One of three restaurants from the Gladwin Brothers, Rabbit focuses predominantly on “wild food”, most of which is either hunted or foraged. Still in season (at the time of writing), Rabbit’s Sussex grilled harissa aubergine recipe also features an Egyptian-inspired cinnamon dukkah spice mix, sunflower seed butter and salsa verde. With various elements, the dish is somewhat simple to recreate at home, and is – above all – a delicious meat-free dish for Autumn.
Ingredients
Aubergines, 1 box, quartered lengthways
Table salt, 100g
For the dukkah
Sunflower seeds, 300g
Cinnamon, 45g, blitzed
Sesame seeds, 240g
Coriander seeds, 45g
Cumin seeds, 45g
Black pepper, 30g
Sea salt flakes, 30g
For the harissa paste
Oil, 100ml
Garlic, 12 cloves
Red chillies, 6
Fennel seeds, 2tsp
Coriander seeds, 2tsp
Whole cardamom pods, 6
Cane sugar, 200g
Red wine vinegar, 200ml
Tomato paste, 50g
Lemon, zest and juice of 4
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the sunflower seed butter
Sunflower seeds, 1kg
Garlic, 5 cloves
Confit garlic oil, 50ml
Salt, to taste
Hot water, +/- 500ml
For the salsa verde
Mint, ½ bunch
Parsley, ½ bunch
Chives, ½ bunch
Castor sugar, 2tbsp
Limes, juice of 2
Virgin rapeseed oil, 1 cup
Method
Salt the quartered aubergines for 30 minutes, then wash and thoroughly dry.
Meanwhile make the harissa: reduce the sugar and vinegar together by 2/3rds. Toast all the spices and then blitz together with the oil, chilli and garlic. Cook off the oil spice mixture for 5 minutes until aromatic and fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the reduced gastric (reduction of red wine vinegar and sugar) and reduce to a thick paste. Finish with lemon juice and season to taste.
For the sunflower seed butter: add the oil, sunflower seeds and garlic to the Thermomix and pulse until it starts to break down. Slowly add the hot water until a butter consistency is achieved. Season to taste.
For the salsa verde: add all the ingredients to the Thermomix and blitz until a runny pesto consistency is formed.
Marinate the aubergines in the harissa paste for 2 hours, grill to achieve dark grill marks on all sides and then cook at 180 degrees for 5 minutes.
Further information on Rabbit can be found here.
RELATED
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/food-drink/restaurant-review-rabbit/06/04/
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/food-drink/rabbit-to-offer-foraged-food-to-go/26/05/
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/food-drink/make-aubergine-salad-soft-boiled-egg-roasted-rice-powder/03/04/
Ingredients
- 1 box Aubergines quartered lengthways
- 100 g Table salt
For the dukkah
- 300 g Sunflower seeds
- 45 g Cinnamon blitzed
- 240 g Sesame seeds
- 45 g Coriander seeds
- 45 g Cumin seeds
- 30 g Black pepper
- 30 g Sea salt flakes
For the harissa paste
- 100 ml Oil
- 12 cloves Garlic
- 6 Red chillies
- 2 tsp Fennel seeds
- 2 tsp Coriander seeds
- 6 Whole cardamom pods
- 200 g Cane sugar
- 200 ml Red wine vinegar
- 50 g Tomato paste
- 4 Lemons zest and juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the sunflower seed butter
- 1 kg Sunflower seeds
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 50 ml Confit garlic oil
- Salt to taste
- 500 ml Hot water
For the salsa verde
- ½ bunch Mint
- ½ bunch Parsley
- ½ bunch Chives
- 2 tbsp Castor sugar
- 2 Limes juice
- 1 cup Virgin rapeseed oil
Instructions
- Salt the quartered aubergines for 30 minutes, then wash and thoroughly dry.
- Meanwhile make the harissa: reduce the sugar and vinegar together by 2/3rds. Toast all the spices and then blitz together with the oil, chilli and garlic. Cook off the oil spice mixture for 5 minutes until aromatic and fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the reduced gastric (reduction of red wine vinegar and sugar) and reduce to a thick paste. Finish with lemon juice and season to taste.
- For the sunflower seed butter: add the oil, sunflower seeds and garlic to the Thermomix and pulse until it starts to break down. Slowly add the hot water until a butter consistency is achieved. Season to taste.
- For the salsa verde: add all the ingredients to the Thermomix and blitz until a runny pesto consistency is formed.
- Marinate the aubergines in the harissa paste for 2 hours, grill to achieve dark grill marks on all sides and then cook at 180 degrees for 5 minutes.
