Chargrilled balsamic eggplant

The trick with this dish is to reserve some of the marinade to mix through the eggplant once it's cooked. The cooked balsamic marinade turns into a sweet-and-sour caramel edge for the eggplant, which is balanced by the acidity of the uncooked marinade.

Chargrilled balsamic eggplant Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Ingredients

• 2 small firm eggplants
• 1 tbsp dried Greek oregano, plus extra to serve
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 125 ml (½ cup) balsamic vinegar
• 170 ml (⅔ cup) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

To serve

• 4 slices sourdough bread
• 1 bunch rocket

Standing time: 5 minutes.

Instructions

1. Heat a large chargrill pan over medium heat.
2. Cut the eggplant in half lengthways, then cut each half crossways into 2 cm–3 cm thick half-moons.
3. Place the eggplant in a large bowl, add the oregano, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and sugar. Toss well with your hands, making sure all the eggplant is coated in the marinade. Stand for 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and toss again.
4. Drain the eggplant and reserve the marinade. Cook the eggplant on the hot chargrill for 8-10 minutes, turning regularly until every side has been grilled and they are charred and almost falling apart. Transfer them back to the marinade. Gently stir through the marinade to avoid breaking up the pieces as much as possible.
5. Meanwhile, brush the sourdough with extra oil and chargrill on both sides. Serve the warm chargrilled eggplant with the grilled sourdough and rocket leaves.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Midweek Mediterranean

Watch The Full Episode Here

G

Watch The Full Episode Here

G