Impress your guest with a craft cocktail to pair with your dish, prepared by yourself.
Stuffed aubergine with herbed Bulgar paired with a Classic Wix & Tonic
(vegan/vegetarian)
Serves 12
Ingredients
- 6 small aubergines
- 5 tablespoons olive oil,
- Divided 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
- 1 teaspoon za’atar spice, 1 cup dry bulgur wheat, 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, tightly packed 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, tightly packed.
- 1/4 cup green onion, thinly sliced (about 2 stalks), 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, plus more for garnish
- (optional) 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds, plus more for garnish (optional) 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
Method
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
- Wash the aubergine and slice them in half lengthwise. Using a paring knife, score the aubergine halves with diagonal crosshatches, making sure not to cut through the skin. Drizzle each aubergine half with about a half-tablespoon of olive oil each. Season with the salt, pepper and za’atar spice. Bake, cut-side up, for about 45 minutes or until the aubergines are completely soft.
- While the aubergines are baking, place the dry bulgur in a medium-sized bowl and pour boiling water over to cover. Place a kitchen towel over the bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the towel, fluff the bulgur with a fork, and taste. If the grain is still hard, recover the bowl with the kitchen towel and check back after 5 minutes.
- Finely chop the parsley and coriander. Once the bulgur is soft, drain any excess water. Toss the bulgur with the parsley, cilantro, scallions, pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, lemon zest and juice, and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season to taste with sea salt.
- Transfer the cooked aubergines on to a platter and spoon the herbed- bulgur salad over the aubergines. Garnish with extra pomegranate seeds and pine nuts.
Paired with: Classic Wix & Tonic
The gin and tonic may conjure up images of wide verandas on a warm summer afternoon, but we believe that you can enjoy a Wix & Tonic anywhere, anytime.
Ingredients
- 50 ml Wixworth Gin 200 ml Tonic Water
- A lime/pomegranate wheel for garnish
Method
- Build all ingredients in the glass over ice and serve in a tall glass or large wine glass