Aubergines at Their Best
30 July 2010
Recently I have fallen in love again with my old favourite vegetable, the aubergine. I admit they sometimes lack taste, but when you can get hold of the really good aromatic ones, for me they can hardly be topped.
I have found such delicacies at one of the stalls at Viktualienmarkt, which offers produce almost exclusively from own production. In winter their range is somewhat limited, but now in summer the offer is so abundand and appetizing...
Their products are all very good, but for me the clear winner (maybe only matched by the tomatoes) are the aubergines. They are not the nicest looking ones – small and somewhat wrinkly and their skin not as shiny – but really unrivalled in tastyness. No wonder I’ve been using them so much lately. For example for this antipasti platter I prepared for a casual evening with some friends:
Aubergines & Courgettes in Pumpkinseed Dressing
| serves 4 |
| 2 small courgettes |
| 2 small aubergines |
| 40 ml pumpkin seed oil |
| 20 ml cold-pressed olive oil |
| 20 ml balsamic vinegar |
| 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds |
| 2 tablespoons freshly chopped herbs (e.g. mixture of parsley, chives, dill) |
| salt and pepper |
| some oil for frying |
Cut the aubergines and the courgettes into slices of about ½ cm, salt and let rest for about 30 minutes so the water comes out.
Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by combining pumpkin seed oil, virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Finely chop the herbs and add; crush the toasted pumpkin seeds with pestle and mortar and add, too.
Get back to the vegetables and wipe the water off the surface with a kitchen towel. Heat a little bit of oil in a non-stick frying pan and toast the vegetable slices at medium heat until browned on both sides and soft (though not overcooked). Take out of the pan, spread out on a platter, and spread the dressing on top. Let rest for at least 30 minutes (but can also be prepared well in advance). Serve at room temperature.