Moutabbal

Smoky, sexy, adaptable – moutabbal or baba ghanouj is maximum joy for minimum effort. Add a little hung yoghurt or even double cream and you get a light, moussey aubergine dip, add a little more garlic and powdered sesame seeds and you get a spread that holds its own. Trade the aubergine puree for cooked chickpea puree and you get hummous.

Ingredients:

Two medium sized ‘bharta’ aubergines (or about 4 cups of roast aubergine puree)

4 cloves of garlic

½ cup of good quality e.v. olive oil

½ cup of commercial tahina

(or toast and grind white sesame seeds and stir in with til oil)

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Method:

Fire roast the aubergines until the skin is charred, crisp and splitting. Empty the cooked flesh (and the delicious juices running out of the aubergine) into a bowl. I don’t discard the seeds and have been known to throw in just a few slivers (about 1 tbsp worth) of the charred skin to enhance the smokiness of the moutabal. Crush the garlic. Now puree everything together and taste for salt, garlic and lemon. If it’s too thin for your liking, toast some white sesame seeds, grind them in a spice grinder and add, one tablespoon at a time. Garnish with parsley, green or black olives, mint and some more olive oil.