Violetta Aubergine Cream, Artisan Calabrian
Not all aubergines are equally sweet. Variety matters, and “Violetta” is chosen for a reason: it's the one best suited to becoming a cream. Larger than other Calabrian varieties, with dense, abundant flesh that loses its bitter, watery side during cooking and concentrates its natural sweetness – a sweetness that garlic and extra virgin olive oil enhance without masking.
Raw aubergine is difficult: bitter, spongy, giving no clue of what it will become. Heat transforms it. The flesh loses water and softens, the bitterness disappears, and a full, round vegetable sweetness emerges, with a texture that naturally turns creamy. The other ingredients complete what the heat has already achieved rather than correcting it.
The cooked aubergines are worked into a smooth, velvety cream with no lumps. Extra virgin olive oil goes in at this stage – not as a drizzle but as part of the structure, binding the cream and blending its fruity richness with the aubergine's sweetness. You can taste the oil, and here that's a good thing.
Garlic adds depth: without it the cream would be sweet but flat. It doesn't dominate; it works in the background, the kind of flavour you notice more when it's missing. Salt brings everything into balance.
Four ingredients – enough, because “Violetta” aubergine has what it takes to star without help. Nothing added to cover up, only what's needed to enhance. The result tastes clearly and authentically of aubergine in every spoonful.
In the jar the colour ranges from warm beige to amber cream, velvety in appearance. The aroma is of sweet, slightly smoky cooked aubergine, with extra virgin olive oil and a discreet note of garlic. On the palate: sweetness first, then the depth of garlic, then the long softness of the oil.
On warm crostini it shows its character best: toasted bread brings structure and a light charred note against the sweetness, and the warmth opens up the aromas. A drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt: a complete starter.
In tomato sauce it adds body and sweetness, melting in evenly and giving depth that would otherwise need longer cooking. A spoonful in the passata, off the heat, and the pasta is rounder and tastier.
Stirred into plain rice at the end of cooking, off the heat, it adds flavour and creaminess that would otherwise need more butter or parmesan. As a base for white pizza instead of tomato sauce it works especially well with mozzarella and grilled vegetables. With steamed vegetables, its sweetness balances their neutrality.
Its versatility comes from its simplicity: when the base flavour is clean and precise, it fits many dishes without feeling forced.
How to use it
On warm crostini with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. In tomato sauces, added off the heat. Stirred into plain rice or risotto off the heat. As a base for white pizza with mozzarella and vegetables. On bruschetta as an alternative to chilli creams. With steamed or grilled vegetables. In cold pasta as a creamy dressing. Spread on toast under poached or fried eggs.
Storage
Store in a cool, dry place before opening. Once opened, refrigerate, cover with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil after each use and consume within 2–3 weeks.
Size
100g jar.
Ingredients
Cooked fresh aubergine pulp, extra virgin olive oil, salt, garlic.
