Ingredients

  • 680g aubergine
  • 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 140g pearl barley
  • A small bunch of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped mint, plus more for garnish
  • 1 small garlic clove, coarsely chopped
  • 1 ½ tsp deseeded ad finely chopped serrano chilli
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • 1 large lemon
  • 115g feta cheese, crumbled
  • Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 200/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Method

  1. Halve the aubergine lengthways and score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern. Brush the flesh sides with 1tbsp of the oil, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Arrange the aubergine halves, cut side down, on the prepared baking tray and roast for 45-50 minutes, until the flesh is tender.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salter water to the boil and cook the barley for about 45 minutes, until tender yet still firm to the bite. Drain, then spread the barley on a baking tray set over a wire rack to cool.
  3. Transfer the baking tray with the roasted aubergine to another wire rack. Turn the aubergine halves cut side up and leave to cool for 5 minutes, then scrape the flesh from the skins, transfer to a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and leave to drain for 30 minutes.
  4. Mound the parsley, mint, garlic, chilli and oregano on a chopping board and finely chop together.
  5. In a large frying pan, heat the remaining oil over a medium-high heat. Add the herb and spice mixture, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Stir in the aubergine and cook for a further minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
  6. Transfer the aubergine mixture into a large bowl. Add the barley and toss together to combine. Finely zest the lemon into the bowl, then squeeze enough lemon to make 1 ½ tbsp juice to add to the bowl. Add half of the cheese, 1/4tsp of sale, and toss to combine.
  7. Serve the salad warm or at room temperature, garnished with the remaining cheese and more fresh herbs.
  8. Serves 4.