Aubergine and Fennel Braise
You say eggplant, I say aubergine...cos it just sounds that more upmarket and bit fancy schmancy! (Some say brinjal...to them we say Brinjal Pickle!)
The flowers of this plant are so beautiful. I could grow it just for the flowers, (but I don't actually grow it at all!!) As I walk my neighbourhood, and around a lot of other Australian neighbourhoods, you will often see an eggplant plant. (SEE, aubergine plant works SO much better!) They fruit hide very well amongst the foliage. There is something a little bit magic about spotting a big heavy glossy black eggplant hiding, ready for picking and cooking.
Most eggplant are eaten cooked or perhaps pickled. There are many shapes and sizes and colours and they are used variously throughout many many cuisines. This recipe calls for your garden variety black aubergine. We think you won't ever look at aubergine the same way again after eating this dish. It is absolutely more-ish.
This recipe appears in our Go Slower; Thermomix to your Slow Cooker ebook which is chock full of amazing non traditional recipes just like this one and is free to Insiders! We think it's time you joined us!
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Need
-
The Veggies
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) as needed BUY
- 1 red onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 large aubergine (eggplant) sliced lengthwise 2cm thick
- 4 large tomatoes, quartered
- 2 small fennel bulbs, sliced, reserving fronds for garnish
- 50 Grams sun dried tomatoes
- 1 Teaspoon coriander seeds
- pink salt flakes and pepper to taste BUY
-
The Dressing;
- 1 Handful each fresh basil and Italian parsley
- 1 Bunch chives
- 1 lemons juice only
- 2 Teaspoons Capers
- 1 Tablespoon raw caster sugar BUY
-
The Topping;
- crumbled feta cheese to taste
- reserved fennel fronds
- herb leaves of choice
Do
- 1
Drizzle the base of your slow cooker generously with the EVOO and turn it on the high setting.
- 2
Place the onion and garlic onto the bottom of the dish.
- 3
Layer the aubergine on top and drizzle with more EVOO. Season to taste.
- 4
Add tomatoes, fennel and sundried tomatoes. Sprinkle with coriander seeds and season that layer as well.
- 5
Slow cook this for up to 4 hours.
- 6
Prepare the dressing by placing all ingredients into the Thermomix bowl. Blend 1 min/speed 8. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat.
- 7
Plate up the veggies onto serving plates in the layers that they have been cooked in. It is easy to transfer straight from the slow cooker if you are careful.
- 8
Crumble feta over the top of each plate, drizzle with plenty of dressing and garnish with fresh herbs and fennel fronds.
- 9
Serve hot.
- 10
The dressing in this dish is stand alone gorgeous for any vegetable or salad dish you have on the go. (Pin it!)
Served with
Bree is a mum who has always loved cooking and baking and became a big Tenina fan when she got her first Thermomix. She was on the very first foodie trip as a customer and hasn't looked back, working for Tenina for over 5 years as a recipe tester and developer, branching out into video master for all of Tenina's lives! She still runs her baking business, creating amazing cakes and macarons for her customer list.
