Ingredients
- 3 eggplant, about 700 g in total
- 2 large cloves garlic
- ¼ cup (25 g) ground almonds
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ⅔ cup (160 g) Greek–style yogurt
- ⅓ cup (40 g) pitted black olives, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper
- 3 zucchini
- 3 stalks celery
- ½ cauliflower, broken into large florets
- 4 pieces of wholemeal pita bread
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 4 black olives, halved and pitted
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Prick the eggplant in several places with a fork and place on a lightly greased baking tray.
- Roast for 40 minutes, turning the eggplant occasionally.
- Add the unpeeled garlic cloves to the baking tray and continue roasting for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant feel very soft.
- Remove from the oven and leave the eggplant until they are cool enough to handle, then cut them into quarters lengthwise.
- Strip off the skin and put the flesh into a colander.
- Leave to drain for about 15 minutes.
- Squeeze out as much liquid from the eggplant flesh as possible.
- Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their skin.
- Combine the eggplant flesh, garlic, almonds, lemon juice, cumin and oil in a food processor, and purée until smooth.
- Alternatively, put the ingredients in a bowl and purée using a handheld blender.
- Stir in the yogurt and chopped olives.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and set aside.
- Preheat a cast–iron chargrill pan, or preheat the grill to high.
- Cut the zucchini and celery into finger–length sticks suitable for dipping and arrange on a platter with the cauliflower florets.
- Put the pita breads on the chargrill pan or on the rack of the grill pan and toast for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until just beginning to brown.
- Cut each bread into 6 wedges and place on the platter.
- Sprinkle the eggplant dip with paprika and garnish with the halved olives.
- Serve with the vegetable crudités and warm pita bread.
Serves 8
Preparation: 15 minutes, plus 15 minutes draining
Cooking: about 1¼ hours