Slow Roasted Baby Aubergines with Tomatoes and Peppers

Slow Roasted Baby Aubergines with Tomatoes and Peppers

Dietary: Vegan, Gluten Free

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized aubergines or 12 small slim aubergines
• 100ml olive oil
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 green or red pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• handful of chopped parsley
• 100ml boiling water

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
2. Heat 1/2 of the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion and green pepper and fry gently for 10minutes. Then add the garlic and stir fry for a minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, paprika, allspice and sugar, stir well and cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Add half the parsley and set aside.
5. Wash and dry the aubergines, leaving on the stalks.
6. Make a 5 cm slit down the length of each aubergine.
7. Heat the rest of the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the aubergines, turning frequently until they soften. Be careful, as the hot oil will spit at you.
8. Remove from the heat and place the aubergines in an ovenproof dish with the slits uppermost.
9. Carefully prise open the slits and fill with the onion mixture.
10. Spoon any left over onion mixture around the aubergines.
11. Pour over the boiling water, cover and place in the centre of the pre-heated oven for 1 hour.
12. Serve garnished with parsley.

Tips:

• This dish is traditionally served cold, but in our climate, best served warm or hot.
• Ideally make the day before, to let the aubergine absorb the flavours.
• If you can find the baby long aubergines, from Greek or Turkish shops are delicious and have the advantage of taking less time to cook.