Anyway, Nigella is awesome. She's got a plummy accent, and a streak of madness.
So I got a bit inspired when I was cooking dinner yesterday and I just kind of made up this salad. It was so awesome we ate it before I could take a picture. Because eggplant is quite cheap up here, we often have it grilled with garlic and olive oil. We also just had fruit and veg co-op and so the fridge was full of really nice veggies. Here's the recipe. I guess it's vegetarian. Gosh, it's probably vegan even!
Warm Antipasto salad: (for two)
Ingredients:
1 meduim eggplant
3 roma tomatoes
handful button mushrooms (leave whole if they are say, the size of grapes. Slice in half if they're a bit bigger)
1/4 red onion, sliced length-wise
1/2 large zucchini
olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
lemon juice
red wine vinegar
sprig of mint
Slice 1 medium eggplant length-wise into 1 cm slices. Salt and leave for 1/2 hour. When salt has drawn some water out of the eggplant, rinse off salt and pat dry.
Meanwhile, crush up 1 or 2 cloves of garlic. Mix with several tablespoons of olive oil and a sprinkle of dried oregano (or you could use marjoram)
Slice 1/2 a large zucchini length-wise (a little thinner than the eggplant)
Slice up some good tomatoes (say, 3 roma tomatoes) and put in salad bowl
Get the grill on and lay the eggplant and zucchini out. Brush with the oil (on the first side try to use mostly oil, save the garlic stuff for after you turn it). Baste with oil several times. When golden turn over and repeat, except put lots of the garlic stuff on (it will go a bit crunchy)
While eggplant is cooking, in a small saucepan, put a little bit of olive oil and begin to fry some halved button mushrooms and sliced red onion, don't cook very much though. Add in a few splashes or red wine vinegar. cook with the lid on for only 1 or 2 mins. Take off heat. Stand a minute.
Chop tomatoes. When all ingredients are cooked, put into salad bowl with tomato, dress with olive oil, a couple of good squeezes of lemon juice, plenty of salt and a splash of red wine vinegar. Garnish with a a small sprig of mint, finely chopped.
When all ingredients are cooked, cut 1 inch slices across the eggplant (so the skin is not too long and stringy) put into salad bowl with tomato, mushroom etc and dress with olive oil, a couple of good squeezes of lemon juice, plenty of salt and a splash of red wine vinegar. Garnish with a a small sprig of mint, finely chopped.
