Aubergine Steaks with Cous Cous Topping

I haven't forgotten about the blog, just been doing a lot thinking about blogging and my place in Irish blogging, etc. But here's some real food for thought! My pal Donna asked for the recipe and I thought I'd share it with you guys. This is delicious. It's taken from Leith's Vegetable Bible, with some of my own modifications and exclusions. It's vegan too!


(Someone recently downloaded instagram for android!)

110g cous cous
225ml boiling water
1/4 pint olive or chili infused oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 shallots or spring onions, finely chopped
grated zest of one lemon
salt & freshly ground pepper
2 med to large aubergines
30g butter melted (I omitted this)
a walnut sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1. Preheat grill to high and preheat the oven to 190c
2. Place cous cous in a bowl, pour over the boiling water and and leave to soak. warm the oil in a small saucepan and stir in the garlic, shallot/spring onion and half the lemon zest and the juice. season with salt and pepper.
3. Trim the stalks from the aubergines and cut each lengthways into 4-5 thick slices. brush liberally with the infused oil and grill on both sides until golden brown.
4. Using a fork, mix the cous cous with the melted butter (I used whatever oil was left over), ginger and the remaining lemon zest (I used the other half of the lemon juice instead). Season with s & p. I also added some fresh coriander that was left in the fridge. arrange the slices in a single layer in an over proof dish, or a baking tray. pile the cous cous mixture on top and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cous cous topping is hot and roasted on top!

Serve with a fresh mediterranean salad, we also had a sort-of-colcannon on the side, where I used up the cabbage left in the fridge and mashed it with onions, garlic, potatoes and olive butter.