AUBERGINE BALLS WITH YOGHURT-MINT DIP
FUN FACT: Aubergines are to France as eggplants are to America, which explains why Christian Bauer applies the former moniker—the executive chef of Cantaloupe at Troika Sky Dining is as European as they get.
“Crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, these meat-free appetisers are my new favourite,” gushes Bauer as he shows us how to ball up the bite-sized appetisers. “They can be pre-shaped days ahead of the party, so on the day itself, just drop them into hot oil. They don’t even need to be served hot, so you can prepare and plate them early enough to answer the door with a Martini in hand.”
INGREDIENTS (Makes approximately 50 balls)
For the dough
• 5 medium-sized aubergines (600g roasted weight, 450g pressed)
• 1 tbsp tahini
• 75g ground almond or almond flour
• 75g freshly grated Parmesan
• Coarse ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 75g breadcrumbs
• Oil for deep frying
For the pesto
• 2 garlic cloves, rough chop
• 10g salt
• 1 tsp oregano (dried or fresh)
• 6 large basil leaves, rough chop
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp ground almond or almond flour
For the dip
• 2 small tubs of unflavoured yoghurt
• 1 large garlic clove, fine mince
• 1 big handful of mint leaves, chopped
• Salt and black pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Grill or roast the aubergines until blackened.
2. Leave them to cool before scooping out and coarsely chopping the flesh.
3. Make your pesto: Using a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic and salt to a paste. Add the oregano, basil and olive oil and pound some more. Add the ground almonds and give the mixture a final pounding.
4. Combine your pesto with the dough ingredients in
this order: Tahini, ground almond, Parmesan and pepper first, eggs next. Lastly, stir in the breadcrumbs and make sure everything is well-mixed.
5. Cool in the chiller overnight or for at least 3 hours.
6. Shape into 15g balls, roll in breadcrumbs (or don’t) and fry in oil at 170°C until gold in hue.
7. Make your dip: By simply mixing all the ingredients together, you’ll get a perfectly serviceable dip. However, the second method is much better: Start by pouring the yoghurt into a strainer lined with a wet cheesecloth or towel and leave to drain for 3 hours. Add the remaining ingredients to the strained yoghurt. Remember—it’s the drip that makes the dip!