AUBERGINE WITH GARLIC AND PARSLEY

I saw this dish made by Simon Hopkins and he said once tried you will be taken aback at just how a few well partnered ingredients can take an ingredient to another level. This Greek inspired dish involving a simple aubergine, garlic and parsley can take you right back to sitting in a taverna sipping a cold Amstel!

Serves 2-4-6 (depending on how much you love garlic and aubergine)

2 medium sized aubergine

extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled

handful flat leaf parsely

1 lemon

sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

150g feta cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C

Run a the blade of a sharp knife around the top of the aubergine 1cm or so below the stalk you only really want to score the skin which when cooked will allow the skin to peel off. Now make four evenly spaced, shallow cuts down the length of the aubergine going right to the end.

Bake the aubergines for about 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes or so, until evenly cooked with charred skin, and until the aubergine feels soft, but not too collapsed. In the case of the purple aubergines, the skin will also have turned a dull brown colour. Transfer to a large plate and cool slightly for a couple minutes or until you can comfortable hold them.

Peel away the aubergine skin in four long, narrow sheets using a small knife. Without cutting right through the stalk end, cut the aubergines in half lengthways and gently prise apart until you have two horizontal halves remaining attached at the top end, it looks a little like a heart!

Mix the garlic and parsley with the olive oil until well combined and spoon the mixture over the aubergine. Season lightly with salt (not too much - the cheese is salty anyway) and pepper, and crumble the feta cheese over the top. If liked, trickle over more olive oil to finish.

Serve warm, or at room temperature with lemon squeezed over.