Lunch

Roast Eggplant with Crunchy Coleslaw and Tahini Dressing

OK so this isn’t strictly a salad.  More of a substantial side dish really… but it’s one of my favourites, especially as the weather cools down – and so stupidly easy, I felt it was a nice way to conclude my Tasty Tuesday contribution this month!

I’ve been eating a lot of eggplant lately. When roasted with a generous splash of olive oil, its velvety texture just feels so decadent. There’s no other vegetable quite like it. And one of my FAVOURITE flavour combinations ever is eggplant and tahini. SO good.

However, eggplant does soak up olive oil like a sponge, making it quite a rich meal. That’s why it pairs so perfectly with this crunchy coleslaw – the tart, lemony tahini dressing cuts the grease in this dish, and balances out the richness of the eggplant.

This really is a satisfying meal in itself, but if you are keen to pair it with protein of some description, try roasting a small rack of lamb in the oven alongside the eggplant. So easy – it only takes 20 minutes.

Written
by
Lucy Feagins

Roast Eggplant with Crunchy Coleslaw and Tahini Dressing.  Recipe / food styling – Lucy Feagins, photo – Eve Wilson.

Yummmm golden roasted eggplant. Recipe / food styling – Lucy Feagins, photo – Eve Wilson.

Crunchy Coleslaw ingredients. Recipe / food styling – Lucy Feagins, photo – Eve Wilson.

Writer
Lucy Feagins
30th of April 2013

Ingredients

Salad

4 small eggplants (I prefer small eggplants or even the long Lebanese ones –  large ones can tend to be a little bitter)

¼ head of red cabbage

¼ head of green cabbage

Handful of flat leaf parsley

Salt flakes

Dressing

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon tahini

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch of finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped (optional)

Method (SERVES FOUR AS SIDE SALAD)

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

Slice your eggplants in half lengthways, and score the flesh deeply in a cris-cross pattern. Place on a roasting tray, and splash generously with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt flakes. Pop in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

For the dressing, add the lemon to the olive oil, then add your tahini. Mix in the parsley and garlic, if using.

Slice your red and green cabbage very finely. Chop your parsley finely too. Throw all this into a mixing bowl. Add half the dressing, and mix well, seasoning with salt if necessary.

Plate up your coleslaw. Take your eggplant out of the oven, and serve hot or warm alongside the coleslaw. Drizzle remaining tahini dressing over the eggplant – make sure you leave enough dressing for the eggplant because this is seriously the BEST FLAVOUR COMBO EVER.

 

 

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