Buttery Eggplants with Toasted Couscous
This recipe is a part of Anna Jones’ summer grilling menu. You can find all the recipes in the package here.
This is a perfect recipe for a crowd and works brilliantly on the barbecue rather than the broiler if you like. One thing to ensure here is that your eggplants are buttery and soft; raw eggplant has to be one of the worst things to eat. Eggplant is a pretty resilient vegetable, so be brave when you cook it, and give it long enough to make sure it’s cooked through. Try to get your hands on the longer, thin eggplants, as short fat ones will take much longer to cook through.
– Anna Jones, Author of The Modern Cook’s Year
Buttery Eggplants with Toasted Couscous
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the peppers:
- 4
red peppers, deseeded and cut into thin strips
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil
- 4 cloves
of garlic, finely sliced
- 1
red onion, finely sliced
- 2 tablespoons
sherry vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon
smoked sweet paprika
For the eggplant:
- 1 teaspoon
ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon
ground cilantro
Sea salt
- 1 tablespoon
olive oil
- 4
long, thin eggplants
Plain yogurt, to serve (optional)
For the couscous:
- 1 1/2 cups
(300 g) whole-wheat giant couscous (mograbieh)
- 1 heaping teaspoon
vegetable stock powder
Small bunches of mint, parsley, basil, leaves picked and roughly chopped, stems reserved
The zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon
- 6 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 1 teaspoon
sumac
Instructions
First, the peppers. Put the peppers in a frying pan with the olive oil, garlic, and red onion and cook for 20 minutes over low to medium heat, until softened and sweeter and the edges are beginning to pick up some golden color. Add the vinegar and paprika and cook for another 20 minutes, then season well and take off the heat.
While the peppers are cooking, heat your broiler or barbecue to medium. Mix the cumin and cilantro with the oil and a good pinch of salt. Prick the eggplants all over and rub them with the oil. Put them under the broiler or on the barbecue for about 25 minutes, turning them a couple of times. You are aiming for the eggplants to almost completely collapse, so be brave.
Fill the kettle with water and bring to a boil. Toast the couscous in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, until it smells toasty but before it colors. Cover with 4 1/2 cups (1 liter) of boiling water and add the stock powder and herb stems. Turn the heat down to medium and let the couscous simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
Put the lemon zest and juice in a small bowl with the olive oil. Add the chopped herb leaves and sumac and mix well. Once the couscous is cooked, drain well, remove the herb stems, and dress with half the dressing while still warm.
Place an eggplant on each plate, cut lengthways with a sharp knife, and season the insides well with olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve with a heaping spoonful of the couscous and peppers on the side. Finish with the remaining dressing and some yogurt, if you like.
Recipe Notes
Reprinted with permission from The Modern Cook’s Year by Anna Jones, published by Abrams Books 2019.
