aubergines with garlic, mint and chilli
rating:3 large aubergines
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced and cut into thin spikes
5 tbsp olive oil
750 ml sunflower oil
1 large fresh red chilli, seeded and cut into thin slivers
1 small bunch fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
salt and black pepper
dressing:
1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
remove the stalks, and cut each aubergine widthways into slices about 2cm thick. Place in a colander, sprinkle liberally with salt and let them stand for half an hour. Meanwhile, fry the garlic in the olive oil until golden brown. Remove and drain, keeping both garlic and oil (the latter to use again in another dish!). Rinse the aubergines and pat dry. Heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan, until it begins to smoke, then fry the aubergine slices in batches until they are dark brown on both sides. Remove and drain.
to assemble the salad, put one layer of aubergines in a dish (not overlapping). Roughly estimating how much you will need per layer, sprinkle the dressing, fried garlic, chili and mint over the top until all ingredients are used up. Let the aubergines sit for at least an hour or two to infuse.
