Aubergine with Quartirolo Lombardo and chilli

This Melanzane con quartirolo e peperoncino is the perfect veggie dish served with some crusty bread!

Ingredients
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large aubergine, diced
  • 1 large garlic clove, peeled, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped chilli peppers in olive oil
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • a handful of basil leaves, chopped
  • 100g Quartirolo Lombardo cheese
Method:
  1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan – it is important to get the oil nice and hot or the aubergine will absorb it too quickly and become soggy.
  2. Add the aubergine to the pan, gently move it around to coat it evenly, and fry for about 4 minutes.
  3. Once the aubergine is beginning to soften, add the garlic and chilli. Continue cooking for a further 3 minutes, until the aubergine has started to brown.
  4. Turn off the heat, season to taste, then add the basil leaves. (For a completely different taste you could substitute fresh mint leaves for the basil.)
  5.  Crumble the Quartirolo Lombardo into the pan and give everything a good mix. Serve hot or cold with plenty of crusty ciabatta.
  6. TIP A specialist importer will supply Quartirolo Lombardo, but if you can’t find any, a good feta would work perfectly well in this dish.