January 14 2018News, recipe of the week

Chargrilled Eggplant

Eggplant is an extremely versatile vegetable, you can stew it, bake it, grill it, chop it, slice it; layer it in a lasagna, skewer it on the barbecue, dice it, cube it, crumb it or fry it. Whatever the method you’ve got a way to cook eggplant. And, with eggplants in season there is no better time to give eggplant a go.

So to jazz up your day, try this great summer-inspired recipe. It’s fun, its flavoursome and it’s sure to add something different to your weekly menu. It’s Chargrilled Eggplant with roast beetroot, prosciutto, goats cheese and a sweet balsamic glaze. It’s a modern take on a bruschetta. But with Eggplant, and it’s delicious!

Ingredients

1 Small to medium eggplant
1 large beetroot
80g of good quality goat’s cheese (eg: Meredith Dairy Goat’s cheese)
50g of good quality prosciutto
Balsamic Glaze (store brought is fine, otherwise find the recipe below)

Firstly cut the eggplant in half, and soak both halves in a bowl warm water for about 15-20 minutes. (Soaking the eggplant will make it easier and quicker to cook, and will ensure the flesh is soft and tender. )
While the eggplant is soaking, prepare your beetroot. Wash and dry the beetroot bulb, leaving the skin on, and cut the bulb into quarters only removing the top and bottom stems. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and roast in a medium to high heat oven for approximately 15-20 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Once the eggplant has soaked thoroughly, remove from the water and pat dry with a paper towel or cloth to remove any excess water.
Next brush the eggplant with olive oil on both sides and using either a griddle pan or a barbecue on a medium heat, place the eggplant flesh down to chargrill for approximately 2-3 minutes. Depending on the thickness of your eggplant halves flip the eggplant over and grill on the other side to ensure the eggplant is cooked thoroughly. Note: For eggplant to be properly cooked the flesh should appear slightly translucent and should be soft in texture.

Finally on a plate place the eggplant, and layer with beetroot, prosciutto and crumbled goats cheese. And finish with a generous drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Balsamic glaze
(to prepare earlier)
1 Cup of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of honey.

Combine balsamic and honey together in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce temperature and allow the mixture to simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the mixture thickens.

Place the mixture into a sealable container and allow to cool with the lid off. The mixture will become thick and sticky as it cools so it is easier to transfer into a container while it is still warm. Once completely cooled then place the lid on the container.

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