I love aubergines, but I'm never quite sure what to do with them - I'm not sure where I got hold of this recipe, but suffice to say I'm very glad I did. It is a bit fiddly to prepare, but there is nothing at all difficult to do - it just takes a bit of time. That said, this is really a meal that you can use to impress that special someone. The flavours work really well together, and the end result looks absolutely fantastic. If you haven't got fresh mint, use either fresh thyme or fresh basil, but please please don't ruin a delicious meal by using dried herbs, the colours and flavours just aren't the same. I like to serve this with a green salad and either fried or baked sweet potatoes. The quantities shown in this recipe serve 2 as a main course.
Ingredients
- 1 Aubergine
- Salt
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp Fresh basil, chopped
- Salt and Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tomatoes, sliced
- 100g Feta cheese, cut into 8 chunks
- 8 Sundried tomato halves
- 8 Sprigs of mint
Method
- Cut the stem off the aubergine and cut lengthways into 8 long slices.
- Thoroughly salt the aubergine slices and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, blend the oil, lemon zest, garlic, basil and salt and pepper, and leave to infuse.
- Rinse the aubergine slices, and brush with the infused oil.
- Fry the aubergine slices for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden on both sides. Remove from the pan.
- Place the sliced aubergine onto a baking tray in a single layer.
- Onto each slice of aubergine place a tomato slice, feta chunk, piece of sundried tomato and mint sprig.
- Wrap the aubergine over the top to form a parcel and secure with a cocktail stick.
- Place the aubergine into an oven at 180 degrees C for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.