Eggplant and ricotta kataifi nests

served with red pepper tomato salsa

(makes 12)

Adapted from Ottolenghi's Plenty More

So i read about this kataifi pastry in the book and have to confess it was purely the attractiveness of the photos that made me want to give it a go. This middle eastern 'shredded pastry' looks so crisp and delicate and fancy schmancy! So when i saw this at the greengrocer's a few weeks ago i thought i'd brave this new experiment! This was my first attempt with this delicate pastry, turns out it's pretty versatile and stretchy, as long as you defrost it according to the instructions (keep it in the pack and leave for at least 2 hours). It can get dry once exposed to the air though, so it's important to keep it covered with a damp (but not wet) tea towel. 
These guys turned out pretty good except that i didn't have enough eggplants so ended up with less mixture and maybe it was a little over-cheesy! The pastry is very crispy but a little dry on its own so the salsa complements very nicely. Definitely an option for a starter at the next dinner party! It can probably be prepared in advance as it crisps up quite well the upon reheating. 

Prep time: 2 hours

Cooking time: 20-25 min

Ingredients

4 medium eggplants (1.2 kg in total)

200g ricotta

65g pecorino, grated

25g parsley

1 egg

110g butter, melted

60mL sunflower oil

240g kataifi pastry

salt and pepper

Red pepper and tomato salsa

1 medium red capscium/pepper

3 garlic cloves

4 tomatoes

2 tsp red wine vinegar

30-50mL olive oil

1/4 spanish onion

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 250˚C. Pierce the eggplants in a few places and place on a tray in the oven for 1.5 hours, turning occasionally to blacken all sides.

2. Remove from the oven and cool, then scoop the flesh into a colander and discard the skin. Leave the flesh to drain for at least 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the salsa. Place the garlic in the oven for 10 minutes to roast then remove the skin and set aside. Cut the capsicum into half and flatten and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the skin has blackened or blistered. Remove from the oven and place in a plastic box or cover with cling wrap to steam. When cooled, remove the skin.

NB. Placing the hot capsicum into a plastic takeaway box or covering it will make it easier to remove the skin.

4. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes to blanch. The skin should be broken when you remove it. Cool and remove the skin. 

5. Cut and deseed the tomatoes. Place half of the tomatoes into a food processor with the capsicum and garlic. Whiz together to make a paste, then add in the vinegar, 3/4 tsp salt and slowly add the oil to make a thick sauce. 

6. Dry and dice the remaining tomatoes and the onion. Mix in with the salsa sauce and set aside.

7. Mix the drained eggplant in a bowl with the ricotta, pecorino, parsley, egg, 3/4 tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper. 

In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter and oil. 

8. Reduce the oven heat to 220˚C.

9. Remove the pastry from the pack. Untangle and loosen, then cover with a damp tea towel. Take a 20g bundle and mix it in a bowl with 1 T butter/oil mixture. Place on a flat surface and stretch out to a 15cm x 5cm rectangle. Place 1.5 T of eggplant mixture on one side of the pastry, then roll the pastry loosely around the filling into an airy ball so all the filling is covered. Repeat with the remaining pastry and arrange snugly on a tray lined with baking paper.

10. Lightly brush the top of the pastry with the remaining oil/butter mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the top of the nests are golden and crunchy. 

11. Serve warm with the tomato salsa on the side.