Paula’s Roasted Aubergine and Red Pepper Antipasto

Cooking Time

60 minutes

Season

Summer

Autumn

Dietary

Vegan

Recipe by Paula

I’ve been volunteering on the farm since the beginning of the lockdown. It is a 40-minute joyful and beautiful walk from where I live. I still can’t believe that the farm sits right in the middle of an urban area!
A couple of years back, I studied Nutrition and learned the importance of eating seasonably, choosing organic and locally grown food, so I recently also became a customer and have been enjoying lovely fresh vegetables delivered to my door.

This recipe comes from my Italian grandmother and it reminds me of the time when the whole family would gather together at her house for Sunday lunch. We would sit around the kitchen table and have the antipasto on a crusty Italian bread, whilst waiting for the food preparations to be finished.
It is a very simple recipe and it tastes even more delicious after a few days in the fridge, once the vegetables are well marinated in the olive oil.

This recipe makes 1 jar

Ingredients

1 medium aubergine, cut into thin stripes
1 pepper, cut into stripes
3 garlic, thin sliced
½ onion, thin sliced

From the cupboard

5 tbsp olive oil + a little more to drizzle
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Heat the oven to 200C/390F.
Cut off the top and bottom of the aubergine and cut it lengthwise into long, thin slices. Then cut the slices into stripes. Put them in an ovenproof pyrex bowl.
Cut the red pepper in half, remove the top and deseed it. Cut it into thin stripes and add it to the aubergine.
Thin slice the garlic and onion and add them to the aubergine and pepper.
Add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season well with plenty of salt and pepper.
Mix everything, making sure all the vegetables are well coated in oil.
Cover the bowl with foil and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes. Stir it with a spoon half way through the cooking process.
After 45 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 180C/350F and remove the foil. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and roast for another 15 minutes. It will be ready when the vegetables are soft.
Serve with a slice of sourdough bread or have it on its own. Let it cool, transfer to a mason jar and store it in the fridge. It will taste even better after a few days.