Author Notes
Knowing what to eat when it is insanely hot one day and pouring rain and much cooler the next, is proving somewhat difficult with this erratic and very unpredictable summer. I have gone from earthy, comforting soups to light heritage tomato salads in the space of a week. I am in a culinary conundrum. I want to embrace the glut of beautiful summer produce by using it in fresh salads, but it is proving difficult when I am already cold and want something to warm me up. So for the best of both worlds I have opted for this warm quinoa salad, which combines a more filling grain with delicious roast red peppers and eggplant and packs in the flavour with garlic & parsley oil. This dish tastes equally good served cold or at room temperature, so it is handy for those days when the weather decides to do a u-turn and land you in the Sahara desert once again! —Jordan Bourke
Ingredients
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1.5 cups
Quinoa
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2 teaspoons
Vegetable stock powder
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2
Eggplant - sliced into 2cm discs
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8
Dried apricots – chopped
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1
Garlic clove – finely chopped or crushed
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2 tablespoons
Agave syrup
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Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 200 C.
Toss the sliced red peppers in some olive oil (just enough to coat them), salt and pepper. Place in a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or until they have become limp and soft with a little colour on the edges.
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While they are cooking, bring the quinoa to the boil in just under double its quantity of water with the stock powder. The moment it has come to the boil, reduce the heat to low and place the lid on top. Cook for about 12 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Turn off the heat, remove the lid and let any remaining water evaporate.
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While the quinoa is cooking, using a pastry brush or even with your fingers, brush or rub both sides of the eggplant discs with olive oil. There is no need to salt them and drain them for this recipe. Heat a pan over a medium flame and once hot add the eggplant discs to the pan. Cook on one side for a few minutes or until golden and then flip over and cook the other side until soft in the centre. Remove from the pan and season with sea salt, pepper and a drizzling of agave syrup.
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Combine the chopped parsley, garlic and enough olive oil to make a lose parsley oil. You don’t want it too dry. Then gently stir the eggplant and red peppers through the quinoa, taking care not to mash them so they are unrecognizable. The beauty of this dish, apart from the taste of course, are the gorgeous vegetables vying for attention, so let them shine.
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Drizzle over the garlic and parsley oil and serve immediately with some grilled fish or even just with a light green salad.
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