Aubergines to the rescue

The plan was to have marinated sardines for dinner last night. I have had a recipe torn out of a magazine in my bag for months, ‘Tomatoes with Cured Sardines and Basil Mayonnaise’

Barcelona’s markets are full of sardines so I was looking forward to trying out the recipe,.We bought some super fresh sardines plump and still stiff. I managed to fillet them which was quite a fiddly job and they ended up a little raggy but boneless all the same. I marinated them with red wine vinegar, chilli flakes, lemon zest, maldon sea salt and olive oil then put them in the fridge to cure. The recipe said a few hours or overnight. I should have taken more notice to the overnight detail as after a few hours they were still too raw to eat. Panic stations as guests were due any moment!

We already had prepared some arancini from  a little left over risotto  and they were chilling in the fridge and luckily the vegetable basket was full.

We dressed some tomatoes with garlic, basil and olive oil, cut up some fresh figs and tossed them together with chevre (creamy goats cheese), olive oil and honey and cooked up the remaining aubergines.

After a quick google search we found a recipe for aubergines with honey and tahini lemon dressing sounded good.

Here’s our take on it.

Aubergines with Honey and Tahini lemon dressing

2 aubergines

olive oil

salt

3tbs light tahini

juice of half a lemon

1 clove garlic

a handful of fresh mint

Cut the aubergines into four thick slices lengthwise then cut them into strips across.
You should end up with strips about the size of old fashioned chips.
Sprinkle over a little salt, toss well and put into a colander. Ideally for about thirty minutes but if you’re pressed for time twenty will do. Meanwhile make the dressing.

Peel and chop the garlic and put into a bowl with the tahini. Mix in the lemon juice – this makes the tahini into a very thick paste – then thin out with a little water until you have a thick pouring consistency. Add a pinch of salt and put aside.

When you are ready to cook the aubergines, take a handful and squeeze so the excess juices come out. Put the aubergine pieces onto a clean tea towel and pat dry. Heat a large pan, add a little olive oil and fry in batches until the pieces begin to go golden. Don’t overcrowd the pan. Pile the cooked aubergines onto a plate, drizzle over the tahini sauce and a little honey and serve with chopped mint on to serve

It was absolutely yummy and we’re looking forward to eating the sardines for lunch!