WHY DO VEGETABLES CHANGE TEXTURE WHEN COOKED?
During cooking, the cell walls degrade. This separates the vegetable cells and gives cooked vegetables their soft texture.
ORGANISATION
3 months before | Cook the eggplant and store in the freezer.
OR 1 week before | Cook the eggplant and store in the refrigerator.
MAKES 400 G
500 g small eggplants (about 2–3)
salt
30 g olive oil
40 g ground almonds
2 tablespoons tahini
juice of ½ lemon
1 small garlic clove, germ removed pinch of Espelette pepper freshly ground black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 170°C. Wash the eggplants, cut them in half lengthways, score the flesh in a crisscross pattern without cutting the skin, place the halves on a baking tray or in a baking dish, sprinkle lightly with salt, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2 Using the tip of a knife, check if the eggplant is cooked: the knife should pierce the flesh easily. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
3 Separate the eggplant flesh from the skin using a spoon. Blend the eggplant flesh, olive oil, ground almonds, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and Espelette pepper until the mixture is smooth. Adjust the seasoning, adding some black pepper and extra salt if needed.