One of my favourite vegetables to cook with is Aubergine. When cooked well they can soak up so many delicious flavours, sauces, and marinades. When you roast them with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt they absorbs the flavours beautifully, becoming soft, plump and full of flavour, just like in the dish I’m sharing today.
Aubergine is a word us english have borrowed off the french, but for my American readers you’ll know this vegetable as the mighty eggplant. Aubergines aren’t only featured for their good looks and exotic taste, they’re also a good source of Vitamin B1, B6, potassium as well as a source of dietary fibre.
Paired alongside the main ingredient in this dish are an array of my favourite foods: Roasted Red Peppers, Black Olives and Capers. Each element adds a different texture to the sauce, and the juices from each ingredient contribute something special to the sauce.
The Ingredients
3 Large Aubergines
5 Red Peppers
1 cup Black Olives
1 Red Onion
3 tablespoons Capers
2-3 Cloves Garlic, Crushed
x3 cans of 400g Chopped Tomatoes
x6 Servings of Spaghetti (I love Spelt Spaghetti)
1 Bunch of Parsley
Optional:
Vegan Cheese
125ml Red Wine
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.
Chop the Aubergine into 1-2 inch thick pieces and thinly slice the red peppers. Add both onto a roasting tray, drizzling with Olive Oil and seasoning with Salt, toss well with your hands so you can coat each piece. Place in the oven to cook for around 40 minutes. Check frequently and add more olive to the aubergine if they start to dry out while roasting.
While the vegetables roast let’s make the sauce. Start by mincing your red onion: add a little olive oil to a deep pan and then add the onion in, fry until soft. Add in the crushed garlic and stir for a further few minutes. Now add in the cans of chopped tomatoes, olives and capers. If you’re using Red Wine pour it in now. Bring to a low simmer and season well.
Once the Aubergine and Red Peppers are well roasted (the Aubergine is melt in your mouth soft, and red peppers are starting to blacken in places) remove from the oven and add into your sauce. Keep the sauce on a low simmer.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, pour in a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add in your spaghetti and cook as instructed on the packaging.
While you wait for the pasta to boil, roughly chop your parsley. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, mix the parsley in well.
Place your spaghetti into your bowl, topping with our delicious Aubergine & Black Olive sauce, seasoning well and adding some vegan cheese to finish.
Enjoy!
