The Perfect Partner to Melanzane Grigliata

Roberta Muir is what is termed a National Treasure. Her incredible knowledge of food and wine is seemingly boundless. Here we reproduce her recipe forMelanzane Grigliate, paired withJuniper Canvas Fianotaken fromRoberta's website

Melanzane Grigliate

Eggplant is like a sponge and soaks up an incredible amount of oil, so I prefer to brush it with oil and bake or grill it rather than fry it. If you have the barbecue fired up, you can cook the eggplant on it, otherwise bake it in the oven as I’m doing here. It’s worth making a large tray of these delicious snacks as they have many uses beyond the antipasto platter; they’re great on a panino or bruschetta (especially with some Peperoni in Padella), they can be tossed through pasta, or served as a side dish with roast meat or poultry. If you’re serving melanzane grigliata as an aperitivo, pour a glass of full-bodied southern Italian varietal fiano with it, such as the one from Juniper Estate in Margaret River.

Serves 4 as part of an antipasti misti

Ingredients

  • 1 large eggplant
  • Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
  • Salt flakes, to taste

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
  2. Cut eggplant into 3–5mm thick slices.
  3. Brush both sides with oil and lay them out in a single layer on a baking tray.
  4. Sprinkle generously with salt.
  5. Place in oven and cook for about 20 minutes, until well coloured.
  6. Then turn and cook for a further 20 minutes or so. Depending on the evenness of the thickness, you may need to remove them in stages as each one browns, so check them frequently after about 10–15 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven tray to a wire rack to cool.
  8. Cover and refrigerate until needed, return to room temperature before serving.

Many thanks to Roberta for allowing us to reproduce the above which is taken from her excellent websiteBe Inspired