CookEat Recipe
Aubergine and Fennel Sauce
Soft cooked aubergine binds raw fennel, garlic and parsley into a spoonable sauce. Dried oregano and red wine vinegar supply a strong herbal, tart finish; the remaining water is added only as needed.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Wash the fresh produce and use clean utensils. Unless specified below, vegetable weights refer to the prepared edible parts. Reserve 180 ml of the listed water for blending.
Step 2
Trim and peel the raw aubergine, then cut the flesh into 1 cm cubes. Remove the fennel stalks, tough outer layer and hard core; slice the bulb very thinly. Use fresh parsley leaves for both the 12 g parsley and 5 g generic herbs, 17 g in total; wash, dry and chop, discarding coarse stems. Peel and finely mince garlic. Use dried oregano leaves, measured without packing.
Step 3
Put the aubergine cubes in a nonstick pan with half the olive oil and 40 ml of the reserved blending water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring, until easily crushed; retain the pan juices.
Step 4
Spread the cooked components in a shallow dish and let them cool for about 10 minutes until no longer hot before mixing with the fresh ingredients. Prepare the remaining ingredients while the cooked components cool.
Step 5
Combine the prepared aubergine, fennel, parsley, dried oregano, red wine vinegar, garlic, fresh parsley leaves in a blender with the remaining half of the olive oil and the retained pan juices. Blend until evenly combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl.
Step 6
If the sauce is too thick, stir in the reserved blending water 5 ml at a time, up to 140 ml remaining in total. Stop at the consistency wanted for serving; discard any unused water.
Step 7
Transfer to a clean serving container and rest for 10 minutes. Serve promptly, or refrigerate in a shallow covered container at 4°C or below and use within 2 days. Keep total time at room temperature under 2 hours; stir before serving.
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