1. To prepare an aubergine, cut stalk off with a sharp knife. Working from trimmed end, slice aubergine widthways into discs, as thick as recipe asks for.
2. Depending on recipe, the aubergine can be cooked in slices. Or, to dice, cut the slices lengthways into four, then rotate a quarter turn and cut lengthways into four again, to create an even dice. Stacking several slices on top of each other makes dicing quicker.
3. To hollow out an aubergine for stuffing, cut in half lengthways. Make deep scores in aubergine lengthways, roughly 1cm (½in) apart, taking care not to cut through skin. Score widthways in same way.
4. Put in a roasting tin and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cook at 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4 for 45min until soft.
5. Using a spoon, scoop out flesh, leaving skin intact and use according to recipe.
Use your skills to make these triple-tested recipes:
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Oak chopping board, Lakeland. White China small bowl, Sophie Conran. ProChef’s knife, FSC certified beech large "TV Chef’s" board, Professional "S" vegetable knife, Loft 24-piece dinner set, Zwilling J.A. Henckels. Classic non-stick metal rectangular roaster, Pyrex. Oil pourer, chef's own.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
