Recipes

Stuffed aubergine with fennel quinoa and n’duja

Paul Flynn's face
Paul Flynn
Sat Jul 3 2021 - 05:55
Serves: 4
Course: Starter
Cooking Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Ingredients
  • 2 aubergines
  • 1 bulb of fennel
  • 50ml olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
  • 100g n’duja, chopped
  • 6 dried apricots, chopped
  • 150g quinoa (tricolore of possible)
  • 450mls lightly salted water
  • squeeze of lemon
  1. Half the aubergines, then carefully cut out the flesh as best you can with a vegetable knife, leaving a 1cm-thick shell.
  2. Chop the flesh into fine dice, then trim and dice the fennel the same size.
  3. Put the olive oil, garlic and rosemary into a pan and cook for two minutes, then add the aubergine and the fennel.
  4. Cover and cook over a medium heat until everything starts to soften (about 15 minutes) stirring occasionally, taking care that it doesn't colour.
  5. Add the n'duja and the apricots, cook for a further 10 minutes, season and set aside. It should all be melting and glossy.
  6. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa in the water for 12 to 15 minutes, until just soft.
  7. Drain any excess water off then add to the aubergine then season.
  8. Drizzle a little olive oil over the raw aubergine shell and season.
  9. Stuff the mixture into the aubergines (at this point you can put them into the fridge until needed)
  10. Set the oven to 185 degrees.
  11. Bake the aubergines for 30 minutes until the top gets a little crisp and the skins are cooked.
  12. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a little salad.
Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn

Paul Flynn is a chef, restaurateur and contributor to The Irish Times. He and his wife, Máire, run the Tannery restaurant and cookery school in Dungarvan, Co Waterford

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