You have to try this dish to experience the perfect balance of all flavours from Italy… a journey on its own! Roma salad with aubergines, baby marrows, haloumi and pine nuts is just bursting with delicious freshness.
Recipe by Bongani Shongwe
Roma salad with aubergines, baby marrows, haloumi and pine nuts
Ingredients
- 1 yellow pepper, halved and seeded
- 1 medium aubergine, thinly sliced lengthways
- coarse salt
- 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil + 30ml (2 tbsp) extra
- 15ml (1 tbsp) white wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 200g baby marrows, sliced thinly lengthways
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 100g haloumi, sliced lengthways
- 20g lettuce and rocket mix
- 30g pine nuts, toasted
- 50g black olives, pitted and sliced
- 50g sun-dried tomatoes, sliced ready-made pesto dressing, to serve
Instructions
Preheat the grill to 220°C.
Place the pepper halves on a baking tray, skin-side up and grill until the skin chars, about 15 minutes.
Place the peppers in a sealed container and allow to sweat while cooling, 5 minutes. Peel off the skin and cut into strips. Set aside.
Sprinkle the aubergine slices with coarse salt and pack tightly on a tray. Set aside for 1 hour, then rinse the salt off and pat dry.
Combine 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil and the white wine vinegar and rub over the aubergine slices. Grill the slices in a non-stick frying pan, about 4 minutes on each side. Set aside.
Combine the remaining 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil and crushed garlic, and coat the baby marrow slices. Season and grill in a non-stick pan, about 3 minutes on each side.
Grill the haloumi in a non-stick pan, about 2 minutes on each side.
To assemble, place the lettuce and rocket mix at the bottom of the plate or bowl and top with the other ingredients. Serve with the pesto dressing.
