From The
Vegeterranean: Italian Vegetarian Cooking, Malu Simões & Alberto
Musacchio, Simon & Schuster, 2008.
I use eggplant (aubergine) often. While it is not overly
flavoursome itself, it absorbs the flavours around it and seems to be a versatile vegetable, being able to be used in a great variety of ways.
This looked like a very interesting recipe. It was for a
tart but a tart without a pastry base. I was intrigued to see if the tart would
be capable of holding itself together for eggplant is very soft when cooked.
But I have always had success with recipes from this cookbook so I would have
to trust it.
The eggplant (two of them), after being peeled and cubed, was
soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, then drained and squeezed to remove as
much moisture as possible. It was then cooked in a pot with a smidgeon of oil
until it was softened and rather dry.
When the eggplant was cool a couple of eggs were beaten and
added. Also going in were 200g of tasty cheddar cheese cut into cubes, some
grated Parmesan, chopped garlic and oregano. It was then seasoned and placed
into a greased spring-form pan to cook for about half an hour.
It was served with a sauce made from some capers and
parsley, chopped, and whisked with some extra virgin olive oil. We had it with a carrot puree and some broccolini, which all went well with it.
The tart was a soft one and a little difficult to lift and
place on plates as it had no tart case. However, it had a pleasing savoury taste
with the occasional piece of cheese cropping up. The tangy sauce managed to
bring into prominence the more subtle flavours of the tart. Should I make it again, I think I might place
it in a pastry shell.
Taste: ✔✔✔
Ease of
cooking: ✔✔✔
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