This dish was inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi in his fabulous book, Jerusalem. Well worth a read!
It’s up to you whether you eat the eggplant skins or just scoop out the tasty flesh. I like to eat it all but my Irishman prefers to leave his skins behind.
Enough for: 2
Takes: 30 minutes
2 eggplant (aubergine)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
150g (5oz) quinoa
1 bunch flat leaf parsley or mint, leaves picked
6-8 tablespoons natural yoghurt
large handful pine nuts, toasted
1. Preheat oven to 250C (480F). Halve eggplant lengthwise then score the cut side by cutting in a chunky criss cross pattern. Place cut side up on a baking tray. Drizzle generously with olive oil and scatter over the ground coriander and a little salt and pepper.
2. Bake eggplant for 15-20 minutes or until very tender.
3. While the eggplant is cooking, bring a pot of water to the boil. Rinse quinoa and add to the boiling water. Simmer for 12-15 minutes until quinoa is just tender. Drain and toss with the parsley leaves.
4. When the eggplant is cooked, scatter over the quinoa parsley mixture. Drizzle with yoghurt and finish off with the pine nuts.
Variations
different spices – ground cumin, baharat, smoked paprika or a combo all work well with eggplant.
vegan / dairy-free – make a tahini sauce to replace the yoghurt by combining equal quantities of tahini, lemon juice and water.
carnivore – brown some ground (minced) lamb or beef in a pan and scatter over the quinoa.
nut-free – just skip the pine nuts or replace with some finely chopped red onion or red capsicum (bell pepper) for colour and crunch.
carb lovers / more substantial – serve with pita bread.
short on time – use 6-8 slices of grilled eggplant from the deli.
paleo (grain, legume & dairy-free) – replace quinoa with browned ground beef or chicken and use coconut yoghurt.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
eggplant (aubergine) – will keep in the fridge wrapped in a plastic bag for a few weeks. Can be frozen if needed. Or cooked eggplant eggplant should last a month or so.
coriander, quinoa, pine nuts – pantry.
parsley – will keep in the fridge wrapped in a plastic bag for a few weeks. Can be frozen or make a parsley oil by packing the leaves into a clean jar and covering with extra virgin olive oil.
yoghurt – usually has a shelf life of a month or so. Otherwise, have it for another meal like breakfast! Don’t freeze.