Aubergine, potato, tomato

Some dishes I chose because they read well and/or have a good combination of flavours. Others, because the story they have attached to it. This is one I picked after reading Yotam’s editorial. It just explained so well what brunch should be about: “It’s a long meal that takes up a large chunk of the middle of the day, a proper celebration of food, but without the fanfare and worries that come with a full-blown dinner party“. Never better said… Every now and again, we get together for brunch, who tends to end up into a several hours long marathons, usually ending when the host runs out of bubbly. Or coffee. Or both…. Happy memories – and hopefully many more to come.

As usual, it was a  super dish. A bit laborious, but nevertheless worthwhile the effort. This was served with (fried/baked) eggs to order. Still feel a bit insecure to venture into poached eggs, as the original recipe called for.

Aubergine, potato, tomato (adapted from  Yotam Ottolengi’s column in The Guardian)

Ingredients

• 4 medium tomatoes cut into 1cm dices
• 1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
• 1½ tbsp hot savoury chilli sauce (Yotam recommends Sriracha, I used piri piri)
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 aubergines, cut into 3cm chunks
• 250ml olive oil
• About 300ml sunflower oil
• 600g  waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 3mm-thick slices
• 80g tahini paste
• 2½ tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tbsp coriander, chopped

(1 onion was omitted for humanitarian reasons. A. is extremely allergic to them)

Method

Put the peeled, diced tomatoes in a colander for half an hour to drain. Transfer to a medium bowl and add  vinegar, parsley, hot sauce  and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Mix gently and set aside.

Mix the aubergine with a teaspoon and a half of salt, place in a colander and set over a bowl for half an hour, to drain off any excess liquid. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and pat dry.

In a 26cm sauté pan, put 200mL of olive oil and as much sunflower oil as you need to bring it 1cm up the sides of the pan. Place on a medium-high heat and, once hot, add the aubergine in batches and fry for three to four minutes, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper and repeat with the rest of the aubergine. Remove the left over oil and wipe down the pan.

Bring a medium pan of water to a boil, add the potatoes and cook for three minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water and set aside to dry. Add two tablespoons of fresh olive oil to the skillet and place on a medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and fry for 10 minutes with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and a crack of black pepper, until cooked through and golden brown; turn them over from time to time. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Put the tahini, 60mL of water, a tablespoon and a half of lemon juice, the garlic and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl, and whisk to a thick, pourable consistency. Spoon half the sauce over the potatoes and spread the aubergine on top. Follow this with the remaining tahini, then the tomatoes. Poach the eggs just before you are ready to serve and lay them on top of the tomatoes, along with a drizzle of the remaining oil, a sprinkle  with sumac and coriander, and the last of the lemon juice. Bring to the table in the pan.