Roast aubergines with almond tarator, feta, dill & green chilli
Roast a couple of aubergines and top with tarator – a nutty and garlicky sauce that pairs perfectly with this lovely veg. Enjoy as a starter or side dish
4 aubergines
100ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing and drizzling
125g feta, crumbled
175g Greek yogurt
1-2 green chillies (depending on how hot you like it), halved, deseeded and very finely sliced small bunch of dill, roughly chopped
For the tarator
30g coarse white country bread, roughly torn
4 tbsp milk
50g blanched almonds 1 garlic clove, chopped ½ lemon, juiced
1 Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Brush the aubergines with a little of the oil and put them on a baking sheet. Pierce each one a few times with a fork, then roast in the oven for 45 mins to
1hr (it depends on the size of the aubergines), until completely tender.
2 Meanwhile, make the tarator. Put the bread in a bowl and leave to soak in the milk for about 30 mins. Tip into a food processor with the nuts, garlic and lemon juice. Blend gradually adding 85ml of the extra virgin olive oil. Season and add a little water if you want the mixture to be thinner
(it shouldn’t be thick but it shouldn’t be as thin as single cream, either).
3 Mash the feta very roughly with the yogurt in a bowl. Split the aubergines open along their
TOMORROW’S RECIPE: LAMB SHASHLIKS
WITH ROSEMARY & GARLIC length and season the insides. Put them on individual plates or a larger serving plate, and drizzle a little bit of the remaining oil inside each one. Spoon over the feta and yogurt mixture, then top with the tarator (the tarator can splash down over the sides of the aubergines), the sliced chillies and the dill. 4
Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over each aubergine and serve with flatbreads if it’s a starter, or as they are if it’s a side dish.