Roasted eggplant, pistachio crust, goats cheese, eggplant puree, beetroot relish, beetroot salad & Maravista Farm honey
Serves 6
Roasted Eggplant :
3 large eggplants – peeled and cut in half
1 tbls rosemary
1 tbls thyme
1 clove of garlic
150ml olive oil
Salt & pepper
Blend herbs, garlic and olive oil, add the seasoning and then toss with eggplant. Place on a tray and roast at 200c for 15 minutes, turning once whilst in oven until golden brown. Set aside to cool down.
Pistachio Crust :
3 tbls chopped rosemary
3 tbls chopped parsley
3 tbls chopped chives
2 tbls chopped eschallots
100gm ground roasted pistachios
100gm puffed farro (boil farro for 15 minutes, then place in a de-hydrator over night until dry. Then fry in vegetable oil until it floats, drain off and place on paper towel. Store in an air tight container)
100gm butter
100gm breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients, place between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll with rolling pin until about 3mm thickness. Cut pieces big enough to cover the top of your eggplant, then set aside in fridge until ready to use.
Smoked Eggplant Puree:
1 large eggplant
1 brown onion
1 clove garlic
50ml olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper
Prick eggplant and cook over open flame until skin has blistered and eggplant has become soft (approximately 8 minutes), let cool & peel skin. Keep the flesh.
Peel onion, slice finely and cook with garlic and olive oil until soft. Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth – set aside.
Eggplant Relish:
1 large eggplant, diced into 2cm cubes (skin on)
10 basil leaves
10 parsley leaves
1 red onion diced
2 tomatoes chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
Pinch saffron threads
1 tbls toasted fennel seeds
2 tbls sherry vinegar
2 tbls brown sugar
50ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fry eggplant in a deep fryer until golden brown, place on absorbent paper
Fry basil and parsley for about 10 seconds until crisp. Place on absorbent paper. Heat oil in a fry pan and add garlic, onion and sweat until soft. Add all other ingredients and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes – set aside to cool.
Beetroot Relish:
2 large beetroots (poach in water with salt, sugar, white vinegar, bay leaf and thyme until soft, approximately 1 hour) peeled and chopped
12 baby beets (cook with the large beets, just take out after about 30 mins) peel and quarter & then set aside for plating
1 tbls chopped capers
1 tbls chopped cornichons
1 tbls chopped mint
1 tbls chopped dill
1 tbls chopped eschallots
1 lebanese cucumber (peeled, de-seeded and chopped)
1 tbls Maravista Farm honey
2 tbls sherry vinegar
50ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Place all ingredients into a food processor and blend until a smooth paste, set aside in fridge.
To assemble the dish:
Take each piece of roasted eggplant and make a small hole in the top with a spoon. Place a little goats cheese and eggplant relish inside, and cover each one with a disc of pistachio crust. Finish in oven at 180c for 5 minutes until crust has softened and started to colour.
In a large bowl, smear some smoked eggplant puree across the bottom and place roasted eggplant on top. Add a quenelle of beetroot relish, 2 baby beetroots cut into quarters, some more eggplant relish around the edges and garnish with some baby salad leaves and edible flowers. Finish with a drizzle of Maravista Farm honey.