handheld Liquidiser
- Potato Masher
- Round flat plates to serve
Ingredients
- 2 Aubergines
- 2 Plum Tomatoes
- 50 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 cheeselet Semi-dried Gozo Sheep Cheese (not peppered)
- 1 tsp Pine Nuts (toasted)
- 2 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
- 2 sprigs Parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp Sumac
- Sea Salt (to season)
- Black Pepper (to season)
Instructions
Mise en place
- Wash the aubergines and pierce a few slits with a paring knife. Place in a roasting tin and roast in an oven at 220°C for one hour. No need for any oil or water. Just a simple dry tray.Do not worry if during the baking you see the skins wrinkling or the aubergine shrinking. This is what we need to ensure the flesh of the aubergine is cooked through.
- In the meantime prepare the tomato concasse and reserve for plating. Here we found a sample video to show you how to prepare.
- Liquidise the tomato seeds and membrane with the olive oil and reserve for plating.
- Cut the cheeselet in small cubes and reserve for plating.
- Remove the aubergine from the oven and leave to cool. Once cool, peel off the charred skins and transfer the pulp to a clean bowl. Roughly mash the aubergine pulp with a potato masher.
How to plate
- Divide the aubergine pulp between two plates. With a fork press down the pulp and you should be able to cover the whole plate with one consistent layer of about 1cm.
- With a spoon drizzle the tomato dressing on the surface of the aubergine.
- In the centre of each plate, spoon a tablespoon of yoghurt.
- Spread the tomato concasse, cheese and pine nuts in a circle around the plate.
- Season with sumac, salt and pepper. Finish with some chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Notes
We have a small dilemma with this dish. Should it be served hot? Or should it be served cold? Traditionally the roasted vegetables would be consumed at room temperature after collection from the bakery in the morning. But we also know that some would actually enjoy eating it cold from the fridge on a hot summer day.
We suggest that at least the aubergine pulp is warmed up. It doesn't need to be piping hot. We have received mixed feedback when the dish has been served cold.