Savoury Aubergine Eggplant With Cannellini Beans Food

BAKED AUBERGINES WITH CANNELLINI BEANS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Using the tip of a knife, score the cut side of the aubergines with a criss-cross pattern. Place in a snug roasting dish or tin. Rub with half the oil, season and bake for 30 mins or until tender.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for about 8 mins until soft. Add the thyme leaves, tomatoes, beans and half a can of water. Simmer down for about 8 mins until thick, then season.
• Spoon the beans under and around the aubergine halves. Scatter with Parmesan and bake for 10 mins more until golden.

SAVOURY AUBERGINE (EGGPLANT) WITH CANNELLINI BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200 C or 400 degrees F.
• First place the potatoes in a roasting pan with two tablespoons olive oil, lemon zest and rosemary.
• Season, toss well and roast for 30 minutes or until cooked and golden.
• Next, brush the aubergine with some of the olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and place on a baking tray.
• Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden.
• Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes in about one tablespoon of the olive oil, season and set aside.
• Heat the cannellini beans, in a small pan with three tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon juice and garlic.
• Season, then mash or purée in a food processor.
• Stir in the parsley.
• Serve the aubergine on a bed of the bean purée with the green beans and potatoes, topped with the tomatoes.

GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH CANNELLINI BEANS & VEGAN PESTO

Steps:

• Light the barbecue. For the pesto, blitz the basil, parsley, garlic, lemon zest and juice, 30g pine nuts and nutritional yeast together in a food processor. Mix in the olive oil to loosen and season to taste.
• When the coals are ashen, place the aubergine and courgette slices on the grill. Cook for 2-3 mins, then turn and cook for 2-3 mins more until the veg is softened and slightly shrunken. Add the tomatoes to the grill and cook, turning often until the skins have split and the tomatoes soften. Immediately remove from the grill along with the other veg.
• Drain the cannellini beans, reserving the liquid from the can, and tip the beans onto a serving platter. Add 2 tbsp of pesto and mix, loosening the bean mixture with some of their reserved liquid.
• Add the aubergine and courgette slices to the platter and mix gently until lightly coated in the pesto. Scatter the tomatoes on top, then drizzle with more pesto (you can loosen this with more of the reserved bean liquid, if needed). Sprinkle with the extra 1 tbsp pine nuts and serve with crusty bread.

CHINESE EGGPLANTS (AUBERGINE) WITH BLACK BEAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat saucepan on medium high. Add oil, hot but not smoky.
• Add minced ginger root, garlic, white part of green onion and salt and pepper. Cook to soften.
• Add fermented black beans, smash with spoon and mix into ginger, garlic, onion mixture.
• Add chopped onion, cook to soften 2 minutes.
• Add oyster sauce and rice vinegar, mix well.
• Add eggplants and mix well.
• Add red pepper flakes, if using.
• Cook until eggplants and onion are well done.
• Taste and add soy sauce, if needed.
• Garnish with green part of onions.
• Serve with sauce over white rice.