15.1.13

Roasting aubergines in the snow

It has snowed here.
It is cold.
I have been forced into buying proper thermals, the best money I have spent for a while.
and now is the time for soup.

Adapted from a recipe from Ottolenghi's newest book, Jerusalem.
His is burnt aubergine, which involves wrapping your gas burner with foil, and burning the skins in the flame, and who wants to faff about with that? and his doesn't have pancetta, mine almost didn't, who can resist eating the crispy bits whilst you do the rest? Not me.

Roast aubergine and tomato and pancetta soup, with apologies to Yottam
3 aubergines
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
juice of a lemon
pancetta
1 tbsp cumin seeds crushed
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tin tomatoes
fill the empty tomato tin with chicken or vegetable stock
then fill it again with water

Roast the aubergine, whole, in the oven at 250 degrees C until the skin in crisp and the flesh very soft. (one of mine exploded, fear not if this happens)

Meanwhile in a big saucepan fry the pancetta until crisp, put to one side and fry the onion and cumin and later garlic in the rendered fat.
After some time, add everything else and simmer.
Scoop out the aubergine flesh and add to the pan.
Blend
Pour into bowls
titivate with oil and what is left of the pancetta that you didn't eat.
and whilst you have the oven on
roast a chicken
and watch the sunset.


5 comments:

Unknown said...

I have two aubergines lurking in the fridge but no pancetta, will give it ago anyway. Sounds just the thing to banish the january blues, thank you. x

Jen said...

That sounds delicious, and your recipes are as entertaining as all your posts. Aubergines sounds much better than eggplant, which is what we call them in the U.S. I wonder if I could convert someone who doesn't like eggplant if I called it aubergine?

Frankie's Fancies said...

This sounds lovely and perfect for the very cold weather we've being having. x

flwrjane said...

Oh yum, that's what's for dinner.

Your snow pictures are beautiful.

I've been missing you this year.

Let's rendezvous. Becca can join us.

xo jane

domestikate said...

I love that photo of the chicken!