Eggplant, goat's cheese and spiced onion salad

Serves 4 Vegetable Vegetable salads are typically cooked, but there are exceptions. A celeriac remoulade consists of grated raw celeriac bound with a mustardy mayonnaise; fennel is often served raw, finely shaved and dressed with a piquant vinaigrette; then there's avocado, tomato (yes, it's technically a fruit), radish and cucumber. Roasted root vegetables make the most perfect winter salads, either as a combination of vegetables or to highlight a single specimen, such as eggplant in the recipe below. Cooked vegetable salads are at their best when served just warm or at room temperature; in these cases it is preferable to dress the salad with only part of the dressing, initially allowing it to soak up the flavours, adding the rest as a final flourish just before serving.

Step-by-step instructions Preheat oven to 160C. Cut eggplant lengthways into wedges and place onto an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with cumin and roast for 1 hour or until tender. Cool to room temperature.

For spiced onion, heat oil in a saucepan, add onion and garlic, season with sea salt and saut over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until softened. Add ginger and remaining spices and cook for 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup water and simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced. Season to taste with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and caster sugar. Cool to room temperature.

Arrange eggplant among plates, spoon over spiced onion, scatter with torn mint leaves, crumble over goat's cheese, drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.