Recipe: Warm Salad of Sweet and Sour Eggplant
- Words by Peppermint
We’re SO KEEN to try this second extract from Celia Brooks’ Superveg – a collection of recipes focused on the goodness and abundance of veggies. In fact if you whip it up, please send some to Peppermint HQ, stat. Thanks!
Ingredients
2 large or 3 medium eggplants
60-90 ml (2-3 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
100 ml (31/2 fl oz) dry vermouth or white wine
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons runny honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves
200 g (7 oz) crumbly or soft cheese, such as feta or goat’s cheese, broken into chunks
4 teaspoons pomegranate molasses handful of mint leaves, chopped
75 g (21/2 oz/1/2 cup) shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
Ingredients
Slice the stem off the eggplants. Stand them on the severed end and slice downwards, shaving off and discarding the first and last bit of skin. Make slices 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick. Brush each slice on both sides with olive oil.
Cook the eggplant in batches. Heat a chargrill pan until very hot. Lay the eggplant slices in the pan and cook each side until translucent and striped with black. Allow to cool slightly, then cut the cooked eggplants into long strips about 2 cm
(3/4 inch) wide.
Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. (If you have used up all the oil, add a couple of tablespoons to the pan.) When hot, add the eggplants and spread them out evenly in the pan. Add the vermouth or wine all at once – stand back as it may splutter at first. Season well with salt and pepper and cook, stirring gently, until the wine has almost completely evaporated. Add the vinegar and honey to the pan and stir. Cook for a couple more minutes, while the juices thicken and caramelise, then remove the pan from the heat.
Make a bed of baby spinach leaves on each plate and pile the eggplants on top. Scatter the cheese over them. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses, sprinkle with the chopped mint and pistachios and serve.
Options
Substitute an aged balsamic or balsamic glaze/syrup if pomegranate molasses is unavailable.
Special equipment
Chargrill pan (alternatively fry the eggplants in a large frying pan).
Serves 4-6
Images and recipe from SuperVeg by Celia Brooks by Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99 Photography by Jean Cazals.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
Brighten up your inbox with our not-too-frequent emails featuring Peppermint-related news, events, competitions and more!
explore
More articles
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…. Which means we are officially entering party season. Work parties, friend-dos, family get-togethers and then we’re straight into New Year festivities. If you’re lucky enough, you might be staring down the barrel…
Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
Furred, feathered, fishy, scaled… The pets we choose are as diverse as our personalities. (And apparently, quite often we resemble each other.) But they all…
When you hang a painting on a wall, the story stays put. But when you wear a beautifully made garment that may as well be…
Hang out with us on Instagram
A dotty dream! Our Sewing Manager @Laura_The_Maker walks us through her gorgeous version of the Waratah Wrap Dress ✨
“The @PeppermintMagazine #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress has entered the chat and she’s a real beauty!!!
The weeks leading into the festive season are flat out so in case you missed the launch of this glorious pattern let me show her to you!
Nice ease through the bodice and cuffed dolman sleeves, good coverage across the front but with that classic wrap dress v-neck shape we love, giving you freedom to decide how deep the v is. A slight empire waistband makes for a smooth drop to the hem and the fabulous centred pleats give shape and fullness, front and back. Does she have pockets? Obviously, we’re not animals. The stand out feature is the underlay which wraps all the way around from one hip to the other, ensuring you’re not having to readjust or hold the skirt shut on gusty days. The waist tie is long enough to go all the way around and tie at the centre back too, if that’s your style!
Sewn in the most darling pale pink and polka dot linen from my local fave bricks and mortar store Johnos Fabric Centre (they have no insta account) in Maroochydore, Sunshine Coast, Gubbi Gubbi land. If you’re ever up my way write this place into your itinerary, it’s a must stop shop!
A truly fabulous pattern (I’ve already made 2) and a classic wardrobe staple with a difference. 💕
Earrings are me made. 💅
Note: I absolutely don’t need another husband and I have a ring but I love the energy in this track!”
#WrapDress #LinenDress #MidiLengthDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s all a lot, isn’t it?
We weren’t designed to carry this much emotional grief and world-wide trauma on an ongoing basis. Just know you’re not alone. It’s ok to not be ok. 🫶🏻
Image from @PeopleIveLoved: “I am not sure my tiny brain was meant to understand this enormous grief.”
“We love that we can bring a hint of imagination and whimsy into everyday life by making ordinary objects fun. We’ve learned to appreciate the little wins and to take a moment for each step we achieve.”
Disillusioned by the realities of fast fashion, design grads Emily May and Sidonie Moore ditched clothing for a business that finds fun in the everyday. Enter @TheNonsenseMaker: a collection of unique homewares, fun wall art, greeting cards and more that breathe life into Emily’s illustrations: “I love the idea of taking real-world objects and changing your perspective in a way that brings magic and whimsy into everyday life!”
In issue 64’s feature ‘It all makes sense’, we chat to the Naarm/Melbourne-based duo about their sustainability philosophy, TV re-runs and their commitment to local makers. At stockists now!
Photos: @MeAndMyGirl
#PeppermintMagazine #TheNonsenseMaker #LocalMakers #SustainableCraft
Any New Year’s resolutions on your list? We love this from @OtterBeeStitching - “be brave enough to suck at something new”.
There’s no points for perfection, but you’ll get a trophy for trying. If nothing else this year, take the leap and try something new.
#OtterBeeStitching #Embroidery #BeBrave #TrySomethingNew #EmbroideryArt
Sunday serving suggestion ☀️
Gorgeous photos from @JolieFemmeStore - who make sweet garments from vintage bedsheets.
#PeppermintMagazine #SlowSunday #SwitchOff #Unplug #ReadAMagazine
A toast to the old you 🥂
We wholeheartedly love this post from the brilliant @EmilyOnLife:
“2026: Reinvent, burn it down, let it go (whatever it is). Year of the Snake it up. Exercise your boundaries, exercise your body, take one teeny step every day towards a life that feels better to be in.
But don’t you dare shit on your old self while you do it.
Hold yourself with reverence and tenderness and respect, because you got you this far. You did your very best with the information and tools you had at the time. You scraped yourself together, you made it work, you survived what felt impossible to survive: again and again and again.
You are perpetually in the process of becoming, whether you can feel it or not, whether or not you add it to your 2026 to-do list.“
