Roast Fennel, Aubergine with Freekeh, Chickpeas and Harissa Dressing | Rebel Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to soak aubergine before roasting? ›

In the past, recipes called for aubergines to be sliced and salted before cooking to reduce their bitterness. As modern varieties are much less bitter, that is no longer necessary, unless you're planning to fry them – aubergines soak up oil like a sponge and salting helps reduce that.

Place the fennel in a baking dish with the whole unpeeled garlic cloves, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, toss well with a good splash of water, then arrange in a single layer, cover with tin foil and roast for 1 hour.

Eggplant (US, CA, AU, NZ, PH), aubergine (UK, IE), brinjal (IN, SG, MY, ZA), or baigan (GY) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Solanum melongena is grown worldwide for its edible fruit.

You might know them as eggplants or you might know them as aubergines, but they are exactly the same plant. The English prefer the latter name, while in North America we use the former.

Fennel seed soaked in water overnight after being boiled in a glass of water to half ceases the formation of gas in the stomach which makes you feel much relaxed. You may also find a significant change in your energy level and weight loss by drinking it.

Fennel fruits contain an essential oil ("Bitter fennel oil") with sweet-tasting trans-anethole (main component) and the bitter fenchone that gives the Bitter fennel its slightly bitter taste. The essential oil of Sweet fennel (var.

Though often overlooked by home cooks, this versatile ingredient is beloved by chefs for its pleasantly sweet, fresh flavor and mild aromatic character.

Salting versus brining

It will, however, help the spongy flesh absorb less oil and crisp up like a dream. To salt, just slice the eggplant into rounds, scatter 1 teaspoon of salt on top, leave for 30 minutes, then pat dry. Brining (soaking in salted water) will do the same job but also make the flesh super creamy.

Submerge the pieces in the salted water. Use an upside-down plate or pot lid to weigh down the eggplant so it is fully submerged in the water. Let the eggplant sit in the brine for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Drain the eggplant and pat it dry with a clean kitchen towel or layers of paper towels.

To prepare: In the past many recipes recommended salting aubergines to reduce their bitter flavour, this isn't really necessary nowadays, simply wash the skin and trim off the calyx. Slice or cut the flesh into chunks just before cooking as the flesh browns quickly.

Do you need to soak aubergine in salt? ›

Most aubergines you get in the UK are less sturdy, so salting just bashes up the flesh. My teacher, the Italian cook and one-time London restaurateur Carla Tomasi, is adamant you don't need to salt any more.