Ingredients
| PICKLED SHALLOTS | |
| 3 large shallots, peeled and finely sliced | |
| 60ml (1⁄4 cup) apple cider vinegar | |
| 1 tablespoon raw sugar | |
| 11⁄2 teaspoons fine sea salt | |
| ZAATAR | |
| 2 tablespoons dried thyme | |
| 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted | |
| 2 teaspoons sumac | |
| 1 medium cauliflower | |
| olive oil | |
| a handful each of fresh mint and flat parsley leaves | |
| extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle | |
| BABAGANOUSH | |
| 2 medium eggplants (approx 500g) | |
| 60ml (1⁄4 cup) hulled tahini | |
| 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice | |
| 1 clove garlic, peeled | |
| 1⁄2 teaspoon honey (optional) |
Charring the eggplants directly over gas until blackened gives the most amazing smoky flavor to the babaganoush. However, if you don’t have gas or access to a barbecue I’ve offered an oven grill alternative. You’ll find shallots at most supermarkets. They’re slightly sweeter and milder than a red onion, but if you’d prefer, use red onion instead. To keep this plant-based, use brown rice syrup instead of honey in the babaganoush.
Instructions
| 1. | To pickle the shallots, put the sliced shallots into a shallow bowl. |
| 2. | Bring the vinegar, sugar and salt to the boil in a small pot. |
| 3. | Pour vinegar mixture over shallots, stir every 5 minutes or so until cool. |
| 4. | They can be eaten after 30 minutes or can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge. |
| 5. | Preheat oven to 200°C. Combine zaatar ingredients in a small bowl. |
| 6. | Trim the cauliflower and cut into bite-sized florets (don’t waste the stalk, cut this up into chunks as well, it’s delicious!) Transfer the cauliflower to two oven trays, scatter over the zaatar (reserving 1 tablespoon for later), drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. |
| 7. | Roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until deeply golden and tender then remove from the oven and set aside until needed. |
| 8. | To make the babaganoush, if you have a gas hob or access to a barbecue, place eggplants directly over the gas, turning often until charred and tender (approx 5-8 minutes). |
| 9. | If you don’t have gas, preheat your oven grill to high and cook, turning often, until blackened and tender (10-15 minutes). |
| 10. | Remove from the gas or the oven and transfer to a heatproof bowl, cover with a lid or plate and set aside for 10 minutes to cool. |
| 11. | When cool enough to handle, peel off the charred skin and place the cooked eggplant into a blender along with the tahini, lemon juice and garlic. |
| 12. | Blend on high until smooth, season to taste with salt, pepper and honey, if using (the honey balances out any bitterness). |
| 13. | To serve, spoon a little babaganoush onto the base of six shallow bowls, spreading out a little, top with a handful of roasted cauliflower, a little of the drained pickled shallots, a few fresh mint and flat parsley leaves and a sprinkling of reserved zaatar. |
| 14. | Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. |
Recipes, food styling Emma Galloway Photography Charlotte Hedley
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