This is more of a how-to than a specific recipe. The rich, meaty flesh of eggplant pairs superbly with myriad toppings, so just choose your favourites. I’ve listed what we used with additional suggestions below.
Serves: 6–8
INGREDIENTS
2 large purple eggplants
olive oil
sea salt and ground pepper
Topping
tahini
cooked beetroot, cut into thin wedges
thinly sliced cured copa
roasted cherry tomatoes
soft goat’s or feta cheese
pistachios
barberries or finely chopped cranberries
small basil leaves
olive oil for drizzling
dukkah
METHOD
Preheat a ridged grill or large sauté pan.
Cut the eggplants in half through the stem then, cut each slice in half again (4 slices per eggplant).
Brush with oil and season both sides. Grill until tender but not falling apart. Place on kitchen towels until ready to assemble.
To assemble: Spread the eggplant slices with a little tahini, then add each topping as follows: beetroot, copa, cherry tomatoes, cheese, pistachios, barberries, basil, olive oil and then dukkah. Serves 6–8.
Other additions: Fried chickpeas, fried capers, prosciutto, thinly sliced salami, mozzarella, shaved parmesan, gorgonzola, mint, dill, toasted pinenuts, flaked almonds, pitted olives, good anchovies.
Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
Related Content
latest issue:
127
In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.