A light and delicious vegan recipe, which I like to garnish with a few drops of balsamic syrup and serve with rice. I use Antigua eggplants, which I generally prefer for roasting, and I will walk you through the process to get the most flavour and texture out of them. The thick sauce is made from fresh tomatoes and is cooked in a pan separately.
Eggplants
Cut them in half lengthwise, and score the flesh in a criss-cross diagonal pattern, 0,5 cm deep, using the tip of a sharp, pointed knife. Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. and brush the flesh side well with olive oil. This is an important step, use a bowl filled with oil and a cooking brush and be diligent. Repeat one more time. Salt them heavily and evenly. The best way to do this is by taking salt in your fingers and sprinkling form a height of about 20 cm. Place in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes. Check they are soft by piercing with the top of a knife.
In the meantime, prepare the sauce. Use the numbers as a relative volume guide and adjust to your desired quantities. In a pan, over medium to high heat, saute in olive oil:
Onion, 1/2 medium pc in small cubes, and a pinch of salt
After a few minutes add:
Garlic, 1 big clove, minced
GIve it a couple of good stirs and deglaze with:
White wine, 1 tbsp
Add:
Tomatoes, 2 medium pcs, cut in small cubes
Sugar 1/4 tsp, and a pinch of salt. Resist the urge to salt more at this stage as you will be adding salty capers and olives later.
Turn heat down and allow tomatoes to slowly cook and dry out, about 10 minutes. When the sauce is thick enough, that there is barely any liquid left, turn heat off and add:
Capers, 1/3 cup
Olive fillets, 1/3 cup
Parsley, 1/4 cup
Oregano, dried, 1 tbsp
Pine nuts, toasted, 1/3 cup
Mix well, taste and adjust salt.
Non-vegans don't miss out on some crumbled feta on top, which you can also slightly melt by placing in a hot oven for a few minutes.