Roasted aubergines with spiced yoghurt
All-time, all weather favourite. Serve it as a starter, side dish, vegetarian main or simply as a dip. If this is part of a buffet, crush the toasted pita in smaller pieces and scatter it on top of the roasted aubergines.Gorgeous dish!
Ingredients
- 1 kg of aubergines, eggplants, cut in 2 cm cubes
- 300 grams cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 sweet red pepper, in chunks
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 125 ml 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 whole head of garlic
- Salt, pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
- 1 x 70 grams pack pine nuts
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp pomegranate seeds
For the yoghurt sauce
- 50 grams raw tahini
- 2 Tbsp of water
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 300 grams strained thick yoghurt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
For the toasted pita
- 5 pieces Arabic pita
- About 100 ml olive oil
- 2-3 tsp "za'atar*" or thyme or oregano
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Place aubergines in an oven tray with the cherry tomatoes, bell pepper and onion. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the thyme and mix. Slice-off, about 1 cm from the top of the garlic head, to expose the cloves. Place garlic in the middle of the pan. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and bake at 180˚ C fan for one hour, stirring once.
- In a dry frying pan, toast the pine nuts with the cumin seeds and sesame seeds over medium heat until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- For the sauce, mix the tahini and water in a bowl. Pour over the lemon and mix well. Add the yoghurt and the remaining ingredients. Press the roasted garlic into the bowl with your hands to release the cloves. Mix well.
- To serve, cover the base of a large platter with the yogurt sauce. Place the eggplants on top. Sprinkle with the parsley, mint and toasted pine nuts. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter the pomegranates on top and serve with toasted pita bread.
- Toasted pita: Cut pita bread in half horizontally. Brush the cut side of each pita with olive oil and sprinkle with "za'atar and freshly ground pepper. Place them on an oven tray with the cut side up. Bake at 180˚ C fan for 8-10 minutes until crispy and golden.
Notes
*za'atar = Arabic spice mixture containing dried thyme, sumac and sesame seeds.