Recipe
Smoky baba ghanoush with roasted cauliflower, lentils and pomegranate salad
Recipe by Hetty McKinnonPhotography by Luisa BrimbleStyling by Erika Raxworthy
I like my baba ghanoush smoky, charred and blackened. This baba ghanoush recipe is exactly that. Less like a dip and more like mashed-up eggplant, leave it chunky for that lovely creamy texture. The smokiness of the eggplant is a perfect accompaniment to the sweetness of roasted cauliflower and is finished off boldly by the tartness of pomegranate seeds and a few drops of pomegranate molasses.
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Ingredients
1 cauliflower (about 1kg), cut into florets
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
300g lentils (use brown or Puy, or whichever variety you wish)
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup coriander leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 pomegranate, seeds extracted Pomegranate molasses
For the Smoky Baba Ghanoush:
4 large aubergines (eggplants)
4 tbsp tahini paste
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
Coat the cauliflower in olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray and roast for 25–30 minutes until golden.
To make the baba ghanoush, place the whole aubergines directly on the flame of a gas hob, over a very hot barbecue or under a hot grill until they become very soft and the skin is charred all over. When cool enough to handle, carefully peel the blackened skin off the aubergines. Place the aubergine flesh and any juices into a large bowl and break up with a fork, leaving the pieces quite chunky. Add the tahini, garlic, lemon juice, yoghurt and olive oil and mix with a fork or whisk until combined. Adjust the amount of lemon juice and oil to achieve the right smoky, creamy balance. Season well with a few good pinches of salt and pepper.
Bring a pot of water to the boil and add the lentils. Cook for 20–25 minutes or until just tender. Drain.
Combine the roasted cauliflower, lentils, baby spinach, coriander, a drizzle of olive oil, a good squeeze of lemon juice and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Serve with a big dollop of baba ghanoush, scatter over the pomegranate seeds and drizzle with a few drops of pomegranate molasses.
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