October 14th
2009
The “last summer’s” in above headline is a reminder for myself, that summer is not that far behind us – quite hard to imagine considering the first snowflakes that have been falling today. But despite their seasonal context, I wouldn’t hesitate to serve these spicy bites year-round, certainly throughout fall and the upcoming winter, they’re just too good to miss out on.
Besides its super simple and quick preparation this recipe is an absolute crowd pleaser, whenever I brought it to a bbq or similar event, even eggplant critics were convinced. Not wanting to arrive empty handed at Oliver’s parents house, our last weekend’s getaway, of course I packed the half-emptied bowl of eggplant delight. They were supposed to fill in as an appetizer for the planned, homecooked dinner the same evening, but secretly vanished without a trace. Rumor has it, Oliver’s mum’s to blame… but we have no proof.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (~390° Fahrenheit) and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Trim both ends of the eggplants, then cut each in two equal sized halves width-ways. Now cut each piece into six to eight wedges, depending on the eggplants’ initial size. Key is to obtain (almost) equally sized wedges.
Generously brush the wedges with olive oil, place on the tray (skin side down) and season with sea salt and black pepper. Bake in the oven (middle level) for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tips have turned brown and the wedges feel soft to the touch.
Meanwhile prepare the marinade: In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, chopped red chili (dicard seeds, if you like it less spicy), chopped herbs, chopped garlic, sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.
The Ottolenghi cookbook recommends serving the eggplants with the green tahini sauce from page 272 – just without the parsley. I find these wedges equally delicious without anything extra, but if preparing the sauce, I’d highly recommend making it WITH parsley or cilantro (or even basil): Mix together tahini paste, lemon juice, water and salt in a food processor – I omit the recipe’s addition of garlic – then add the finely chopped parsley and season to taste.
As soon as the eggplants are done, dump them into the bowl of marinade while still hot and carefully stir (the wedges should not be mashed!) until everything is well covered. Serve after an hour at room temperature, or keep in the fridge (in a container) for some days. Enjoy with bread and/or the green tahini sauce.
Marinated eggplants à la Ottolenghi
Recipe source: adapted from Ottolenghi - The Cookbook, p. 26
Required time: ~ 40 min, plus at least 1 hour marinating
.
Ingredients:
3 medium sized eggplants
olive oil for brushing
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
.
Marinade:
5 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp lemon juice
1 small red chili
3-4 tbsp finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro or basil)
1-2 garlic cloves
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
.
Green tahini sauce:
75 g tahini paste
75 g lemon juice
50 ml/g water
fine sea salt
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley (or cilantro, basil)
Yum! I love eggplant, although it has to be prepared just right. This does feel like a summer recipe so I'll hold onto this one. Fall flavors are out right now and I want to take advantage of them while they're fresh...but thanks for this recipe!
This looks great cant wait to try it
Das hört sich sensationell an! Das Ottolenghi-Kochbuch liegt hier auch seit Kurzem, leider hatte ich noch keine Zeit, es mir genauer anzusehen. Das muss sich ändern!
Nicky, stop beeing so inspiring! I swear I'll have my BBQ with these wedges in 2009 –even if I have to build an igloo in my backyard to protect me from frostbite ;)
This is an excellent way to cook eggplants! I like that baked it before drizzling the marinade. It's impressively healthy and tasty recipe.
I like the unique cut on the eggplants...gives them a whole new personality.
The Ottolenghi cookbook is still on my wishlist. Love the way you cut the eggplants, I will definitely have to try this one.
Looks delicious, always looking for ways to prepare eggplant, this one I will definitely try out soon. Thanks!
Meine letzten Melanzane hängen noch an den Stauden. Sind aber fix für dieses Rezept reserviert. Sie schmecken sicher auch ohne Tahini-Sauce, zum Beispiel zu Fleisch wunderbar.
Seit dem 5.Juni essen wir Auberginen aus dem eigenen Garten in Kampanien und jetzt dieses wundervolle Rezept.
Sofort habe ich die Ernte des heutigen Tages
verarbeitet.
Mille Grazie aus dem sonnigen Süden.
Hehe, I just made it myself. Awesome!
Your photos are SO pretty :) I've been obsessed with cooking with eggplant lately, and now I have another recipe to add to the list!
Lovely! What a nice recipe and beautiful photos. I am an eggplant addict, and there are so many beautiful eggplants in the market in NY right now...I'm bookmarking this right away!
WOW Nicole, this looks lovely. I'm just about to get the Ottolenghi book and this looks like a must try!
Looks good, will try to make it soon.
Those look wonderful. But I think I would gobble them all down before I got around to making the marinade!
Thanks a lot - I made this today and it turned out great!
I have heard so many great things about this cookbook and this recipe is yet another intriguing peek into what's inside. I should really order it right now :)
This looks AMAZING! I can't wait to give it a go now that eggplants aren't so expensive here in New Zealand.
Thank you!
What a lovely & fresh way to serve eggplant!
das war oberlecker! hatte noch eine zucchini übrig, die ich kurzerhand mit in ofen und marinade geworfen habe. vielen dank für dieses tolle rezept!
Thanks a lot for sharing! Perfect! Looks delicious! Eggplants in my backyard are ready for picking! I can't wait to try this!
I can already smell it from here. I love your step-by-step tutorials, I think they are wonderful. I think I'm going to try this recipe. It looks tasty. :)
This looks and sounds divine! I like eggplant and have a new love for tahini lately, so I'm gonna try this really soon!
Oh, I adore eggplant! I've got to make this... it looks like just the kind of thing I could make while doing homework in the kitchen.
This was soooo good. I love this website and aspire to be as professional, creative, and passionate as this site clearly shows itself to be!
Thanks BJ
This sounds devine!!
This looks absolutely yummy! Another pending recipe to the folder!
i love love loooove aubergines, this recipe is a must! it really looks so delicious and healthy, i cant wait to try it, cheers from london
I did it, but instead of eggplant (it just disappeared from the fridge), I used a zucchini, it's been excellent!!!
I love Ottolenghi in Notting Hill! This recipe looks perfect!! I'll try it soon
I've been trying to get the cookbook but it is too often sold out at Amazon... Will have to visit in person next time when traveling to London.
Also, it is so tempting to just roast a bunch of vegetables like that but please abstain from that as flavors will mix and dilute individual profile of each vegetable. Roast individually but you can combine later...
The Ottonlenghi cookbook is one of my favorites. I cannot believe how rapidly it became a necessity and an inspiration in my kitchen. This recipe looks fabulous. I must go try it right away.
I love eggplants! I think it's not used enough :)
Love Ottolenghi recipes too
As a real eggplant lover this is an excellent recipe. I prepared it last weekend and stored the leftovers in the fridge. It became better from day to day...
Gah! How did I miss these in my own Ottolenghi drooling sessions? Already passionate over roasted eggplant, but the wee wedges are especially fine. Thx for the reminder.
That food looks delicious and your instructions are easy to follow and very clear. Many thanks.
Wow this looks delicious, I'll be definately giving these a try, imagine they are great as pre dinner nibbles, yum!
[...] eggplant that is easy on the oil and still tastes great. Yotam Ottolenghi came up with the idea, simple really, of lightly coating sliced eggplant in oil and roasting. Though this method [...]
I cooked this today for some friends to go with a Sunday lunch. Everyone loved it - delicious. I added extra eggplant and somehow we ended up with leftovers to enjoy later...
I tried them and found them absolutly delicious without anthing, just fleur de sel and pepper.
Great cookbook of Ottolenghi. I just ordered it myself. I love these fairly simple but tasty recipes!