This roasted aubergine (eggplant) w/ harissa butter is an EPIC side dish for the table or a lighter easy midweek dinner. The addition of a creamy garlicky yoghurt and some crusty bread to mop it all up is a serious gamechanger!
sponsored by Mont Wines, Victoria
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- vegetarian friendly
- great as a light dinner
- perfect side dish or any protein
- serious "eat with your eyes" appeal
We all eat with our eyes, we know we shouldn't but window shopping is an essential tool in every step of life! That's why on looks alone my roasted aubergine (eggplant) & harissa butter dish will have you and your guests drooling instantly. If it's a midweek light and healthy(ish) meal you are looking for or maybe a side dish for your protein you won't go wrong with this roasted eggplant dish.
Bonus points - most of it can be prepared in advance is serving for a dinner party!
Preparing Aubergine
Aubergine (eggplant) retains a lot of water and can often be overlooked as people just think of a mushy piece of cardboard. Well, I can tell you I have been served my fair share of eggplant this way! For me, I only ever ate it as a baba ghanoush (delicious smokey dip) or cubed and cooked to the point of caramelisation like in this recipe. But, I'm now 100% converted and you shall be too!
Follow these simple steps to help release moisture from your roasted aubergine and to maximise flavour and you are on your way to converting even the biggest anti-auberginer there is 😉
- Start by cutting the aubergine in half lengthways
- Using a sharp knife cut a criss-cross pattern in the aubergine, being careful not to cut through to the skin
- Place the aubergine on a plate or tray (flesh side up) and drizzle with salt. Leave for 30 minutes
- After 30 minutes turnt the aubergine flesh side down and gently squeeze over the sink - this will release a lot of the excess moisture. Pat dry and repeat with other pieces
This will help you on getting a nice caramelisation on your roasted aubergine rather than a mushy brown looking one!
Aubergine or Eggplant?
Is it roasted aubergine or roasted eggplant? It's both! The word aubergine derives from France and most Europeans call them aubergine but in America where words are often different they call an aubergine "eggplant".
Aubergine aka Eggplant is from the nightshade family (sounds cool), this includes potatoes, tomatoes, peppers (or capsicums) and tobacco.
Typically we eat aubergine (eggplant) crumbed, roasted, pureed for a dip or even stewed. It's kinda a love/hate relationship but my belief is once you whip up this roasted aubergine and harissa butter dish you will be more on the love than hate side!
Harissa Butter
Sounds epic - and well, it is! For my version I made my own harissa - check out the recipe HERE but you can use shop-bought harissa too. These days there are so many cool artisanal products out there that you can get some epic shop-bought versions.
Once you have whipped up the harissa all you need to do is simply warm up some butter and stir the harissa through - it's that simple and trust me, it's that good too! Once you drizzle some garlicky yoghurt and this over your roasted aubergine your opinion on aubergine will change completely.
The harissa butter needs to be made to order so it's a last-minute job - only takes a couple minutes though 😉
Wine Pairing
What's dinner in AnotherFoodBlogger's home without wine? Yep, you guessed it, it's actually called breakfast 😉
I have created a few recipes to pair with Marty of Mont Wines. Marty aka Monty makes small-batch wines from around the Mornington and Pyrenees regions of Victoria. Aside from being a top bloke who just got married - CONGRATS!!!, he makes some delicious easy drinking numbers that are all very affordable. For me, the best descriptor would be "value for money".
This week, we are showcasing his Pyrenees Rose - a shiraz made a rose of which only 92 cases were made. It has beautiful red berry flavours, subtle spice notes, dry but balanced acidity. There is a slight sweetness to it but this comes in the form of fruit sweetness vs sugar sweetness. All in all, it's a bottle that won't last long alongside my roasted aubergine and harissa butter dish!
Alternative Aubergine Recipes
Inspired by my roasted aubergine dish and feel like you should give aubergine (eggplant) a second or third chance? Check out these recipes below for inspiration!!
Smokey Eggplant Baba Ghanoush by Etienne Karner of 'Between 2 Kitchens'
Pork Tenderloin w/ Spiced Eggplant by Yours Truly
Spicy Eggplant Stirfry by Amanda Logan of 'My Goodness Kitchen'
Eggplant Involtini by Alexandra Cook of 'It's Not Complicated Recipes'
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
- 4 aubergines
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt
Harissa (or use shopbought)
- 1 red capsicum
- 5 red chilis 125g
- 1 shallots – sliced finely
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic – crushed
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
Other
- 400 g Greek yoghurt
- 2 cloves garlic – crushed
- 100 g butter
- 1 tbsp harissa shop bought or recipe below
- 1 spring onion
- parsley
- sesame seeds
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- measuring/weighing utensils
- tongs
- Baking paper
- baking tray
- BBQ (if making harissa)
- blender (if making harissa)
- mixing bowl
Instructions
Harissa (if making)
- Char the chilis & red capsicum in the BBQ or over a gas flame
- Place them in a bowl and cover with clingfilm to sweat – this makes them easier to peel
- Sweat the garlic & shallot on medium heat with the oil – approx. 4 minutes
- Add spices, sugar & tomato paste and cook for a further 2-3 minutes
- Remove from the heat, peel the chili/capsicum & cut the green tops off them
- Place chili, capsicum, shallot mix and remaining ingredients into a blender and blend to a paste
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 months
Aubergine
- Cut aubergine in half lengthways and cut a criss cross pattern through the flesh – bring careful not to cut all the way through
- Sprinkle generously with salt and leave flesh side up for 30 minutes
- Turn the auberginet over and gently squeeze over the sink – this will remove a lot of the excess moisture in the eggplant. Pat dry with a paper towel
- Brush olive oil over the flesh of the aubergine and place flesh side down on baking paper on a tray
- Roast @ 200c for 45-60 mins until soft and the flesh has browned nicely
Other
- Mix yoghurt & crushed garlic together
- Heat butter in a saucepan on low heat and stir in the harissa paste
- Serve by drizzling yoghurt over aubergine and drizzle the harissa butter over the top. Finish with sliced spring onions, chopped parsley & sesame seeds
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- salting the aubergine first helps to draw out the moisture from the flesh
- if your aubergine has browned enough for your liking you can finish under the grill for a couple minutes to caramelise the top
- aubergine can be cooked in advance and reheated to order in the oven/under the grill for a few minutes
- harissa will keep for up to 3 months in the fridge
Leave a Reply