CHARRED AUBERGINES WITH WHITE BEANS & SALSA VERDE

Charred aubergines with white beans & salsa verde image

Serve these charred aubergines with white beans and salsa verde topping as a veggie option at a barbecue. The aubergines char and blister beautifully

Provided by Esther Clark

Categories Dinner, Side dish, Supper, Vegetable

Time 1h10m

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil , plus extra for rubbing and drizzling
1 onion , finely chopped
2 garlic cloves , crushed
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 x 400g cans cannellini beans , drained and rinsed
2 thyme sprigs
200ml vegetable stock
3 tbsp crème fraîche or vegan alternative, if needed
lemon , zested, plus wedges to serve
4 medium aubergines
50g flaked almonds , toasted
small bunch of parsley , roughly chopped
40g skinless hazelnuts
½ small bunch of garlic clove
1 tbsp capers , drained
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
7 tbsp olive oil

Steps:

Heat the oil in a frying pan set over a low heat and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 mins. Add the garlic and chilli flakes, and fry for 2 mins more. Tip in the beans, thyme and stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 mins, or until the beans have broken down a little. Stir in the crème fraîche and lemon zest. Season to taste.
To make the salsa verde, put the parsley, hazelnuts, garlic, capers, vinegar and oil in a pestle and mortar and crush everything together - this will take about 5 mins. Alternatively, blitz in a food processor until combined but not smooth. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste.
Light the barbecue and wait for the flames to die down. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and score the cut side in a diamond pattern using the tip of a knife. Rub with some oil, then put directly on the grill and cook for 7-10 mins on each side, or until charred and soft. Alternatively, cook under a grill (see tip, below). Top the cooked aubergines with the bean ragu and salsa verde, then scatter over the toasted almonds and serve with the lemon wedges on the side.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 688 calories, Fat 49 grams fat, SaturatedFat 11 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 32 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 12 grams sugar, Fiber 20 grams fiber, Protein 19 grams protein, Sodium 1.1 milligram of sodium