Eggplant ragu with corn

"A few years ago, I wanted to up my vegetarian repertoire and searched online for recipes that took my fancy. I stumbled upon an Ottolenghi eggplant and corn dish, and I've been doing a simpler spin on it ever since."

Eggplant ragu with corn Credit: Kitti Gould

• serves

  2

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3 cobs corn, husks and silk removed
• 2 tbsp butter, diced
• 100 g feta, crumbled
• chilli oil, to serve

Eggplant ragu

• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 eggplant, cut into 3 cm dice
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 60 ml (¼ cup) white wine
• 250 g (1 cup) chopped peeled canned tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp chopped oregano leaves
• salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. For the eggplant ragu, heat a good drizzle of oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Fry the eggplant for 10 minutes or until soft and brown. Add the tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer for 1 minute to cook off the alcohol, then add the tomatoes, sugar, oregano and 125 ml (½ cup) water. Season to taste and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened and reduced.
2. Meanwhile, using a large sharp knife, cut all the kernels off the corn and place in a saucepan. Cover with water, bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Once cooked, drain the corn and reserve the cooking liquid. Place the corn in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Return the corn to the pan with some of the cooking liquid and simmer for 5 minutes. Fold in the butter and feta and season to taste.
3. To serve, spread a large spoonful of corn on each plate and top with the eggplant ragu. Drizzle with chilli oil to taste.

 

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.