Are you speechless? I am. I am literally speechless looking at what I created…its just so pretty! I’m sure it’s the prettiest dish I’ve ever produced. And so tasty…a perfect flavour combination?!
This was one of my lunches this week and it worked beautifully, I will definitely be making it, and versions of it, again and again…
This is basically a cooked aubergine, filled with tahini sauce and chermoula, topped with more tahini sauce (there can never be too much tahini sauce!) and sprinkled with dried barberries and roasted flaked almonds, on a bed of crisp lettuce. Heaven on a plate!
This was a complete meal for me, and I think it could be a great offering to any vegetarian guest, or if you use smaller aubergines (see below) it could be a lovely starter?
I am sharing this with everyone at this week’s Easter Fiesta Friday, co hosted this week by Natalie and Hilda, and with everyone at Throwback Thursday, I hope they all like it.
So, onto the method..
The aubergine: this was a large aubergine, very large, if you are using a small or medium aubergine, amend times accordingly.
Method
Heat your grill/broiler to high
Prick the skin, place the aubergine on a kitchen towel and microwave on high for 4 minutes; it will already feel soft to the touch. The aim with having a stint in the microwave is to ensure that the flesh is cooked all the way through
Next, carefully place the aubergine on some foil on a baking tray and place under the grill, as close as possible, without touching
The aim is to crisp the skin, and take it to the point where it’s not actually burnt
Keep an eye on the aubergine and keep turning it so that all of the aubergine is under the grill at some point; it may take 10-15 minutes to do
When you feel it’s done, you may see liquid oozing from the pricked skin, remove the aubergine and gently place it on whatever plate you will serve it on
Make a long slit along the top and fill as you wish.
NOTE: if you prefer, you could skip the microwave step and only cook the aubergine under the grill/broiler, it will obviously need longer under the grill, and you’ll need to keep an eye that it doesn’t burn, but you will get the same outcome eventually, possibly even better.
OR, you could be really authentic, and go for a really smoky flavour, and cook the aubergine over the open flame of a gas burner. To do this you have to keep turning the aubergine and try to hold it without squashing it too much. And it WILL make a real mess of your hob/stove – I tried it once..never again!
The tahini sauce: I make this so often that I just chuck it into the blender, but I did attempt to measure what I was doing on one occasion. This creates a consistency that I like, you can make it thicker or thinner depending on your taste and required use.
Ingredients
300g tahini (I am quite specific about the tahini use, Lebanese is the best if you can find it; failing that, something of middle eastern origin is good. Greek tahini is very thick, and Turkish tahini is a lot thinner and quite bitter. I’ve tried and tested many versions and always come back to the Lebanese ones)
100ml lemon juice
300ml water
Method
Blend well and keep in the fridge. It may separate over a few days, just stir it if it does.
NOTE: I don’t add garlic to my tahini sauce, which would be typical, I like it as it is, plus I can then use it in different ways if I want to. You can’t open a food magazine today without a recipe somewhere inside that includes a tahini dressing, so your tahini sauce can provide a base for any of those; if I have leftover roasted vegetables, I often blend them with a few tablespoons of tahini sauce and create a dip; if you’ve got stewed or chopped fresh fruit, you can use tahini sauce as an alternative to yoghurt or cream; or just add a dollop to your plate with any meal – like I do! The possibilities are endless!
Having recently read Indu’s post where she made chermoula, it reminded me that I haven’t made any for while; I needed to change that, and fast, and I had all of the ingredients to hand, so that’s what I did…
The chermoula..
Ingredients
1 large bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 large bunch coriander, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp ground roasted cumin
1 tbsp dried red pepper flakes (optional)
Juice of 1 lemon
150ml olive oil
Method
Blend it all together, but keep it roughly chopped, don’t go so far that it becomes a green paste. You want to still be able to see the different colours of the ingredients.
NOTE: Your chermoula will keep in the fridge for several days, the flavours will only get better. You can also use the chermoula in many other ways, not just as a dip or sauce like I’ve done; it can be used to marinade chicken or halloumi or paneer or vegetables for roasting; as a sauce with fish. If you look it up, you’ll find lots of suggestions.
I tried to get a shot as I ate it to show the full extent of the inside of the aubergine in all its gooey beauty with these lovely fillings – hopefully you get the idea
To serve…
I placed my cooked aubergine on a bed of chopped lettuce, made a slit along the top, spooned in some tahini sauce, then lots of the chermoula, before spooning more tahini sauce all over it, and topped it all with dried barberries and roasted flaked almonds.
Perfection! The collection of flavours is so good, whether you just chopped and roasted the aubergine, or created a vessel like I did. It all just works together.
Enjoy!
And Happy Easter, enjoy your weekend 🙂
Agreed! This is one gorgeous dish, and I intend to make it soon – btw, guess what is going to be on my blog very soon? A “certain aubergine” dish from your site 😉
this one is really so beautiful! I think I would sprinkle pomegranate seeds, as I don’t have dried barberries, I don’t think I’ve ever tried them – the tahini sauce I would probably eat with a spoon, love the stuff
happy Easter for you too! I hope you are headed to a fantastic weekend!
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Thank you so much, I’m glad you like it 😀 pomegranate seeds would work perfectly!
I look forward to your post then ☺️☺️
It’s a beautiful sunny day here, England at its best, a lovely intro to Easter. I hope you have a lovely weekend xxx
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PS I’ll fight you for the tahini sauce!!
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Wow, it is a stunning dish!
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Thank you 😀😀😀
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Wow! Impressive!
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Thank you 😀😀
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I don’t use tahini enough , I have to change that . I will look for Lebanese tahini. Your dish looks fantastic and I have never prepared eggplant like this. Happy Easter, I ‘m in nothern Germany and it is cold, and rainy.
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I’m sorry you’re having bad weather 😕 thank you for liking my dish 😀😀😀
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I’m on board that ship for sure!!!!!!!!!! YUM and so gorgeously presented Elaine!
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Thank you 😀😀😀😀😀
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I tend to read your post at lunch time and they make me so hungry, Elaine! 🙂 Eggplant is one of my favourite veggies but I don’t make it often enough. Happy Easter weekend to you too!
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Thank you xxxxx
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I was amazed when I first saw the pic. Great recipe, Elaine. I need to try Chermoula now. 🙂
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Thank you 😀 I hope you like the chermoula, you might want to add a bit of chilli..
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A bit of chilli. …. the magic words 🙂
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Ha ha! I it might be…😉
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Elaine that’s a work of art. I’m having my hair done haven’t eaten yet today and that dish is making me crazy. I want now!!❤️❤️💕💕Happy Easter!!
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Ha ha! Don’t drool over your hairdresser!!!
Happy Easter to you and Percy xx
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She saw the photo and was like omg I want that for lunch.👍
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Ha ha! How funny!
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Oh my Elaine-stunning! Lovely recipe its a winner! Enjoy your weather and Happy Easter to you and Bob. Hugs, Cheryl xx
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Thank you so much Cheryl 😀😀😀😀 Bob says hi (or he would say hi if he wasn’t currently crashed out asleep!) xx
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LOL they loveeeee to snooze…xx
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They do 😀 until the time that there looks like something more interesting is happening…!
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Delicious as always! What i love about your blog is you always end up making healthy but yet super yumm food!
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Thank you so much, that’s my aim! XX
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I will sail away in that lovely yummy aubergine boat with you,…to anywhere in the world! xxxx
MMMMMMMMM! A lovely delightful tasty creation too! x
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Yay!!! Thank you x x x x
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Hapy Easter! xxx Happy chocolate egg Hunting too! x
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Ha ha! We don’t do any of that, but we are enjoying extra time together xx
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For fun, we still do,it. Ha!
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Cool!
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I am still a kid at heart! 😄
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Wonderful!! xx
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I can see why you were rendered speechless. Not only is it a beautiful and, of course, tasty dish, but you managed to get such perfect photos to share with us. Definitely a must try for me. Happy Easter!
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Thank you so much! I hope you are enjoying Fiesta Friday, happy co hosting x
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Gorgeous! Love the flavors, textures, and colors. I would love to sit down to that lunch!
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Thank you so much 😀😀😀
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This is ultimately cool. I just bought a bunch of mini-aubergines, because they were telling me they wanted to come home with me (impulse buy — they weren’t on my list) I might adapt this concept for an appetizer/finger food item… smiling, thanks!
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Brilliant, that sounds like a great plan 😀😀😀
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What a gorgeous eggplant dish! I can only imagine all the flavors in it Elaine. 🙂
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Thank you 😀😀 it really was so good!
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Oh my goodness this looks delicious! Great vegetarian meal indeed.
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Thank you 😀😀😀
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I’m definitely bookmarking this one. A friend was sharing a photo of her veggie garden haul and in it she had eggplants which made me think “oh, I’ve haven’t tried growing those”. I’ve got it noted for next summer. 🙂 And thank you for the tahini recipe too.
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Yay! Thank you, I’m glad you like it, good luck with the growing 😀 tahini sauce is soooooo good, and full of so much goodness ❤️
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Oh my my … this looks like aubergine heaven on a plate… i can dive into this even when i have just finished my lunch and is full… wow looks so so good. I love grilling aubergines and do it for many of the Indian dishes too so i am sure this would be a new favorite when i try it out ! Thanks for such a amazing recipe dear Elaine ❤ ❤
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Thank you so much 😀😀😀😀
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I could never resist such an amazing looking eggplant boat yummmm
Hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter xxxx
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Thank you honey, and to all of you xx
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Does indeed look heavenly Elaine! the boat idea is so cute!
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Thank you 😀😀😀
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Yum, Elaine! Lots of wonderful spices and that sauce!! Thanks for bringing this by Throwback Thursday!
Mollie
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Thank you, I hope your supporters like it 😀😀😀
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Definitely heavenly!!!
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😀😀😀
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I agree with you, this is a gorgeous dish Elaine! This sounds amazing and I am a huge fan of Eggplant and every ingredient listed! yumm
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Thank you 😀😀😀
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This looks so special and so delicious! A wonderful dish
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I am speechless, dear Elaine! It sure looks beautiful and I am certain that it tastes heavenly too. Happy Easter to you and yours! 🙂
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Thank you so much xxx
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You are an amazing creator in the kitchen Elaine. I want to dive into that boat right about now. You make eating vegetables so exciting with all the flavors and textures that you use. I didn’t realize tahini was made in different ethnic kitchens?
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Thank you 😀😀😀 yes, like everything I guess, there’s different versions of tahini..
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Your pictures always make me want to try your recipes even though in this case I do not eat many eggplants! That’s the whole idea right?
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I guess so! 😀😀😀
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Definitely speechless -its just fabulous Elaine. ..
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Thank you 😀😀
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Beautiful flavours and a very pretty dish. Hope you had a lovely Easter
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Thank you, and you 🙂
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You are so right, it looks so pretty! But it sounds even better, the aubergine and tahini combination. Fab!
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Thank you so much 😀😀😀😀
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As well as a yummy recipe, love the great tips about tahini. You are right about Turkish tahini. And that’s the kind that is most available. Any Lebanese brand you can recommend?
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I have a stockpile of Sofra tahini, which I can buy locally, otherwise the absolute best is Al Taj, which you can buy online from Sous Chef x
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Elaine this really is stunning! It looks amazing and would be perfect for a dinner party.
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What a beautiful dish Elaine, I love your photos, the aubergine looks absolutely delicious. I can’t wait til my mini aubergines are ready, they’re only tiny seedlings at the moment but I don’t think I can wait that long to try your recipe. Will be looking for some Lebanese tahini from now on. 😊
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Thank you so much, I hope that you enjoy it if you try it 😀😀😀
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Oh yes I am loving your recipes already. The saying that we eat with our eyes was made for this dish. The photos are so beautiful that my mouth is watering from just looking at them. I have never tried chermoula but I love all the ingredients that go in it and I am a BIG fan of eggplants so I will definitely try this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing.
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Wonderful! I hope you enjoy it xx
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(Aubergines are the best vegetables in the world!!!!!)
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