Makes 500ml (18fl oz)
Baba ganoush
We use a very smooth version of this super-famous mezze for the Octo-hummus dish that we serve at the restaurant (see p.138), but it's also great as a stand-alone mezze, hot or cold. I wanted to create a light hummus here, something you can eat with seafood, so I've replaced the usual chickpeas with burnt aubergines. For maximum flavour, make sure you burn the aubergines on an open flame, either one by one on the hob or over the hot coals of a barbecue - it's worth the extra eff ort. In Turkish, this literally translates as "pamper daddy"!
1. Prick the aubergines in several places with the tip of a sharp knife so that they won't explode in your face and make a mess in the kitchen. Char the skin of the aubergines on all sides over an open flame on the hob or hot charcoal on a barbecue, turning every 5-6 minutes - the skin needs to harden up and get a bit crispy. There is a third option: set your grill to the highest setting and roast the aubergines in the closest position to the heat source, turning in the same way.
2. Leave the aubergines until cool enough to handle, then peel. 3. Put the aubergine flesh into a blender along with the rest of the ingredients and blend for a good 7-10 minutes - you want the mixture to be very smooth. This can be kept in the fridge, in a sterilized airtight container (see p.24), for up to 4 days.* 4 aubergines
* 50ml (2fl oz) tahini paste
* 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
* drizzle of olive oil
* salt, to taste
The Palomar Cookbook is published by Mitchell Beazley (£25) and photographer credit is Helen Cathcart.