Eggplant is the ideal winter comfort food

Roasting transforms eggplant into a winter wonder.

Layered eggplant and tomatoes. Picture: Guy Bailey.

Roasting transforms eggplant into a winter wonder. The moussaka needs more prep time than the other two dishes here but you can make it a day before baking and serving.

Layered eggplant & tomatos

3 medium eggplants, thinly sliced lengthways
Olive oil, for frying
1 onion, sliced
2 red capsicums, seeds removed
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
¼ teaspoon red chilli flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Plain natural yoghurt, to serve

Preheat oven to 180C. Cover base of large frypan with oil and heat over medium-high; fry eggplant in batches until golden brown on both sides. Remove to a plate. Turn heat to low; add onion, capsicum and a little oil to frypan; cook for 10 minutes, stirring, until soft. Add garlic, chilli and cumin, cook for a minute; stir in tomatoes and oregano. Season well with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, until thickened. Stir in half the parsley. If using an ovenproof frying pan, remove three-quarters of the sauce to a bowl, leaving a thin layer. If not, add ¼ cup of sauce to a medium (20cm square) baking dish or casserole dish. Arrange one layer of eggplant evenly over sauce layer; cover with more sauce. Repeat with remaining eggplant and sauce. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 45 minutes, until eggplant is very soft and sauce has reduced. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve with plain natural yoghurt. Serves 4

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Baked eggplant with Asian-style pork filling. Picture: Guy Bailey.

Baked eggplant with asian-style pork filling

Two large eggplants
About ½ cup vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded, chopped
1 small thumb fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground Szechuan pepper
400g pork mince
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons chopped peanuts
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Coriander leaves, to garnish

Slice eggplants in half lengthways; scoop out flesh, leaving about 1cm of flesh on skin. Brush shells with oil, season, place on baking tray, cover with foil; bake in medium oven for 10-15 minutes. Roughly chop flesh; put to one side. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pan; add garlic, chilli, ginger and Szechuan pepper. Stir-fry 1 minute; add pork mince. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes. Add chopped eggplant flesh, spring onions, wine and soy sauce. Season with pepper and extra soy sauce, if desired. Preheat oven to 170C. Divide filling and juices between eggplant shells; roast for 10-15 minutes. Scatter with peanuts, sesame seeds and coriander. Serves 4

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Moussaka. Picture: Guy Bailey.

Moussaka

3 medium (or 2 large) eggplants
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1kg minced lamb
3 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed with ½ cup water
300ml red wine
Bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
For the béchamel
500ml milk
60g butter
60g plain flour
50g kefalotyri or pecorino cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 180C. Cut eggplants lengthways into 0.5cm thick slices; place on oiled baking trays. Brush with oil; season. Bake for about 25 minutes, turning once, until soft and golden. Meanwhile, fry onions in 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add garlic, cinnamon and oregano; cook for a couple of minutes more; stir in lamb. Turn up heat; brown lamb well, cooking until mixture is quite dry. Break up any lumps with a fork. Stir in tomato mixture and wine; reduce heat, simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, until most liquid has evaporated. Season to taste; stir in parsley.

To make béchamel, bring milk to just below boiling point; melt butter in another medium-sized saucepan. Stir flour into butter and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes; gradually whisk in hot milk. Cook, whisking, until thick, then add cheese and stir until melted. Take off heat and allow to cool slightly, then beat in eggs and nutmeg. Season to taste.

Arrange about a third of eggplant in a deep ovenproof dish; top with half the lamb. Repeat layers, finishing with eggplant; top with béchamel sauce. Bake for 45 minutes until well browned; leave to rest for 20-25 minutes before serving. Serves 6-8

To see more recipes by David Herbert, go to theaustralian.com.au/herbert-recipes [e-mail]