Aubergine and red pepper Greek salad
Smoky, fresh and satisfying. A vegetable salad with a difference that no one will be able to put down.
Ingredients
- 1 small-medium aubergine (around 250g/9oz)
- 1 large red pepper
- 25g/1oz bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- flaked sea salt
- 1 fresh French bread baton, diagonally sliced into 6 pieces
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/200F/Gas 7.
Carefully place the aubergine and the pepper against an open hob gas flame, carefully turning regularly with tongs until the skin is blackened and blistered and the vegetables are soft. You can also do this under a very hot grill or barbecue, keeping very close to the heat and turning the vegetables every few minutes.
Place the vegetables in a heat-proof bowl, cover with a plate and leave for 3–4 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Remove the pepper skin and discard. Cut the pepper in half, remove the stem and scoop out the seeds. Cut the flesh into roughly 2cm/¾in chunks and put into a serving bowl.
Put the aubergine on a chopping board, trim the ends and discard most of the skin. Leaving some on will give the salad a smoky flavour. Cut the aubergine into roughly 2cm/¾in chunks and add to the pepper.
Put the parsley, garlic, olive oil and salt into a blender and pulse to make a thin dressing. Spread 1 teaspoon of the herb dressing over one side of each slice of bread and place on a baking tray, herb side up. Drizzle with a little oil and bake for 10 minutes, or until the bread is golden-brown and crisp around the edges.
Drizzle the rest of the dressing over the vegetables, add the lemon juice, season with ground black pepper and a little more salt if needed and toss together.
Sprinkle roughly chopped parsley over the salad and serve with the garlic toasts.