Layered Aubergine & Feta Bake Recipe

Ingredients

2 aubergines
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp turmeric
A pinch or two of harissa or chilli powder
330ml cherry tomato passata
A handful of baby leaf spinach
200g feta
150g bulgar wheat
A handful of flat leaf parsley
1 lemon

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Method

1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Trim the tops off the aubergines and slice lengthways into 1cm-thick strips. Arrange the slices on 2 baking trays. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Slide into the oven and roast for 15-20 mins, till soft and golden.

2. Meanwhile, peel the red onions and thinly slice them. Peel the garlic cloves and crush or finely chop them.

3. Pour 1 tbsp oil into a pan and warm over a medium heat. Slide the chopped red onions and garlic into the pan. Add 1 tbsp turmeric and a pinch or 2 of harissa powder (harissa is hot, so use as much or little as preferred). Sprinkle in a little salt and pepper. Fry for 4-5 mins, stirring occasionally, till softened.

4. Pour the passata into the pan along with 150ml boiling water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins. Tip in the spinach and stir till wilted.

5. Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Arrange a quarter of the cooked aubergine slices in an ovenproof dish. Spoon over a quarter of the spiced passata, then crumble over a quarter of the feta cheese. Repeat the layering till all aubergine, sauce and feta have been used. Slide the dish into the oven and bake for 20 mins, till bubbling.

6. Tip the bulgar wheat into a heatproof bowl or pan and stir in a little salt. Pour in 300ml boiling water. Cover the bowl with a large plate and set aside for 15 mins to soak.

7. Finely chop the parsley. Grate the lemon zest. When the bulgar wheat is ready, use a fork to fluff it up. Fold the chopped parsley and lemon zest through the bulgar wheat, and squeeze in the lemon juice.

8. Scoop the aubergine and feta bake onto plates, and serve with the bulgar wheat on the side.

Rating

I was looking for a recipe to use up the aubergine and packet of feta I had in the fridge and this turned out great. Instead of the bulgur, I added layers of thinly slices and par boiled potatoes. I didn't have pasata so used a good quality pasta sauce that I did have and I added some mushrooms that needed using up too. Delicious!!

FussyCustomer

Very tasty but: A tablespoon of turmeric can't be right, a teaspoon maybe But plenty of harissa is good Make sure to cook the aubergine well It would benefit from more passata, just use a whole 500ml carton You really don't need a whole 200g block of feta, half would do