How do you make aubergine tahini Ottolenghi?

Chop the aubergine flesh roughly and transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Add the tahini, water, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and some salt and pepper; mix well with a whisk. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more garlic, lemon juice or molasses if needed.

How to make tahini sauce Ottolenghi?

Put the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, half a teaspoon of salt and 100ml water in a small saucepan. Whisk to a smooth paste, then put on a medium-low heat and whisk in the yoghurt bit by bit, until the sauce starts to steam.

Why is tahini not vegan?

Because it's made with sesame seeds, which, of course, come from a plant and not an animal , tahini is vegan. It's as simple as that. That said, there are sometimes other ingredients, like oil and salt, added to the store-bought versions.

What cuts the bitterness of tahini?

Lime Juice – Freshly squeezed is best! The acidity helps cut through some of the bitterness of the tahini. If preferred, lemon juice will also work.

Why is my tahini sauce bitter?

Bitterness is generally part and parcel of tahini - it's how ground sesame seeds taste. What you will find, however, is that some tahini can taste more bitter than others. This is down to a few things; like how that particular tahini is processed, or the levels of something called oxalic acid in the hulls of the seeds .

How do you take the bitterness out of tahini sauce?

If your tahini is dry, or if you prefer a thinner sauce, add more water, as needed, to reach your desired consistency. Then, taste and adjust your seasonings. If you prefer a brighter sauce, add more lemon. If it is too bitter, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey .

Why do you soak aubergine in milk?

Soak eggplant slices or cubes in milk for about 30 minutes before cooking. The milk not only tempers the bitterness, but it actually makes for eggplant that is extra creamy , since the vegetable acts like a sponge and soaks up a good amount of milk in its flesh.

Why does tahini seize with lemon juice?

Tahini is simply sesame-seed butter, made by grinding hulled sesame seeds into a paste. Much of its makeup is carbohydrates, and when a small amount of juice (or any water-containing liquid) is added to tahini, a portion of each carbohydrate molecule is drawn to the water .

Why do you soak aubergine in salt water?

Salting eggplant is often explained on two points: The first point contends that eggplants can be quite bitter, and salting helps cut the bitterness . (No, salt doesn't draw out bitterness. It just helps hide it.) Second, salting eggplants reduces the sponginess and leaves you with a creamy, silky texture.

What is the difference between Mutabal and Baba Ghanoush?

So, what's the difference between mutabal and baba ghanoush? Well, it seems that the big difference is the use of tahini: Mutabal calls for it, while Baba Ganoush doesn't . In addition, baba ganoush usually includes chopped vegetables, such as tomato, pepper, and garlic mixed with pomegranate molasses.

Burnt Eggplant & Tomato Tahini From Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Pan-Fry

by: Food52

October6,2021

9 Ratings

Burnt Eggplant & Tomato Tahini From Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Recipe on Food52 (1)

Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves 4

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

This dish was born out of some leftover tomato pasta sauce, as well as a few eggplants that really needed using up. Scoop this up with warm pita bread and eat it alongside other meze, or with soft-boiled eggs for a hearty breakfast. —Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Watch This Recipe

Burnt Eggplant & Tomato Tahini From Ottolenghi TestKitchen

Ingredients

4 medium eggplants (about 2 pounds/1 kilogram)
3 tablespoonsolive oil, plus extra for greasing
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoonspine nuts
1 ¹/₂ teaspoonscumin seeds, roughly crushed with a mortar and pestle
1 ¹/₂ teaspoonscoriander seeds, roughly crushed with a mortar and pestle
¹/₂ teaspoonchile flakes
2 tablespoonstahini
¹/₄ cup(5 grams) dill, roughly chopped, plus 1 tablespoon extra leaves, to serve

Tomato Sauce
3 tablespoonsolive oil
1 onion, finely chopped (1¼ cups/180 grams)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoontomato paste
1 (14-ounce/400-gram) can of whole, peeled tomatoes, roughly crushed by hand
¹/₂ teaspoonsugar
Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

Place a well-greased grill pan on high heat. Prick the eggplants all over with a fork, about 8 to 10 times and, once smoking, cook them, turning as necessary until well charred all over and softened through the middle, about 45 minutes. Set aside to cool completely and, once cool enough to handle, peel and discard the stems and skins (don’t worry if there’s some skinattached) and roughly pull apart the flesh into strands. Set aside.
Make the tomato sauce. Put the oil into a sauté pan onmedium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and tomatopaste and cook for a minute more, then add the tomatoes,sugar, 7 tablespoons/100 milliliters of water, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a generous grind of pepper. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to medium and cook for 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and rich.
Make the topping. Heat the oil in a small frying pan on medium/high heat, then add the sliced garlic and the pine nuts and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, or until lightly golden. Add the spices and a tiny pinch of salt and immediately remove from the heat. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk the tahini with 2½ tablespoons of water and a tiny pinch of salt until smooth and pourable.
To the tomato sauce, add the burnt eggplant, 3 tablespoons ofwater, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of pepper and cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped dill. Drizzle all over with the tahini, then spoon on the fried garlic and pine nut mixture and top with the dill leaves. Serve warm.

Tags:

Dip
Salt
Onion
Eggplant
Tomato
Pine Nut
Garlic
Pan-Fry
Sauté
Simmer
Breakfast
Lunch

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Casey
Lauren Miller
Hmoshman
Hollis Ramsey

Popular on Food52

7 Reviews

Casey April 7, 2022

This dish was filled with such good flavor! It did take me a lot longer to grill the eggplant, I would say about 3 hours, but they were pretty big and I have a little indoor panini press/grill. Other than the eggplant everything else came together pretty quickly. The addition of dill, what a great complement of flavor to the tomato sauce. I dont think I've ever had those two flavors together and I was impressed! I was also surprised how filling this dish was. I served it with some lettuce leaves and naan and it was plenty filling. I also had some extra toum (garlic sauce) from another night and served it with this dish and it was a great additional flavor!

AlanBruno November 2, 2021

You lost me at sugar in the tomato sauce. What kind of Italian are you?

Comfortfoodie January 24, 2022

I doubt this is an Italian recipe considering it has tahini and cumin and coriander.

Hollis R. February 7, 2023

Does all tomato sauce have to be Italian? This one isn’t.

Lauren M. November 2, 2021

Really wonderful starter to a meal or as a vegetarian main. The flavors were so complimentary and the eggplant delicious - though my smoke detectors went off twice! Served with lettuce leaves, dressed up labneh, and warm pita

Hmoshman October 28, 2021

This was good, but not amazing. I didn't actually think the whole cumin and coriander seed was the best choice of spices here. This made more than 3 appetizer plates. Served with grain-free chips.

Kestrel October 10, 2021

Absolutely fabulous dish! Thanks for a wonderful recipe.