Chilli-Roasted Aubergines - Waitrose Spring Harvest 2015

Today has been a busy day on the cooking front for me!
I made three of the recipes from the Waitrose Spring Harvest 2015 magazine... Kiwi Sorbet, Herb Salad with Mustard Seed & Lemon Dressing and Chilli-Roasted Aubergines which I'm going to write about now.
The Teenagers were supposed to be at their Dad's this weekend but it didn't quite work out. My daughter spends all her time with her friends that live locally and wanted to use the annual Thorpe Park pass we bought her for Christmas for the first time. Somehow she spent the last two days out and is just getting into her own bed to sleep at night. My son never wants to go to his Dad's anyway and it's a constant battle to try and persuade him and cajole him to go. Sometimes it's easier to just let him stay here.

Anyway, I usually do more of my adventurous cooking when the kids are not here however I was keen to get on and make some of the recipes in the Waitrose magazine so decided to throw caution to the wind. Since Teenage daughter was out I only had Teenage Son's tastes/preferences to contend with. He hates aubergines which is what I had planned for our lunch. Instead, I made him beans on toast with cheese. He was happy with that!

So let's get properly onto the topic of the recipe "Chilli-Roasted Aubergines" which comes under the "Seven Simple Suppers" section of the magazine. A quick read through the recipe and a few things came into my mind:
1. I don't think the aubergine is going to be cooked properly in 20 minutes.
2. On the other hand, the chilli slices will probably be burnt to a crisp in that time.
3. I like the simple topping of Parmesan, pine nuts, olive oil and basil - it's like a minimalist or rustic pesto.
4. I wish I had shares in Waitrose pine nuts... they are so bloomin expensive and they seem to be compulsary in every recipe. Clever. I do love them though.
5. When it says "toasted pine nuts" I rarely bother toasting them. And these are going to be roasted in the oven anyway so what's the point?
6. What shall I serve this with? A tasty green salad I think.
7. This is a good vegetarian dish with protein from the pine nuts and cheese.
8. OH will probably need a KFC after this, just to feel satisfied. For me, it's an ideal meal.

What I discovered after I had made it:
1. I was right, even after cutting into the flesh with a cross hatch pattern to help it cook quicker, it still needed an extra 5 minutes and maybe longer because the thick skin was inedible. Usually when I cook aubergine in a sauce the skin is soft and edible. Not sure if the toughness was a result of the roasting?
2. I added the chillis in at a later stage of the cooking and I was right to.
3. The "rustic" pesto topping was fabulous, especially the bits that were well roasted - the cheese and pinenuts made a delicious crunchy topping.
4. I needed more olive oil that stated and it's better to brush the aubergines with the oil rather than drizzle it on before roasting as it saves wasting a lot of the oil in the bottom of the roasting tray.
5. I added more Parmesan than stated because I love it!
7. OH was starving hungry after he ate this and sneakily ate a bowl of cereal afterwards, while I was out in the garden with Marco Baby, chatting to the handy-man, Ian, who was removing the paint off the garage door,
6. This was very tasty and easy and I'd definitely make it again :-) Sod everybody else!

For the original recipe follow this link. My modified version is below (based on my comments above).

Chilli-Roasted Aubergines with Rustic Pesto Crust
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 aubergines, halved lengthways and the flesh cross hatched with a knife to ensure it cooks better
1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced into long strips
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
50g toasted pine nuts
25g fresh basil, chopped
40g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6.  
• Place the aubergines on a baking tray, cut-side up. Brush with 2 tbsp of the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, sprinkle over the chilli and roast for a further 10 minutes.
• Mix together the remaining extra virgin oil, pine nuts, basil and Parmesan cheese.  
• Spoon your rustic pesto over the aubergines and roast for about 7-10 minutes, until the topping starts to brown and go crispy.
• Serve with a dressed green salad (I mixed baby spinach and curly lettuce with cucumber and dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar).