Baked Rice Pilaf with Eggplant

How to prepare baked rice pilaf with eggplant

1. Partially peel the eggplants (use a vegetable peeler to remove alternating strips of skin). Cut them lengthwise into thin slices of about 1/2 cm. Sprinkle with salt and leave to sit for 10 minutes.
2. Pat the slices dry with paper towels, then brush them well with oil on both sides.
3. Heat a cast iron grill pan very well (5 minutes on maximum heat, no fat).
4. Place as many slices as will fit in the pan, close together. Cook for 3 minutes per side until nicely browned.
5. As you remove the slices from the pan, brush them again on one side with olive oil.
6. Rinse the rice in several changes of water until the water runs clear. Drain and place in a bowl.
8. In a frying pan, heat 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the finely diced onion for 5 minutes, until well softened but not browned.
9. Add the finely diced tomato and cook for another 2 minutes.
10. Add the spices and mix well. Pour the pan contents over the rice and add the herbs (chopped parsley and mint). Season with salt and grind plenty of black pepper. Mix everything well.
11. Grease a heatproof dish (20x25-30 cm) with a little oil, including the sides. Line the bottom with eggplant slices, slightly overlapping.
12. Add the rice mixture and level it out.
14. Cover everything with the remaining eggplant slices — use them all, even if you end up with two layers.
15. In a small saucepan, dissolve the tomato and pepper pastes in the water. Add the oil, lemon juice and a little salt and bring to the boil.
16. Pour the hot sauce into the dish — it will cover the contents. Cover the dish with aluminium foil.
17. Bake in the oven at 220°C for 25-30 minutes (until the rice has puffed up and doubled in volume). Turn off the heat but leave the covered dish in the oven for another 15 minutes.
18. Portion and serve warm on its own or with yoghurt. It reheats well.

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