Serves 4 as a starter or 6 – 8 as a side dish
Ingredients:
1 large aubergine
5 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
200g quinoa
2 gem lettuces
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp grain mustard
3 tomatoes, diced
1. Cut the stalk off the aubergine and slice into long batons. Lay the batons on a baking sheet and drizzle with 3 tbsp oil and season with salt. Grill until golden, turning them several times. Remove from the grill and allow to cool. Grate the zest of half the lemon and season with salt and pepper while cooling.
2. Bring 1 litre of water to boil in a large pan and add the quinoa. Cook for 9 – 12 minutes, then drain and leave to cool.
3. Trim the lettuce, separate, wash and drain the leaves.
4. Mix the juice from the lemon with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard and a little salt.
5. To serve, toss everything together and place on a platter.
I made this for dinner to accompany some seared steak and it was really tasty. I hadn’t put aubergine in a salad before but it was tasty with the quinoa and dressing. It’s really easy to make and you can prepare it ahead and serve when needed. I probably wouldn’t choose to have it on it’s own but have as a side dish to some fish or chicken, but that’s just my personal opinion.
I’ll definitely be making this salad again.