Aubergine Steaks with Butter Beans & Green Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 aubergines, cut lengthways into thick steaks
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 80g spinach
• 15g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 15g coriander, roughly chopped
• 120g Greek yogurt
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Rocket and seed salad, to serve

Method

1. Brush the aubergine steaks generously with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season all over with the smoked paprika, cumin, a proper pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper — aubergine is thirsty, both for oil and for seasoning, so don't be shy.
2. Heat a griddle pan or heavy frying pan over medium-high heat until properly hot — you want a faint shimmer off the surface. Lay the steaks down in a single layer with space between them; crowd the pan and they steam instead of char. Work in two batches if you need to. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes each side until deeply charred with dark grill lines and soft right through — a knife should slide in with no resistance. If they still feel firm in the middle, give them another minute or two.
3. While the aubergines cook, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in another pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and soften for 3 minutes until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, just until fragrant and pale gold. Don't let it brown — burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter.
4. The cumin and paprika on the aubergines are blooming in the hot oil as they cook — that's what shifts them from dusty to fragrant and gives the steaks their proper smoky depth. Keep the heat steady so the spices toast rather than scorch.
5. Tip the butter beans into the shallot pan with a splash of water and warm through for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring gently, until glossy and coated in the shallot oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Fold the spinach through the beans a handful at a time and let it wilt for a minute or so, until the mixture feels juicy and complete rather than dry. Taste now — adjust the salt before it leaves the pan, not at the table.
7. Very finely chop the parsley and coriander (or pulse in a small blender), then stir through the Greek yoghurt with the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Season to taste — it should taste bright and sharp, not thick and heavy. Loosen with a splash of water if it feels claggy.
8. Spoon the butter beans onto warm plates and lay the charred aubergine steaks on top. Spoon the green sauce generously over the aubergine so the herb-flecked yoghurt pools against the beans, scatter the reserved herb leaves, drizzle with olive oil, and tuck a lemon wedge alongside each plate for squeezing at the table.