Marinated Aubergine with Tahini and Oregano

Needing another side dish to go with Millet and Vegetable Patties and Spiced Potatoes I turned to this recipe of Yotam Ottolenghi. His recipes are always tasty.

I took an aubergine and cut it into pieces, all with some skin on them. They went into a baking dish and olive oil was dribbled over them. I sprinkled over salt and freshly ground black pepper and placed them in a 220ºC oven. After about 20 minutes they were tender and had browned a little.

While they were cooking I mixed together a chopped red chilli (including the seeds), a good tablespoon chopped coriander, a teaspoon chopped fresh oregano, a small garlic clove finely chopped, juice of half a lemon and olive oil. Salt and pepper were added to taste.

When the aubergine was ready it was taken from the oven and mixed into the marinade. It was left for a good three hours.

I made the tahini sauce. I took a 1/4 cup to measure tahini and an equal amount of water. These were beaten together and half the quantity of lemon juice was added. The mixture was beaten until it was creamy and smooth. I cut a garlic cube into about 4 slivers and added these with some salt. Crushed garlic clove was asked for but I didn't really want the raw garlic taste so mixed in the slivers to add a garlic flavour.

When the aubergine was served the sauce was poured over.

I really enjoyed this; it was smoky and juicy with the sharp tang of lemon.





Taste: ✔✔✔
Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔