Aubergine with Whipped Feta & Pepper Salsa.
It’s smoky, salty, spicy and herby. A flavour explosion for very little effort. Make sure you have some bread on-hand for mopping up the sauces. (P.s. They make a great pre-barbecue chips-and-dips combo without the aubergine too!)
General note on barbecuing: For all my BBQ recipes i use my Big Green Egg which is the Japanese style of grill called a Kamado. It makes it easy to control the temperature and achieve an even cook, not dissimilar to an oven. If you’re using a different type and have difficulty controlling the temperature, you may need to adjust cooking times for some recipes.
Ingredients.
2 large aubergines
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt & Pepper
Handful of toasted pistachios, roughly chopped, to serve
Flatbreads, to serve
Whipped Feta:
180g feta
100g greek yoghurt, the thick, natural variety (like Fage or similar)
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper, to taste
Red Pepper Salsa:
2 roasted red pepper, like these ones, or you could roast/bbq your own!
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red chili, seeds in or out, depending on how hot you like it!
10g parsley leaves
1 garlic clove
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Equipment.
barbecue
tongs
food processor
pastry brush
Method.
Cut the aubergines into 4 lengthways, leaving the root intact
Mix together the oil, cumin, salt and pepper
When the BBQ is hot enough, place them onto the grill (direct heat) and brush with the spiced oil. Close the lid and leave for 20-30mins, turning and brushing periodically until charred on the outside and soft in the middle. Make sure the flesh of the aubergines makes contact with the grill (not just the skin) to get some nice colour on them
Meanwhile, put the ingredients for the whipped feta into a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge to firm up until needed
Rinse out the food processor and repeat with the red pepper salsa ingredients
Once the aubergines are nearly cooked, toss a couple of flatbreads onto the grill to heat up
Spread the whipped feta onto a serving dish, place the aubergines on top, then spoon over the salsa. Top with chopped pistachios and mop up with the flatbreads. Enjoy!
