Serves 4
Ingredients
2 aubergines
cooking salt
olive oil
200g quinoa
2 tbsp pine nuts
100g cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped chives
1 tbsp chopped parsley
150g feta cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to garnish
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas mark 6.
Cut the aubergines lengthways into 1.5cm thick strips and lay on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 15 minutes. This softens the flesh of the aubergine.
Rinse the aubergine slices well under cold water and pat dry.
Lightly oil a couple of large baking trays and lay the aubergine slices in rows. Dribble with a little olive oil and place in the oven to cook until tender for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile place the quinoa in a pan with twice the volume of water and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer the quinoa until just tender. This usually
takes between 8 and 10 minutes.
Drain the quinoa and place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients.
Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning. If you like, add a few more herbs and feta cheese.
When the aubergine slices are tender and beginning to turn golden brown remove from the oven and spread a tablespoon of quinoa mixture on the top of each aubergine slice.
Return the aubergine slices to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes.