Ever since the Life & Style editor dubbed herself "the recipe monster," no one on the Al-Masry Al-Youm staff is safe. As a blessed person who lives with someone who can cook, I am usually exempt from having to deal with kitchen matters. And so I come to you with a recipe from a friend--one who prefers to remain unnamed, but whose culinary prowess I can vouch for. Just to show you how little I know about cooking, I personally wouldn't have thought that aubergine and feta cheese could work together in one dish. But after I tried the concoction first hand, I can tell you the combination works deliciously well. And one final benefit: The dish tastes even better on the second day! Ingredients: 3 large aubergines 200g feta cheese (the real deal, not the processed boxed one) Handful of fresh basil Roll of frozen filo pastry (don't forget to take it out of the freezer an hour before preparation) Olive oil 2 cloves of garlic Salt The recipe: 1. Start by cutting the aubergines in 1cm thick slices. 2. To get rid of the natural bitterness of the aubergines, rest them in a bowl of water and salt for 20 minutes. 3. Grill the aubergine slices either in the oven or on a grill--you can also fry them in a little olive oil, but bear in mind that aubergines absorb oil, so don't use too much. 4. Cut the grilled aubergine into smaller pieces. 5. Season the aubergine with olive oil, thinly cut garlic cloves and fresh basil. 6. Add as many cubes of feta cheese to the mixture as you like. 7. Oil the baking dish well, then place a maximum of five or six layers of filo pastry at the bottom, brushing some olive oil between each of the layers. 8. Pour the aubergine and feta cheese mixture into the dish, then cover with another two or three sheets of filo pastry. 9. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes at medium heat. 10. Serve to your guests and enjoy!
