06 Jun grilled aubergine with pomegranate + tahini

If you don’t fancy meat this week, try the meaty aubergine with our accompanying tahini sauce instead.

Grilled Aubergine with Pomegranates and Tahini

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 large aubergine

2 tablespoons of olive oil, plus more for cooking

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

Pinch of salt

Crack of black pepper

For the tahini dressing

1 tablespoon of tahini

2 tablespoons yogurt

2 tablespoons of water

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 clove of garlic, finely grated

To serve

2 tablespoons of crumbled feta

2 tablespoons of pomegranate seeds

Freshly chopped mint

Method

1. Slice the aubergine into thin slices. Cut the slices in half if they’re very long. Brush evenly with olive oil and sprinkle with chilli flakes, salt and pepper.

2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil on a griddle pan (if you don’t have a griddle pan, a frying pan will do just fine. The griddle pan just makes the aubergine look nice).

3. Fry the aubergines for 5 to 10 minutes on either side, or until cooked through. Set aside while you cook through your aubergine slices in batches.

4. Make your tahini dressing by mixing together the tahini, yogurt, water, lemon juice and finely grated garlic.

5. Arrange the aubergine slices on a serving platter. Scatter the crumbled feta on top. Drizzle with the tahini sauce. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and finish with some freshly chopped mint.

Storecupboard Essential – Tahini

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and is the essential ingredient in hummus. Available in most large supermarkets and specialist food shops, it has a long fridge life and works exceedingly well as an accompanying sauce to Middle Eastern-inspired suppers.

This recipe first appeared in The Irish Independent on May 14th