EGGPLANT PURÉE WITH ORZO AND ZUCCHINI

Preparation: 30 minutes

Cooking: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.1 lbs. (500 g) eggplant
• 5 1/2 oz. (150 g) potatoes
• 3 1/2 oz. (100 g) yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 1 cup (200 g) pearl barley
• 3.5 oz. (100 g) zucchini, diced
• 1 clove garlic
• Fresh sage, thyme, and rosemary to taste
• 6 1/3 cups (1.5 l) vegetable stock or store-bought vegetable broth; more as needed
• salt and pepper
• 4 tsp. (20 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel the eggplant, reserving and thinly slicing the skin and dicing the flesh. Put the flesh in a colander, salt it lightly, and allow it to drain at least 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pot until hot. Add the onion, garlic, and herbs and cook until the onion is tender. Add the eggplant and cook until it browns; then add the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and pour in the stock.
3. Continue to cook until the vegetables are tender; then transfer the vegetables and cooking liquid to a blender and purée, in batches if necessary.
4. Return the mixture to the pot. Pour in the barley and let it cook in the vegetable purée, adding more broth if necessary.
5. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the oil and sauté the zucchini until tender. Add it to the purée. In the same skillet, fry the eggplant peel. When the barley is cooked, serve the purée. Garnish with fried and finely sliced eggplant peel.