EGGPLANT & WALNUT SAUCE
(seen on page 144) When they’re in peak season from midsummer to autumn, eggplants have a irm, glossy skin and creamy lesh. They’re like sponges, which is fantastic for absorbing lavour, but less so for absorbing oil, so I like to salt them irst before cooking.
This rich, versatile relish-cum-sauce-cum-stu ing-cum-condiment or dip can be served at breakfast, lunch or dinner – and is great to have hanging around your fridge when you need something to complement a summer meal or a snack solution to take down to the beach. It can also be used as a vegan bolognese or thick stu ing for cannelloni or capsicums. Alternatively, serve with a fried egg on toast or alongside your favourite pan-fried protein for dinner.
Cooking in clay or terracotta is quite traditional in Catalunya and this is the perfect dish to use this method, as all the cooking is done over an even medium heat.
MAKES ABOUT 550g
400g tomatoes 2 large eggplants, sliced into 1cm-thick rounds 2 tbsp sea salt 125ml olive oil 1 medium onion, inely grated 2 garlic cloves, inely grated 35g walnuts 250ml vegetable stock Salt lakes and freshly cracked black pepper 1½ tbsp chopped parsley
1. Score a small cross in the base of each tomato. Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil, lower in the tomatoes and boil for 3 4 minutes, until the skins start to peel away. Drain and plunge the tomatoes into iced water to stop the cooking process. Once cool, peel away the skins and discard. Roughly chop the tomatoes and set aside in a bowl. 2. Place the eggplant in a colander with a bowl underneath and toss with the sea salt. Stand for 10 minutes, then rinse under cold water and pat dry with paper towel. 3. Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the eggplant for 4 minutes on each side, or until golden. Remove from the heat and set aside. Heat the remaining oil in an earthenware pot or frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, along with a pinch of salt and fry for 15 minutes, or until the onion is soft and caramelised. Add the tomato and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the liquid has slightly reduced, then add the eggplant. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 30 minutes, until the eggplant slices start to fall apart in the sauce. 4. Coarsely blitz the walnuts in the small bowl of a food processor, then add to the pot along with the vegetable stock. Season to taste, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the sauce is reduced and thick. Stir through the parsley. 5. Serve the sauce in its earthenware pot or transfer to a serving bowl. The sauce will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.