Aubergine dip

As a kid, aubergines used to be my nightmare, disgusting tasteless black pieces in a ratatouille, or even worse, main ingredient in a moussaka (mousskaka!!). So you can imagine my trouble as I received the two fat aubergines pictured above in my vegetable basket!

What the hell was I going to do with them? So I raised up to the challenge, went through all my cookbooks and tested 2 recipes. This dip was inspired by a recipe in Louise Pickford's 5 fruits et légumes par jour, which I pimped up a bit, avoiding the raw garlic and the coriander and adding cumin.

Result: a great summer dip, which has had a lot of success, even with aubergine-haters! Now I am even buying aubergine on purpose.. who would have believed it?

[version française ci-dessous]

AUBERGINE DIP

Makes one bowl - inspiration from Louise Pickford's 5 fruits et légumes par jour, Marabout

1 aubergine, peeled, cut lengthwise in 5mm slices

3 TB olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 plain greek yogurt

1 TB fresh lemon juice

[1] Mix the olive oil, cumin and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Brush the aubergines slices with the mixture on both sides. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick paper.

[2] Grill 5 minutes on each side, using the grill function of the oven.

[3] Let cool and cut in small pieces. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the yogurt and lemon and season to taste.

[4] Store at least 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.

Serve with crackers.

Sorry for the bad fridge picture, I made this recipe already 4 times but it seems to disappear before I can get my camera out!

DIP À L'AUBERGINE

Recette pour un bol - inspiré de Louise Pickford 5 fruits et légumes par jour, Marabout

1 aubergine, pelée et coupée en tranches de 5mm d'épaisseur

3 CS d'huile d'olive

1 cc de cumin moulu

1 gousse d'ail pressée

1/2 yaourt grec natzre

1 CS de jus de citron

[1] Mélanger l'huile d'olive, le cumin et l'ail, poivrer et saler. Badigeonner les tranches d'aubergines avec ce mélange. Placer sur un papier sulfurisé sur la grille du four.

[2] En utilisant la fonction grill du four, griller 5 minutes de chaque côté jusqu'à ce que l'aubergine soit tendre.

[3] Laisser refroidir et couper en petits dés. Transférer dans un bol et mélanger au yaourt et jus de citron. Corriger l'assaisonnement si nécessaire.

[4] Placer au moins 30 minutes au réfrigérateur avant de servir avec des crackers.