Roasted aubergine dip … can save your life

I know, I`ve promised to give you a tutorial about how I sewed my little backpack … but the last weeks were so packed with work, that I just didn’t have the time and wasn’t in the mood for writing such an detailed instruction down. But it will come, just not yet.

First I have this  allround summer recipe for you which you need to make (explanation mark!) – and no: berries or fruits are not involved this time.

I adapted this aubergine dip from “Jerusalem” and made it over and over since in endless versions. The preparation is far from time consuming and you can store the aubergines in a jar in the fridge for about a week. A batch of this and a glass of Nicoles poached, roasted and drunk stone fruit helped me – pysically and mentally – through the last weeks.

Ottolenghi and Tamimi call this dish an “aubergine dip” and so do I. But you could also call it a salad, antipasti or pickles. The base are oven roasted aubergines – similar to baba ghanoush. But instead of pureeing the aubergines, they are only slightly chopped and seasoned with fresh chopped herbs, lemon and olive oil. That’s about it. But as so often, the simple recipes are the best ones, the ones you make over and over.

The recipe is based on four aubergines. As you can see on the pictures, it makes a good jar full. I think they taste best chilled on the second day when the it’s all flavour infused. A simple and refreshing summer dish with a nice smoky flavour.

I love to eat it on toasted pita bread (all other kinds of bread work well, too, of course), drizzled with a bit of tahini, a few crumbs of feta cheese and perhaps a bit of greek yoghurt and some homemade za’atar.

And sometimes I eat it just out of the jar .. with nothing else …

If you serve the dish for guests and want it a bit more classy ;), it’s a good idea to keep the aubergine skin after you`ve peeled off the pulp, fill the dip back into it and serve it this way.

Right after publishing this post, I came across Alexandra’s “Burnt eggplant with Za’atar Flatbread” … seems like I am not the only one in love with this kind of dish!

Roasted aubergine dip
[adapted from “Jerusalem“]

ingredients
4 aubergines, juice of ½ lemon, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons chopped herbs (preferably parsley, mint, koriander or a blend of those three), 1 small garlic clove, salt and pepper

preparation
Preheat oven to the highest level. Halfen aubergines lengthwise and roast them cut side down on a rack in the oven for about 45 minutes until the skin starts to get black. Meanwhile you can chop herbs and zest and juice the lemon. Let the aubergines cool out a bit and then peel the pulp off the skin. Cut into chunks, put into a bowl and mix with other ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stored in a jar it keeps for about a week in the fridge.