Charred Aubergine Pepper Bulgur Salad Food

SMOKY AUBERGINE & RED PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the walnuts in a roasting tin and the pitta strips in another. Drizzle a little oil over the pitta strips and season with the za'atar and some salt and pepper. Place both trays in the oven and roast for 10 mins, then remove the walnuts. Roast the pitta strips for a further 3-5 mins until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven.
• Meanwhile, prick the aubergines and peppers all over with a fork. If you have a gas hob, turn on the rings to medium high (or better still, light the barbecue and move the coals to one side). Place the aubergines over the heat until they start to collapse, then turn them using tongs and cook the other side. Continue rotating until charred all over and soft all the way through. Repeat with the red peppers until charred and softened. If you don't have a gas cooker or a barbecue, heat your grill to high (about 275C) and spread the pricked aubergines and peppers on a foil-lined baking tray, coating with a little oil. Grill for 10-15 mins on each side until charred and softened. Set aside.
• Remove the aubergines and peppers from the heat and allow to cool, then transfer to a chopping board. Carefully peel the skin from the peppers, halve and scoop out the seeds. Halve the aubergines and scrape the tender flesh into a bowl. Don't worry if a little of the charred skin escapes into the bowl, it will add more flavour - but try to make sure there aren't big shards of it in there.
• Tear the pepper into strips and put it in the bowl with the aubergine. Add almost all the chopped parsley, season, and stir in the olive oil and the vinegar. Arrange on a platter and crumble the walnuts and feta over the top. Garnish with some extra parsley and mint leaves.

AUBERGINE & PEPPER SALAD

Steps:

• Drain the jar of ready-roasted peppers. Heat a griddle pan or grill to high. Thickly slice the aubergines lengthways, brush with a little oil, then griddle until golden and crisp on both sides.
• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. On a large, lipped baking tray, layer up rows of peppers and aubergines. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the sliced garlic cloves, some thyme leaves and seasoning, then bake for 30 mins. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

VEGETABLE BULGUR SALAD

Steps:

• Combine bulgur and boiling-hot water in a bowl and let stand, covered, 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Cool slightly.
• While bulgur stands, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté squash and onion with salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer cooked vegetables with a slotted spoon to a large plate to cool.
• Add remaining 3 tablespoons oil to skillet and heat over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté eggplant with salt and pepper to taste (add more oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary), stirring, until golden brown and tender, about 6 minutes. Transfer eggplant with slotted spoon to plate to cool.
• Gently toss cooked vegetables with bulgur, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, basil, vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste.

CHARRED AUBERGINE SALAD WITH SUGAR-SPICE ONIONS

Steps:

• Start with the sugar-spice onions. Put the onions, oil, 1/2 tsp salt and the spices in a frying pan and cook gently for 15 mins until really soft. Stir in the sugar and cook for a futher 2-3 mins until the onions are sticky and dark golden.
• Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan over a medium heat and brush the aubergine slices on both sides with the oil. Griddle in batches, turning, until charred and soft.
• Once the onions are cooked, tip them onto a plate and leave to cool. Clean the pan, tip in the coconut and turmeric, and toast gently until golden and just browning at the edges. Tip onto a plate and leave to cool. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients with some seasoning.
• To serve, tip the lentils, spring onions, coriander, pomegranate seeds and cashew nuts onto a big serving platter or bowl. Add most of the coconut, plus the aubergine slices and sugar-spice onions. Drizzle over most of the dressing and use your hands to toss everything together well. Scatter the remaining coconut over to serve, with the extra dressing on the side for drizzling over.