Meals for €1: Milanese aubergine with pasta and Chinese-inspired aubergine with creamy rice – recipes | italian food and drink

A comparatively bulky vegetable that can stand on its own, eggplant can definitely be the star of the show. That’s the trick behind cooking for £1: what can I buy that’s cheap, but still substantial enough to fill a plate? Eggplant has a lush quality that gives it premium status among vegetables, making it a perfect meat substitute without disappointment.

Eggplant Milanese (pictured above)

Here’s my meatless take on a classic Italian dish. I especially love the contrasting texture of the crispy, seasoned breadcrumbs and the buttery-smooth eggplant meat. Definitely cook this on medium-low heat, for a beautiful even golden color.

Homework 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
It serves 1

1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
Salt
and pepper
1 egg,
defeated
1 handful breadcrumbs
1 slice of aubergine 1 cm thick

Olive oil
100g of spaghetti

¼ onion, diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
⅓ x 400g can diced tomatoes

Begin by bringing a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Take three plates and put the flour in one, and season, the beaten egg in another and the breadcrumbs, seasoned, in the third. Coat the aubergine slice in flour, then in egg and then in breadcrumbs and fry in a drizzle of olive oil over medium-low heat for about seven minutes on each side, until golden brown and cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente, then drain. In a separate frying pan, fry the onion and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes and, just when the garlic begins to brown, add the chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes brown. they have broken down into a good sauce.

Mix the drained pasta with the sauce, adding a little of the cooking water so that it dissolves as necessary, and serve with the aubergine.

Chinese-Inspired Eggplant and Rice

Chinese-inspired eggplant and rice by Miguel Barclay.Chinese-inspired eggplant and rice by Miguel Barclay.

This intricately presented dish is actually quite easy to prepare: just slice the flesh out of the eggplant and mix in a simple marinade. The key is to get the marinade sticky as you continue to baste the eggplant.

Homework 5 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
It serves 1

100g of rice
Salt
1 eggplant

2 tablespoons of sesame oil
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 pinch of chili flakes
1 clove garlic,
peeled and grated
1 pinch of sesame seeds
½ spring onioncut into thin sticks

Heat oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Place the rice and 200ml cold water in a saucepan, add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil and cook for about seven minutes, until all the rice has been absorbed. water. and the rice is cooked.

Cut the aubergine in half lengthwise, score the flesh in diamond shapes, making sure not to cut the skin, and place on a platter or baking dish.

Next, mix together the sesame oil, honey, soybeans, chilli and grated garlic, then pour over the eggplant and bake for about 20 minutes, periodically pouring the marinade over the eggplant. Once the marinade is nice and sticky and the eggplant is cooked through, pour the remaining marinade from the pan over the top, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and scallions, and serve with the rice.

  • Recipes adapted from Meat-Free One Pound Meals and Super-Easy One Pound Meals, both by Miguel Barclay and published by Headline at £16.99.

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