Eggplant patties with peach and carrot salad

Ingredients:

For the Patties:

• 1 eggplant
• ½ red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2–3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp cold-pressed sunflower oil
• 100 g sesame flour
• 1–2 tbsp oat flour or buckwheat flour
• 1 tbsp mustard
• Spices: ground cumin and coriander, to taste
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

• 3–4 carrots
• 1 small bell pepper or kapia pepper
• 3 cl peach balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 6 cl water
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1–2 tbsp honey
• 1–2 ripe, firm nectarines or peaches
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro (optional)

For Serving:

• Cooked millet or couscous

Instructions:

Dice the eggplant, season generously with salt, and let it sit for 30–60 minutes to draw out excess moisture. Meanwhile, prepare the salad: julienne the carrots and bell pepper into thin strips, dice the peaches, and whisk together the vinegar marinade with the water, salt, and honey. Toss the salad ingredients together in the marinade and chill in the refrigerator. Rinse the eggplant pieces under cold water and drain thoroughly. Finely chop the red onion and garlic, sauté them in a pan until translucent, then add the eggplant and sear well. Pour in a splash of water along with the tomato paste, mix, and set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, combine the eggplant mixture with the spices, sesame flour, grain flour (oat or buckwheat), and mustard, then knead into a cohesive dough. Shape into small patties, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C (355 °F) for 30–35 minutes until set and lightly golden. Serve warm alongside the chilled peach-carrot salad and cooked millet or couscous.