Aubergines are very much one of those love or hate foods. Some people are not fond of the taste and some of the texture, I must admit that undercooked solid aubergine is one of the most repugnant things I've ever eaten. When done right though I love it, and most often this is sliced thinly, brushed with good olive oil and grilled both sides before being sprinkled with salt, a little garlic oil and something delicious like chopped fresh herbs, a finely chopped red chilli or crumbled feta cheese. This is pretty much the only way I ever eat them aside from in a moussaka, so when I saw them in the veg aisle yesterday I snapped one up and challenged myself to come up with something new.
It was actually while reading that I was inspired to make this recipe when someone mentioned involtini (meaning "little bundles") - thin slices of beef wrapped around a filling usually including parmesan cheese, nuts and breadcrumbs. I'm sure I have seen someone doing it with aubergine slices before, probably my beloved Nigella, but I wanted my filling to be a little different with a slightly sharper taste to contrast the nicely bland wrapping. If I want to add sharpness to something, I inevitably add balsamic vinegar. I have a big thing for its sweet tartness and glug it into most soups I make, and also drizzle it over filled pastas with a little extra virgin olive oil.
This recipe is for one as a main meal or would make a nice starter for two people along with a little baby spinach salad on the side. It is vegetarian, but if you are a determined carnivore like my boyfriend you could always go the traditional way using beef or pork slices rather than the aubergine.
Aubergine and Parmesan Involtini
Serves 1
Ingredients
60g glutinous rice (such as arborio or sushi rice)
200ml hot water
1/2 stock cube of your choice
1 tsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
6 mushrooms, finely diced
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp parmesan, grated
1 aubergine, sliced lengthways about 3/4 cm thick
2 tbsp olive oil
Method
Place the rice, water and stock cube in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the rice is cooked through and of a risotto like texture. Set aside.
In a seperate saucepan heat the oil, onion, garlic and rosemary until the onion is translucent and softened, then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Now add the balsamic vinegar, stir in well and then add the butter, stirring until melted in and combined. Remove from the heat, add the rice and parmesan and mix well before setting aside while you grill the aubergines.
Brush the remaining olive oil over both sides of the aubergine slices and cook pereferably on either a grill pan or on a health grill to get the desired char lines. If you don't have either of these don't worry, just use a frying pan but don't add any more oil. The aubergine is cooked when the flesh has darkened in colour and the slices have become soft and flexible.
When cooked, place a heaped spoonfull of the rice mixture onto one end of an aubergine slice and gently rolls it up. Lay onto your plate join side down and spritz with a squirt of lemon juice just before serving.
Burgers are pure genius, we all know this. Whether it be a juicy beef patty topped with bacon and cheese or a gorgeous fat veggie burger stacked with onion rings they can be perfectly tailored to anyone's taste. And I really do quite often choose the vegetarian option over the meat, a local Loughborough restaurant called Moomba's do a killer smoked aubergine and chickpea burger with halloumi - bliss!
But as good as a burger can be, I have far too often been disappointed by a greasy, grey, burnt to a crisp beef disc at many a barbecue. At the top of the list of burger fails for me is the minted lamb burger. Don't get me wrong, if this is made from scratch it can be beautiful but the pre-packed ones just never ever get it right... so I had to do something about it.
As you all know by now I am not the type of lady to do it simply, so rather than just put the mint into the patty itself I have put it in a sauce and fused two of my favourite dishes together to create what I concider one of the best burgers I have ever eaten - the moussaka burger. Seasoning the mince with cinnamon, parmesan, oregano and a little chilli and topping it with a tower of fried aubergine slices, then finishing with a cool slather of homemade cucumbery tzatziki creates pure burger perfection. The only thing missing is the bechamel, which I think would be far too bland as a burger sauce.
Although the fried aubergine slices may make it a little more difficult to serve as a barbecue dish you could always prepare them inside while the lamb burgers are being grilled and bring them out with the tzatziki. It just means you'll be indoors for a few minutes and therefore closer to the fridge full of drinkies and this isn't a bad thing, surely?
Moussaka Burgers with Fried Aubergine Slices and Tzatzkiki
Serves 4
Moussaka Burger Ingredients
800g fresh minced lamb
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
2 tbsp grated parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
4 ciabatta bread rolls
1 or 2 ripe beef tomatoes, sliced
Fried Aubergine Slice Ingredients
1 medium aubergine, cut into cm thick slices
lots of salt
100g plain flour
Tzatziki Ingredients
200g greek yoghurt
1/2 cucumber, deseeded and either diced very small or grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Method
Start your barbecue/grill/oven preheating to medium. Take your aubergine slices and lay them on a few sheets of paper towel, then sprinkle liberally with salt on both sides. Put these to one side while you prepare the burger patties.
Put the minced lamb into a bowl, sprinkle over all the herbs and spices and mix thoroughly with your hands. No-one wants to hit a big spice pocket in their burger so make sure everything is really well combined. Divide the mixture into four equal size balls and shape them into nice round patties, making a little indentation into the middle of each one - this stops the center bulging up and making the top bun topple off. Cover the four burgers with cling film and set aside in the fridge.
Next take your aubergine slices and press them into the flour, coating both sides and tapping off any excess. Place them back on to the paper towels and leave to settle while you make the tzatziki by combining the yoghurt with the diced cucumber, crushed garlic, mint, lemon juice and paprika. Cover with cling film and put into the fridge to develop it's flavour.
Pour olive oil into a heavy based saucepan until it is around half a cm deep and put on the hob to heat up until the oil starts to shimmer and smoke a little. Take your aubergine slices, dredge again with the flour and tap off the excess and then place in the hot oil to fry. They need 1-2 minutes on each side until they get a crispy golden coating. You'll need to do this in batches, when they are done remove them back on to the paper towels to remove any excess oil.
Cook your patties on one side of the grill and lightly toast the buns on the other. The burgers will take between 2-4 minutes on each side depending how thick you have made them. Basically, you want an even colour throughout and for the juices to run clear when poked.
Lay a few tomato slices on the bottom half of the bun, top with the lamb burger and slather over some tzatziki. Add a few slices of fried aubergine and the top half of the ciabatta roll and serve with some roasted new potatoes and a few salads of your choice - I recommend some sort of lemon and coriander cous cous concoction.
