As I think I have mentioned before, eggplant/aubergine is one of my very favourite things to eat. In baba ganoush, which is basically a roasted eggplant puree, it bears very little resemblance to its usual texture, form or flavour but is still delicious. Usually served as a dip, baba ganoush takes the soft flesh of the eggplant, tasting of a subtle smokiness imparted by the charred skin, and combines it with tahini, garlic and lemon to make the best thing ever to put on sliced bread. (Well, maybe the second best or the third best... beetroot dip has to be up there too, and simple ripe tomato slices with a sprinkle of sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Mmmmm.)
Some versions of this dish are loaded with tahini and olive oil to the point that the dip almost becomes a mayonnaise, creamy and thick-textured. I prefer the kind where you can still tell it was once an aubergine, where the puree is more juicy than creamy, and with plenty of lemon. I added sliced basil to this version, and might add a dash of chilli next time if cooking for other spiceheads like me.
Instead of using it as a dip, in this case I used it as a base on which to pile crispy, spice-coated florets of roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. Since discovering roasted cauliflower last year I have made it on several occasions, including for parties as a nibble and Christmas dinner as an accompaniment, but it really is good enough to eat as the main event in itself, and eminently suitable for a vegan dinner. Chickpeas and flaked almonds add a bit of extra body, and a squeeze of fresh lemon perks up everything. I added soft strips of roasted pepper on the top for even more flavour, spooned some tomato-cucumber-onion-parsley salsa around for freshness, and garnished with a few crisp-baked pita wedges for texture -- and as a nod to the more familiar form of baba ganoush.
Baba ganoush
5 medium aubergines
1/3 cup tahini
2 lemons
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup basil leaves, shredded
salt, pepper
Place whole eggplants under a hot grill and cook until skin is blackened (it will turn lighter first as it cooks, then start to char); turn and cook similarly on other side. Continue to cook until flesh is very soft. Once eggplants are cool enough to handle, cut in half and scoop out flesh, stripping off skin. Add tahini, zest of both lemons and juice of one, garlic and olive oil; whiz with hand blender (or mash well with fork) until pureed but not completely smooth. Stir in basil, taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt, freshly-ground pepper and extra lemon juice as required.
Roasted cauliflower
2 large cauliflowers
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs ground cumin
3 tbs ground coriander
1 tbs chilli powder
1 tbs chilli flakes
1 1/2 tbs sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup flaked almonds
lemon
Optional: chopped herbs (parsley or coriander), fresh chilli
Cut cauliflower into 2-inch pieces, cutting across some of the florets to expose inner surfaces (this gives extra surface area to develop brown crispy bits and deep roasted flavours). Steam for about 5 minutes, or until just tender to a knife but still very firm. Drain and allow to steam-dry.
Heat oven to 230C. Toss cauliflower with olive oil, then with spices and almonds. Spread evenly on baking tray, allowing enough space so that florets roast, rather than steam in their own moisture. Roast for about 25 minutes or until brown, crisp and beginning to blacken just a little at the very edges. Zest lemon over and squeeze juice.
(Some fresh herbs are nice to sprinkle over; fresh chopped red chilli is an amazing addition but can be dangerously hot!)
Note: The above amounts made plenty for 5 people with some left over for lunch the next day. For the chickpeas, I used two tins and roasted them the same way as the cauliflower, using a smaller amount of the same spices without the almonds, then put them all in a bowl at the end before adding the lemon zest and juice and tossing the whole lot together. Next time I might use just one tin and not cook them quite so long, as they were a tiny bit dry.
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