Smoked baba ganoush

Smoked baba ganoush

Serve this smoked baba ganoush at a dinner party and your guests will be begging for more! It’s full of flavour and healthy to boot.

Takes 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2tbsp olive oil

3 aubergines (eggplants)

2tbsp cashew butter

1 large garlic clove, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

Sprinkling of chopped parsley

Sprinkling of za’atar or toasted sesame seeds

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Brush a baking sheet or roasting tin with 1 tablespoon of the oil.

Prick the aubergines (eggplants) a few times with a fork or the tip of a knife. Place each directly over a gas flame and char the skins, turning them so that they char evenly. (Alternatively, you can do this under a hot grill.)

When cool enough to handle, trim off the stem and cut each in half lengthways. Place cut side down on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 30–35 minutes, until very, very tender when pressed. Leave to cool to room temperature.

Once cool, use a spoon to scrape all the aubergine flesh into a food processor. Add the cashew butter, garlic, lemon juice and some salt and pepper, and blend to a purée.

Spoon into a bowl and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, parsley and some za’atar or toasted sesame seeds.

Recipe from Pip and Nut: The Nut Butter Cookbook by Pippa Murray (Quadrille, £15) Photography by Adrian Lawrence

For more…

Check out our Ultimate Guide to Nutrition for everything you need to know about making healthy choices every day.

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