Recipe and image Kathy Paterson
There are many stunning individual flavours and textures in this dish. Flavour comes from the freshness and quality of local ingredients.
Serves 4 with leftover cold meat
1 large eggplant, trimmed
2 tbsp Pinoli pine nuts
2 x 400g lamb rump with fat cap, at room temperature
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
4 tbsp Clevedon Buffalo Co. whipped cream cheese
2 Persian cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
250g chip of cherry tomatoes, cut in half horizontally
1 handful basil leaves, torn if large
1 handful flat leaf parsley or mint leaves, torn if large
1 lemon
1 baguette, sliced and grilled or toasted
Heat the oven to 200°C.
Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise then sprinkle cut side with a little flaky sea salt and leave to sit for 30 minutes (or up to an hour).
Salting is no longer required for bitterness but deters the eggplant from soaking up too much oil as it cooks. Not a necessity to do this but I like to.
Put the pine nuts in a shallow baking tray, put in the oven, and toast for about 3 minutes. Keep an eye out as they will burn easily. Remove to a plate and leave to cool.
Heat a barbecue hot plate (or large frying pan) until medium-hot. Put a shallow roasting dish in the oven to heat.
Brown the fat cap side of the lamb rump on the hot plate until a dark honey colour and until most of the fat has rendered. Turn and quickly brown the meat, then transfer to the hot dish in the oven and roast for 15 minutes for lamb that is still pink. Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper. Cover loosely with compostable foil and a clean tea towel and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes.
Wipe the eggplant dry then cut each half into 5 thick slices. Put straight on to the hot plate you browned the lamb on (there should be some delicious lamb fat left on the hot plate), drizzle with a little olive oil, and cook for 5 minutes on each side until the eggplant slices are meltingly tender. Remove and put in a shallow serving bowl then immediately drizzle generously with extra olive oil to make them extraordinarily luscious.
To serve, smear a tablespoon of whipped cream cheese on each plate. Top with the cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Scatter over the herbs, then finely grate a little lemon zest over. Top with the pine nuts.
Slice the lamb rump across the grain of the meat and put onto each plate along with some eggplant. Cut the zested lemon into wedges and pass the grilled baguette.
Serving ideas – Serve with a crisp green salad, dressed with a lemon vinaigrette or a sesame mayonnaise dressing.
Replace the baguette with pita, naan, or roti. Or serve with a bowl of cooked new potatoes.
Add some steamed or blanched green beans.
