Serves: 6–8 as a starter or 4 as a main | Prep: 15 minutes
COOK: 1 hour 25 minutes
Prized for its dense, hearty and silky smooth texture, eggplant is incredibly versatile and is a great carrier of many different flavours.
Eggplant and tomatoes are the best of mates. Here, I’ve made the eggplant shine by transforming it into a meatless terrine and serving it with a refreshing tomato coulis.
• 3 large eggplants, cut in half lengthways
• ½ garlic bulb, cut horizontally, unpeeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 eggs
• 150 g fresh ricotta
• 2 tablespoons cream
• 4 basil leaves, torn, plus extra to serve
• cherry tomatoes, quartered, to serve
TOMATO COULIS
• 1 kg tomatoes, small cross cut at each base
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease and line a 23 cm x 13 cm x 7 cm loaf tin with baking paper.
Place the eggplant halves, cut-side up, and the garlic on a baking tray. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle over the cumin and salt. Bake in the oven for 40–45 minutes until the eggplant is cooked through and very soft. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the silky eggplant flesh with a spoon and place in the bowl of a food processor. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins into the food processor, add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Pour the eggplant mixture into the prepared tin, smooth the top and place the tin in a baking dish. Half fi ll the baking dish with water and bake in the oven for 30–40 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre of the terrine comes out clean.
To make the coulis, have a bowl of iced water on standby. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Blanch the tomatoes for 10–15 seconds, then remove and immediately plunge into the bowl of iced water. Peel the skins off and discard. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and remove the seeds. Sweat the onion in the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat for 3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the tomato and cook for 5–10 minutes. Now stir in the sugar, salt and pepper. Blend the tomato mixture until smooth and then pass through a fine sieve.
Allow the terrine to cool slightly before turning out onto a platter. Slice and serve with the tomato coulis, a scattering of basil leaves and the cherry tomatoes.