SWEET AND SOUR EGGPLANT
Making the most of the last of summer's bounty is what this dish is all about. Make it ahead of time to simply reheat and serve through pasta, with crusty bread or with grilled meats or seafood.
Ingredients
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Brown Onion
2 celery stalks
12 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2-3 tbsp Capers, rinsed well
1 pottle green Sicilian olives pitted and roughly chopped
2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
2 tsp sugar
4 eggplant, cut into bite sized pieces
4 tbsp Cooking oil
To serve:
200g Over the Moon ricotta
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 bunch Italian parsley
1 sourdough baguette
Method
Preheat oven to 200C
Heat the olive oil in a deep heavy-based casserole dish and add the onion and celery. Cook for 5 mins until softened but not browned
Add the tomatoes and cook for 15 mins until pulpy. Add the capers, olives, vinegar and sugar to the sauce and cook for a further 15 mins
While the sauce is cooking, toss the eggplant cubes in olive oil and spread out in a roasting pan. Place in the preheated oven for 20-25 mins, until well browned and tender. Drain off any excess oil. Stir the eggplant into the sauce and cook for 10 mins
Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more sugar or vinegar to taste, to balance the flavours. Set aside for at least 30 mins or overnight to develop the flavours before serving
To serve, warmed or at room temperature, spoon into shallow serving bowls and top each with the fresh ricotta crumbled over the top, adding the almonds and parsley and thick slices of the crusty bread