Serves 4-6 Prep time: 35 mins Cooking time: 2 hours
This recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi from his book Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Extra Good Things is absolutely delicious.
If you love aubergine parmigiana you will love this pie, it contains layers of breaded aubergine, a spicy tomato sauce and cheese topped with crunchy kataifi pastry. It is a delicious vegetarian main dish and great for anyone wanting to eat more meat-free meals, I highly recommend it.
The pie is also delicious served cold/room temperature the next day and would make a great picnic dish.
Ingredients:
1kg aubergines, trimmed & cut lengthways into 1-1.5cm slices (about 4-5 per aubergine)
2 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
2 tbsp milk
225g fine dried breadcrumbs (homemade or store bought, such as Paxo)
105ml olive oil
40g kataifi pastry, defrosted & roughly cut into 2-3cm lengths
(note: if you can't find kataifi pastry, use filo pastry cut into fine strips using scissors)
75g pecorino romano or parmesan, finely grated
300g buffalo mozzarella, drained & thinly sliced
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Tomato sauce:
120ml olive oil
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
2 tsp Aleppo chilli (pul biber)
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tins plum tomatoes
2 tsp caster sugar
30g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200˚C fan. Line two large baking trays with baking parchment.
Toss the aubergine slices in a large bowl with 3/4 teaspoon of salt & a good grind of black pepper.
Take three shallow dishes, large enough to hold a slice of aubergine. Put the flour into one dish. Put the eggs & yolks into the second dish with 2 tablespoons of milk or water & whisk together well. Put the breadcrumbs into the third dish with 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt & mix to combine.
Working one slice at a time, first coat aubergine in flour, shaking off excess, followed by egg wash, then breadcrumbs, making sure slices are completely coated in breadcrumbs. Place on lined baking sheets. Drizzle slices all over with 2 tablespoons of oil per tray and bake for 15 mins, switch trays around in oven and bake for a further 15 mins or until golden.
Remove from oven and set aside, turn oven down to 180˚C fan.
1 kg sliced aubergines, 70g plain flour, 2 large eggs & 3 large egg yolks, 2 tbsp milk or water, 225g dried breadcrumbs, 1 1/4 tsp salt |
Meanwhile make tomato sauce.
Put the oil into a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add onions & cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes until softened and lightly coloured. Add garlic and spices and cook, stirring continuously for 1 minute more, then add tinned tomatoes, crushing them in with your hands, followed by the sugar, 400ml water, 1 3/4 teaspoons of salt and a good grind of black pepper.
Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium and cook for 25 mins, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly. Stir in coriander, then measure out 700g of sauce (this is used to build the pie) keep the rest in the pan, to warm up when serving.
120ml olive oil, 2 onions - peeled and finely chopped, 8 cloves garlic-peeled & crushed, 2 tsp Aleppo chilli (pul biber), 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin, 2 tins plum tomatoes, 2 tsp caster sugar, 30g fresh coriander-roughly chopped |
In a bowl, toss together kataifi pastry with half the pecorino and remaining 3 tablespoons of oil.
40g kataifi pastry (defrosted & roughly cut into 2-3cm strips), 75g pecorino romano finely grated, 3 tbsps of oil |
Next, assemble the pie.
Line a 23cm springform cake tin with a piece of baking parchment large enough to cover the base and sides (tip: crumple up parchment in your hands before lining tin, this will help it to go into corners).
Cover base of tin with one third of the aubergine slices (cutting to fit as necessary). Top with a third of the sauce, a third of the mozzarella and a third of the remaining pecorino.
Continue in this way with the remaining aubergine slices, sauce and cheeses.
Lastly, top evenly with the kataifi mixture and bake for 35 minutes. Turn oven up to 200˚c fan and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until nicely golden on top.
Remove from oven and leave to set for about 30 minutes.
Remove the outer ring from the cake tin and carefully lift the pie, using the parchment paper onto a board. Warm remaining sauce and serve slices warm or at room temperature with extra sauce alongside.
Note:
The tomato sauce is deliciously spicy and is great served as a pasta sauce or with fish, chicken and much more.
If you like this recipe, you will love Ottolenghi's other recipes from his book Test Kitchen Extra Good Things it is full of delicious recipes, many of them meat-free. If you are interested in buying this or any other of his cookbooks, click on the links. I hope you enjoy.
Thank you
Jacqui
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