Roast aubergines with almond tarator, feta, dill & green chilli

Roast a couple of aubergines and top with tarator – a nutty and garlicky sauce that pairs perfectly with aubergine. Enjoy as a starter or side dish

Prep:20 mins
Cook:1 hrs

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 385
fat 35g
saturates 8g
carbs 7g
sugars 5g
fibre 5g
protein 7g
salt 0.48g

Ingredients

4 aubergines
100ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing and drizzling
125g feta, crumbled
175g Greek yogurt
1-2 green chillies (depending on how hot you like it), halved, deseeded and very finely sliced
small bunch of dill, roughly chopped
30g coarse white country bread, roughly torn
4 tbsp milk
50g blanched almonds
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ lemon, juiced

Tip

Ajoblanco (chilled almond & garlic soup)
Mix any leftover almond tarator with some water and vinegar (sherry, if you have it) and a splash of olive oil. Blitz until smooth and season. Chill and serve.

Method

Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Brush the aubergines with a little of the oil and put them on a baking sheet. Pierce each one a few times with a fork, then roast in the oven for 45 mins – 1 hr (it depends on the size of the aubergines), until completely tender.
Meanwhile, make the tarator. Put the bread in a bowl and leave to soak in the milk for about 30 mins. Tip into a food processor with the nuts, garlic and lemon juice, and blend, gradually adding 85ml of the extra virgin olive oil. Season and add a little water if you want the mixture to be thinner (it shouldn’t be thick but it shouldn’t be as thin as single cream, either).
Mash the feta very roughly with the yogurt in a bowl. Split the aubergines open along their length and season the insides. Put them on individual plates or a larger serving plate, and drizzle a little bit of the remaining oil inside each one. Spoon over the feta and yogurt mixture, then top with the tarator (the tarator can splash down over the sides of the aubergines), the sliced chillies and the dill.
Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil over each aubergine and serve with flatbreads if it’s a starter, or as they are if it’s a side dish.