Aubergine & Feta Muffins

My dad and I ding-donged between a dozen dinner ideas on Saturday, but when I showed him this recipe he fell for it (luckily, because I've had my eye on the recipe for ages).
I was wary of making them because last time I made a savoury cake it wasn't a huge success.
But these actually came out lovely and I also discovered how yum sauteed aubergine is; I kept munching it out of the pan :P
The muffins themselves don't have much salt, but you can adjust that. We didn't but it was nicely balanced by the feta. These are warm, soft, herby and flavourful. My sister really doesn't like aubergine, and she liked this :O
I ended up putting them under the grill for the last few minutes (long story of batter being added with the feta) to cook the top and it made a nice, crisp coating. If you want to try it, just dip your feta cubes in some batter before you bake the muffins and then add the feta according to the instructions.
Bon appétit!

Mini Cakes d'Aubergine a la Feta
From Cuisine Actuelle, July-August

Serves 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

400g Aubergine
200g Feta
6 sprigs of fresh Oregano (leaves separated)
3 Eggs
200g Flour
10 cl Milk (100 ml)
15 cl Olive Oil
25g Butter
1 packet dry Yeast (7g)
Salt & freshly ground Pepper

Rince the aubergine and dice them. Sautee them in 5 cl of the olive oil with salt and pepper. Let them cook for about 10 minutes, until they're browning and tender.

In a mixer, add the flour, yeast, half of the cooked aubergine and the eggs. Blend for about 30 seconds. Add the milk, the rest of the oil and half of the oregano. Blend to obtain a smooth batter. Pour into a bowl and mix in the aubergine (I did this in the blender jug itself). Add a bit of salt and pepper.


Pour the batter into 12 prepared muffin moulds. Bake for about 20 minutes at gas mark 6 (180ºC). Top the muffins with the chopped/crumbled feta and cook for another 15 minutes. Let them cool and season with the rest of the oregano (we put the oregano on with the feta).