Aubergine caviar

Aubergine is present in an infinite amount of Italian dishes. No wonder! It is delicious! You can prepare it in many different ways – yes, there are even recipes for aubergine desserts! I for one, really love aubergine caviar as I find it very versatile. You can serve it during an aperitif on toasted bread, or use it as a quick sauce for pasta by simply adding some diced tomatoes marinated in extra virgin olive oil and a few basil leaves. Voila, a fantastic, new pasta dish! Now for the recipe, straightforward as usual. Servings will depend on the size of the aubergine – but beware, there is never enough!

Ingredients:

1 aubergine
3 garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil (around 4 tsp)
Basil (4 leaves)
One pinch of salt
Juice of one small lemon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Wash and dry the aubergine, then cut it lengthwise into two halves. For both halves, cut the aubergine pulp into a diamond shape - cut deeply but without piercing through the peel. Brush two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil on each half aubergine, allowing the oil to soak well, place a garlic clove on each half as well. The addition of extra virgin olive oil is very important, as otherwise the aubergine will turn out dry and the recipe will not work. 

Cook in oven for approximately 40 minutes. The aubergine will be ready when the peel is wrinkled and the pulp is soft. Let the aubergine cool and remove the garlic. With a spoon, carve out the pulp and discard the peel. Put the pulp in a mixing bowl. Add one garlic clove, lemon juice, basil, salt and mix until you get a soft, even mixture. Again, if too dry, add more extra virgin olive oil.

You can serve right away or refrigerate for later use. When you do serve, always pour one teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil on top.