
Aubergine steaks with freekeh salad and buttermilk dressing
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Easy
- June 2018

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Serves 4
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Hands-on time 30 min
A stunning vegetarian dish of griddled aubergines, nutty freekeh and a creamy buttermilk and dill dressing to top it all off.
- Calories
- 373kcals
- Fat
- 14.5g (2g saturated)
- Protein
- 10.6g
- Carbohydrates
- 42.9g (8.9g sugars)
- Fibre
- 13.9g
- Salt
- 0.9g
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 100g semi-dried tomatoes in oil(reserve 3 tbsp of the oil for cooking)
- 2 medium aubergines, cut into 1cm slices lengthways through the stalk
- 1 large fennel bulb, sliced
- 2 x 250g pouches cooked freekeh (we used Merchant Gourmet, from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose)
- ½ tsp fennel seeds, toasted briefly in a dry pan, then lightly crushed
- 5 tbsp buttermilk
- Small bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 5 fresh mint sprigs, leaves picked and finely chopped
- Juice ½ lemon
Method
- Heat a griddle or frying pan over a high heat. In a small bowl, mix the crushed garlic, 1 tbsp oil from the tomatoes and a little salt to make an oily paste. Brush the aubergine slices all over with the paste, then griddle for 8-10 minutes until softened and charred, turning halfway through. You’ll need to do this in batches.
- Meanwhile, heat another 1 tbsp oil from the tomatoes in a separate frying pan, add the sliced fennel and cook over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until tender. Put in a bowl and add the freekeh, semi-dried tomatoes and crushed fennel seeds.
- Whisk together the buttermilk, the remaining tomato oil, half the chopped herbs, the lemon juice and seasoning in a small bowl. Add the remaining herbs to the freekeh and season.
- Spoon the freekeh salad onto a serving platter or divide among 4 serving plates, top with the aubergine slices and drizzle over the buttermilk dressing. Eat straightaway.
delicious. tips
The same weight of any cooked grain or rice would work just as well.
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