Baba ganoush

We’re out in Turkey enjoying the amazing climate and incredible food. Breakfast this morning was incredibly Dissident: Turkish yoghurt, extra virgin olive oil, dried cherry tomatoes and fresh (not dried) almonds. We’ve got mandarins, pomegranates and bananas growing around our villa.

I’m loving the meze that accompanies our meals: it’s low-carb heaven. One of the most delicious dishes is Baba Ganoush which is great as part of a mixed starter with anchovies, salad, roasted peppers etc, or a sumptuous accompaniment to roast lamb.

Ingredients

• 2 medium aubergines, pricked
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 4 tbsp tahini
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• juice of half a lemon
• 125g Turkish (or Greek) yoghurt
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• pomegranate seeds
• sesame oil

Method

Preheat oven to 200ºC
Place aubergines in oven tray and roast until skin is black and blistered and flesh feels soft – about 45 minutes.
When cool enough to handle, peel off the charred skin and squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the flesh.
Combine aubergine and garlic in food processor and blend until smooth. Add tahini, cumin, lemon and yoghurt, pulse to a smooth puree.
Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 mins to allow flavours to blend. Can be made up to 3 days in advance.
Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the top and drizzle with sesame oil to serve.