Roasted aubergines with romesco and pesto
If you’ve never made romesco at home, now is your time. I think romesco might be my favourite sauce ever, and paired with pesto here was a very good choice indeed.
Recipe, serves 1-2 as a side;
1 aubergine, cut into 4 quarters lengthways, then into 1cm slices
3 tbsp oil
Salt
Pepper
THE PESTO
35g basil
1 big clove garlic
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
8-10 tbsp olive oil
1 chunk Parmesan (about 1.5cm cubed)
Squeeze lemon juice
2 tbsp pine nuts
Salt and pepper
THE ROMESCO
4 tbsp cooked red peppers in brine
3 roasted garlic cloves or 1 raw garlic clove
1 cascabel chilli, top and seeds removed, then rehydrated
2 tbsp chilli flakes
2 spring onions
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
8 tbsp olive oil/ any neutral oil
3 tbsp roasted almonds
Salt
Pepper
TO TOP
3 tbsp Romesco (you can look up a recipe for this online, or mine is coming soon)
Roasted pine nuts
Crumbled feta
Fresh basil
Balsamic and olive oil
Method
Cut your aubergine into quarters length ways, then into slices about 1cm thick
Preheat the oven to 190°Ç, toss the aubergines in oil and season
Spread over a tray and bake for 30-40 mins until soft and cooked through- they should melt in your mouth and not be squeaky when done
Make your romesco - add everything but the oil to a food processor/ blender and blend until you have a chunky paste. Adjust to taste, then slowly drip your oil into the food processor, or add it tbsp by tbsp to your blender - this will emulsify it and stop it splitting if drizzled over anything.
Make your pesto by adding everything to a blender and blend until it’s smoother but still slightly chunky- season to taste
When your aubergines are cooked, add to a bowl and toss with 3 tbsp pesto
To a plate, spread 3 tbsp romesco over the bottom, then add the aubergine, sprinkle some more pesto over, drizzle some balsamic over, then add the pine nuts, crumbled feta, maldon salt and fresh basil
