Asparagus Mimosa

I was so excited to see the fresh asparagus show up at the Farmer's Market last week. I am an absolute nut about asparagus and will eat it pretty much every chance I get: steamed, grilled, pureed into soups, added to stir-frys, even shaved with a vegetable peeler and used as a substitute for pasta. Farm fresh asparagus is a huge treat given how short the growing season is this far north and how labour intensive hand-picking asparagus can be. When I can get it this fresh I don't particularly want to obscure or minimize its flavour, which leads to simple preparations like this Asparagus Mimosa from Plenty.

I highly recommend this recipe - it's really quick to throw together (fifteen minutes or less), and has a surprisingly complex flavour for how few ingredients comprise the list. If you have a chance, salt-packed capers tend to have a superior flavour, although you may want to soak them for a few minutes in cold water to reduce their punch. If you have the more common brine-packed capers, that is not a disadvantage here - the brine droplets seemed to mix a bit with the drizzle of olive oil and the flavour combination was lovely. I also recommend using the best quality eggs you can come across, as their flavour is very prominent in this dish. Really, I advocate eating the best quality everything you can afford, because flavour is kinda the point. ^_~

Asparagus Mimosa 
(p. 182, Plenty)

Serves 4 as a starter
(Serves 2 as a light lunch if you add a little something else)

2 eggs
2 bunches of medium thickness asparagus
2 tbsp good-quality olive oil
2 tsp small capers, drained
1 tsp Maldon sea salt (or other large flake sea salt if you can't find Maldon)
fresh ground black pepper

Assemble your ingredients:

Put a small pot of water on to boil. When it is boiling, gently lower your eggs into it and simmer for 9 minutes.

While your eggs are cooking, snap the ends off your asparagus (I ended up doing this while waiting for the water to boil):

You can cook the asparagus submerged in a separate pot of boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until tender, or, if you dislike doing dishes as much as I do, you can set the spears (thick end down) into the same pot of boiling water as currently houses your eggs. I can't remember where I learned this trick but it's my favourite way to cook asparagus now - the thick ends get all the tenderizing heat, and the delicate tips steam-cook without getting limp and soggy. I threw my asparagus in after the eggs had cooked for 3 minutes as they were rather thick stalks and that worked out quite well.

Once your eggs are cooked, remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl of cold water to cool down.

Once your asparagus has finished cooking, remove it from the pot and arrange it on a plate. Let it cool just a bit until it's warm but not hot. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the spears, then grate the egg over them with the large holes of a box grater. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and capers over the grated egg and enjoy.

Saffron Spice Gelato (+ Plain Base Recipe)

Last night I made Chard and Saffron Omelettes for dinner, and finished things off with Saffron Spice Gelato for dessert. I felt quite proud of myself, having made such a great meal. It's rare that I get moments of self-directed pride, and even more unusual that I talk about them, because no one really wants to be seen as egotistical. But last night was a good night and it rang with the kind of things I really want in this life I am rebuilding - food from scratch, good company, and good conversation. Goals to continually strive for.

In other happenings, I finally broke down and went into the local stationery store, Paper Umbrella. I walk by it all the time on my way to yoga, but I know the siren song of paper products too well, and my budget is tight enough that I really shouldn't tempt myself. So for the better part of a year I've oogled the windows whenever I've gone by and quietly been grateful that it's been closed. Well, going in when it is open is by far more delightful, and decidedly more expensive ^_^. I won't make a habit of it, but it was nice to treat myself to a few things, including a magazine I'd never seen before called Anthology with which I am a little in love. Focused primarily on art and design with a heavy dose of excellent recipes, this just might be the replacement for Fine Cooking's magazine I've been looking for. I am dedicated to traditional print media (sounds like throwing a gauntlet in such a technology driven society) and I know a few people who read this are as well, so thought I'd put it forward for others to check out if they are so inclined.

Now on to the actual purpose of this post - gelato...

I found The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and Sorbetto  three or four years ago while browsing Chapters during a summer visit. I collect cookbooks in a haphazard kind of way, and was immediately attracted to this bright turquoise volume. Despite not owning an ice cream maker at the time, I purchased it and read it through with a lot of enthusiasm. Then I discovered that Kitchenaid made an ice cream maker attachment for my stand mixer and decided that I was going to make some of the recipes that had intrigued me. For the most part I made sorbettos, as I have issues off and on with dairy. I found the process to be fairly simple and enjoyable, and the flavours to be far superior to store bought sorbet.  A few days ago I made my first gelato proper, and again found the process to be fairly simple and enjoyable, and the flavour to be delightful. Gelato takes longer than sorbetto due to the extra step of creating the custard base, but the results are well worth it. And despite using whole milk and cream in the custard, I had no issues with the gelato at all. A friend said this might be due to the fact that the dairy ingredients get heated up which changes the milk, converting it into something less confrontational for those with dairy sensitivities. I'll have to read up on it to find out if that was what happened or if something else may be the reason. Either way, I am not complaining.

Saffron Spice Gelato
(p. 106, Ciao Bella)

Makes ~1 quart (~3 cups, roughly 6 servings)

Plain Base

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar

Gather your ingredients:

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the milk and the cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn't form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170F.

 It's important when you are using a thermometer to gauge the temperature that you do not rest it on the bottom of the pan, otherwise it will be telling you the temperature of the pot and not the temperature of the contents of the pot. Most come with a clip you can use to suspend the thermometer appropriately.

As your milk and cream heat, you can start whisking the eggs with the sugar. In a medium, heat proof bowl (the heat proof is important for a step that will come along in a bit), whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar, until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. I added my sugar in four portions - it was fun to see just how much lighter the egg yolks got with each addition, although I am not sure it photographed well. The mixture certainly got thicker and kind of reminded me of those Peeps marshmallow chicks.

Once the milk on the stove has come up to temperature, temper the egg yolk mixture by adding a little bit of the hot milk to it and whisking it in. You want to do this with almost a continuous whisking motion so that the milk incorporates but doesn't sit still long enough to cook the egg yolk. I added about half the hot milk to the egg mixture and whisked it into a smooth custard before adding the remainder of the hot milk and stirring it all together. Once both components have been fully combined, return the custard to the stove and place over low heat.

Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent a skin from forming, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and it reaches 185F. Do not allow it to boil.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and let it cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

To speed the cooling process, you can either set the bowl containing the custard into an ice bath (into a larger pan filled with ice) and stir until cooled; alternatively, I set my bowl into a few inches of cold water in the sink and stirred away, and it worked like a charm.

Once the custard is completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Saffron Spice Gelato

Plain Base
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1/4 cup honey
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup roasted pistachios, frozen

A few alterations: I didn't have almond extract, so I substituted hazelnut extract instead. I also omitted the pistachios as I didn't have any on hand, although I think they would be delicious.

Assemble the ingredients:

I initially thought the 1/8th teaspoon measure for the spices wouldn't be enough, but it was. I wouldn't increase those, although I might double the saffron in a future attempt, just to see what happens.

In a small saucepan, warm the milk over medium-low heat until small bubbles start forming around the edge. This doesn't take long - I got distracted during my first attempt and came back too late to find the milk had overcooked onto the bottom of my pot. Which looks like this:

Looks like the moon craters!

Not the goal. On my second attempt, I paid better attention and got it right. Once the milk is warm enough, remove it from the heat and crumble the saffron into it.

Set it aside for ~20 minutes to infuse. You'll end up with creamy yellow milk:

Pour the infused milk through a fine-meshed strainer into a clean bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all of the liquid. Discard the saffron, and refrigerate the infused milk for ~30 minutes, or until cold.

In a blender or food processor, combine half the cold plain base with the chilled saffron-infused milk, honey, nut extract, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and black pepper until smooth.

The lump is the creamed honey I was using, with the spices on it.

Whisk into the remaining base, and then pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.

Add the pistachios, if using, 5 minutes before the churning is completed. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. Then lick out the churning bowl. You know you want to.

Yum!

I am thinking of making a fresh mint gelato next, and then a rosemary and olive oil one after that. So much fun!

Chard and Saffron Omelettes

I am going to be very upfront: this recipe is one of the best recipes I have made so far from Plenty. There was absolutely nothing to dislike and a lot to love. I will be making this over and over and over again. Amazing.

As usual, the ingredients are from the book and the written description includes my observations and alterations.

Chard and Saffron Omelettes
(p. 142, Plenty)

Serves 4
(Really, serves 2 if you make no side dishes to accompany)

1/2 lb (1 medium) waxy potato, peeled and cut into 3/8-inch dice
1 cup of water
pinch of saffron threads
3/4 lb Swiss chard (stalks and leaves), shredded
salt and pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2/3 cup chopped herbs (tarragon, dill, parsley)
vegetable oil
1/2 cup creme fraiche, cold

Assemble the ingredients:

A few alterations, to begin: I didn't have a waxy potato, so I substituted a sweet potato. And I'd do it again - it was awesome. I also substituted Greek yogurt for the creme fraiche, and used 4 egg whites plus two whole eggs so I could use up the egg whites that were left over from making gelato the other day. I also ended up subbing out the clove of garlic for a few shakes of the President's Choice Roasted Garlic seasoning on a whim, and that was also a tasty decision. For the herbs in the omelettes, I used parsley, dill, and mint, as they were what I had on hand. I also used olive oil rather than vegetable oil for frying the omelettes.

To start, put the diced potato, water, and saffron in a large pan and bring to a boil.

If you look close enough, the saffron threads look like tiny, scarlet tadpoles...

Simmer for 4 minutes, and then add the chard and some salt and pepper. Shredded chard is surprisingly pretty:  

Continue cooking, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potato is soft. Drain out any excess liquid that is left in the pan (I didn't have any), and remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and garlic, stir to combine and leave to cool. Apparently, I forgot to take a picture of this part all finished. My bad. I strongly advise against omitting the lemon juice - it really makes things pop in a way I hadn't expected.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and herbs with some salt and pepper. I recommend that you chop your omelette-herbs quite finely. I went after mine with the kitchen shears and they were still in fairly large pieces, which made for some lumpy (but still delicious) omelettes.

Oil a 9-inch frying pan (~1 tsp for a non-stick pan, a bit more for a regular pan), and let it get hot. When it is hot, pour one quarter of the egg mixture into the pan and make one thin, round omelette. I found covering the pan and letting it steam a bit helped cook the top of the omelette without the hassle of flipping it over (if required - a thin enough omelette shouldn't need flipping). Transfer the cooked omelette to a plate lined with paper towels and repeat until you have four omelettes and all of the egg and herb mixture has been cooked. I found this stage a bit tricky to navigate between my regular pans and course-chopped herbs, and was apparently too distracted to take a picture.

To serve, Yotam suggests covering half of each omelette with the creme fraiche. Taste the chard mixture and adjust the seasoning if required, and then spread it over the creme fraiche. Fold each omelette in half and then into half again, making a fan shape, and then serve. Or, if you are like me and get oddly shaped, fairly thick omelettes, you can pile the chard and potato mixture on top of the omelette, crown it with creme fraiche and devour. Either option is delicious, and both look pretty good.

These can be made ahead and held in the fridge until required; simply heat in an oven at 325F for 5 to 8 minutes or until hot, and then serve.

SO GOOD.

Yogurt Flatbreads with Barley and Mushrooms

Yotam says that this serves six as a starter, which I can see being accurate. It certainly fed two as a main course with quite a bit of the barley and mushroom mixture left over. The flatbreads are not difficult to make, so you can double or even triple the recipe for those if you wanted to. Just be aware that the dough needs to chill in the fridge for an hour and plan accordingly.

Yogurt Flatbreads with Barley and Mushrooms

(p. 236, Plenty)

Serves 6 as a starter

Flatbreads

1 cup plus 2 tsp whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup Greek yogurt

3 tbsp fresh cilantro

4 tbsp clarified butter (or a mixture of melted butter and oil)

Mushroom Ragout

1/2 cup pearl barley

3/4 oz dried porcini mushrooms

3/4 cup lukewarm water

4 cups mixed shiitake and button mushrooms, halved

2 tbsp olive oil

5 tbsp butter

2 thyme sprigs

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 cup white wine

salt and black pepper

2 tbsp chopped parsley, plus extra to garnish

1/2 tbsp finely chopped preserved lemon

1 tbsp lemon juice

6 tbsp Greek yogurt

Start with making the flatbreads, as they will need to chill in the fridge for a while before they are ready to be cooked. Assemble the ingredients:

In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the butter and mix them together into a dry dough. I found using my hands to be the most effective way of doing this. If you dislike cilantro, pretty much any green herb is going to taste good here. I'd recommend flat leaf parsley, basil (Thai basil if you've got it), or even mint.

Once the dough has come together in the bowl, knead it on the counter for a moment or two until it is smooth and uniform. Then wrap it in plastic wrap (or put it in a large enough container with a lid) and let it chill in the fridge for at least an hour.

 While the dough is chilling, start in on the mushroom ragout. Assemble the ingredients:

A few alterations for this part of the recipe: I had no white wine, so I substituted 1/4 cup apple cider and 1/4 cup water. Given the choice again, I'd go for the wine. I also could not open my jar of preserved lemon, so that was omitted.

To begin, rinse the barley with cold water and then place in a medium saucepan. Cover with plenty of fresh water and then simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, or until al dente. I found I needed a medium heat to really get things going here. When the barley is finished cooking, drain in a colander and let cool a bit.

While the barley is cooking, start preparing the mushrooms. Measure the dried porcini into a small bowl. I had only ~half an ounce of dried porcini, so I topped up the measurement with a mixture of dried oyster and shiitake mushrooms, figuring more variety was better than running short measure.

Cover the dried mushrooms with lukewarm water and set aside. You'll end up using the steeping water later in the recipe, so it's best to just cover the mushrooms at this stage - a lot of extra liquid here will add cooking time later as you try to evaporate it off while reducing the sauce.

While the dried mushrooms soak, dice the fresh mushrooms into halves or quarters, depending on how big they are. If the stems aren't too woody, include them. When the fresh mushrooms are cut, place them in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan with the olive oil and heat to medium-high heat.

Add half the butter and the thyme (you can pick the leaves and add them or throw the whole sprig in and just fish out the woody stem after, it's up to you). Saute for ~4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the fresh mushrooms have softened, add the garlic (mine was finely diced rather than crushed), and the wine, and "allow to bubble away for about 5 minutes". I love Yotam's phrasing sometimes. ^_^

Add the remaining mushrooms and their soaking liquid, leaving behind any grit in the bottom of the soaking bowl. Season with salt and pepper and simmer on low heat for  ~10 minutes. Stir in the remaining butter with the parsley, preserved lemon, lemon juice, and cooked barley. You should now have a well-flavoured mushroom stew. Add more water if you need to thin the sauce at all, and then taste for seasoning. Set aside, and reheat briefly before serving.

Pre-barley: the butter wasn't quite done melting when I shot this.

To finish up the flatbreads, retrieve the dough from the fridge. Unwrap it and portion it into six balls. From here Yotam says to flatten them with a rolling pin into round disks about 1 inch thick. However, that made no visual sense to me after I'd portioned the dough into the balls, because the balls were roughly 1 inch thick. So I decided to flatten them with my hands into rounds roughly 1/2 inch thick and roughly 4 inches across.

It's a dense dough, and you aren't going to get a tremendous amount of rise from it, so the shape you put into the pan is pretty much what you are going to take out of the pan. Heat some clarified butter in a nonstick pan and fry the flatbreads on medium heat for about 2 minutes each side. I used straight olive oil as I had no clarified butter, and I cooked three of them at a time.

 Flip them at the two minute mark and you should have golden goodness on the just-fried side.

Keep the early flatbreads warm as you cook the remainder.

To serve, top each flatbread with some of the ragout, a spoonful of Greek yogurt, and a sprinkle of parsley.

I found that I didn't get the thick sauce that Yotam was talking about, and that my flatbread dimensions were really far off of what he was outlining. I have reviewed the recipe a number of times and can't see where things might have gone "wrong" - I am putting that in air quotes because this was still really delicious, despite the discrepancies. I'd definitely make this again. Don't omit the thyme (and fresh really is best) or the lemon juice, or the dish will seem quite flat. I look forward to making this again with the wine to see what kind of difference it would make, and I am also considering using my mushroom and sage oil as the initial olive oil in the pan when the fresh mushrooms start cooking. Could be fun.

Chickpea Saute with Greek Yogurt

This is tasty and incredibly quick to make if using canned chickpeas. It might become one of my go-to "I'm too tired to cook real food" meals. As usual, the ingredients are direct from the book and the written description includes my alterations and observations.


Chickpea Saute with Greek Yogurt
(p. 211, Plenty)

Serves 4

8 cups Swiss chard or spinach
1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra to finish
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3/8-inch dice
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 1/2 cups fresh cooked chickpeas (canned are fine too)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp chopped mint
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and black pepper
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp olive oil

If you are using the chard, separate the leaves from the stalks and blanch the stalks in plenty of boiling, salted water for ~3 minutes. Add the leaves and continue cooking for ~2 minutes. Drain everything in a colander, and then refresh under cold running water. Squeeze dry and then chop roughly. If you are using the spinach, you will not need to blanch it.

Prepare the carrots and herbs:

I chopped my garlic into larger pieces rather than crushing it.

In a large, heavy saucepan heat up the oil over medium heat. I know 1/3 of a cup of oil looks like a lot, but it worked out in the end so don't short things here. Add the carrots and the caraway seeds and saute for ~5 minutes.

If you are using canned chickpeas, I find it beneficial to drain them into a colander and then give them a thorough rinse under the tap. Add them to the carrots and stir to combine. Add the chard or spinach to the pan at this point, and allow to cook for another ~6 minutes. If you are using spinach, you'll need to stir a bit to help it hit the heat and wilt down.

While that mixture cooks, find a small mixing bowl. In that mixing bowl combine the Greek yogurt with the last tablespoon of the olive oil, and then season with salt and generous grinds of fresh black pepper.

 Stir to combine and set aside.

Once the spinach has successfully combined into the chickpeas and carrots, add the garlic, herbs, lemon juice, and some salt and pepper. I found the addition of the lemon juice changed the aroma profile of this dish dramatically, so try not to skip it. If you don't have lemon juice, try lime juice or orange juice in its place. Stir everything together well. Remove from heat and let cool at bit; taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

To serve, pile the vegetables onto serving dishes and garnish with the yogurt on top. Drizzle with a bit more olive oil and a few more grinds of black pepper if desired, and enjoy.

Fast, simple, and very fresh. I am a fan.

Burnt Eggplant with Tahini

I've been absent from here for a while - a combination of factors, including travelling back to my home province to deliver my first paper outside of my own university. It went fairly well and was bound up in a whirlwind trip all over Alberta. I drove more than 3,100 kilometres in 10 days, more than I think I have driven in the last three or four years combined. Last night when I got home I slept for 11 hours. I'll be content to be a pedestrian again for a while. ^_^

Travelling is fun and something I get a lot out of. Two of my favourite parts are the photography and the food. I was spoiled rotten staying with extended family while at the conference - my Uncle made me some traditional Indonesian dishes learned while he lived over there, and my Aunt sent me off with an enormous portion of homemade honey and spice baklava. And then I got to eat at a few of my favourite places in my home city, noshing on things that aren't readily available (or just aren't the same) in Regina. I came home with most of my culinary cravings satisfied, and feeling ready to cook again. Doesn't hurt that when I left we had just lost our last bit of snow, and when I return it looks like full-on summer with green grass and trees coming into leaf. The farmer's market even starts here tomorrow - bring on the fresh food!

In a fairly celebratory mood, I decided to make a larger dinner tonight. Everything was kind of ad hoc, as I got home yesterday evening and picked up some random groceries without really having my food plan drafted. All in all, I am fairly lucky that there were a few recipes that worked with what I had on hand. The first is Burnt Eggplant with Tahini, which I served with a rye bread, and the second was a Chickpea Saute with Greek Yogurt. They made a great meal in combination. I also started putting together a strawberry sorbetto, but it was too hot in my flat to churn it properly tonight, so I'll have to re-freeze my mixer bowl and churn it again tomorrow night. It's going to be good though...

Give this recipe a chance - I know the title sounds strange and perhaps a little off-putting, but it's actually really fantastic. As usual, the ingredients are straight from the book, and the description includes my alterations and additions.

Burnt Eggplant with Tahini
(p. 122, Plenty)

Serves 2-4

1 large eggplant
1/3 cup tahini paste
1/4 cup water
2 tsp pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
3 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and black pepper
3 mini cucumbers (6 to 7 oz in total, optional)
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes (optional)
seeds from half a large pomegranate
a little olive oil to finish

First, a few slight changes: I didn't have pomegranate molasses, and so substituted a pomegranate balsamic vinegar that I had. I think if I were to make this again, it would be worth tracking down the pomegranate molasses - the online reviews I read on it sounded quite favourable. Second, I didn't have any parsley, so I subsituted cilantro - for such a small amount it wasn't a problem. I also used a standard English cucumber instead of the mini's because it was cheaper, and sadly had to omit the pomegranate seeds as they weren't to be had at the grocer due to seasonality. I think they'd be a fun addition though.

To begin, you want to burn your eggplant. To do this with an electric range, wrap an oven safe baking pan in foil and set it aside. Take your eggplant (use two medium if you can't find a really huge one) and stab it multiple times with a sharp knife. The objective is to create vents for steam to release as the eggplant roasts. I imagine this is to help prevent it from exploding, although Yotam doesn't really say why it's necessary. Place the pierced eggplant in the dish, and place the dish in the oven.

Set the oven to "Broil" and let it roast for roughly an hour, turning once or twice. You want the eggplant to collapse in on itself (completely deflate, like a spent balloon) and the skin to char in places. Kind of like this:

If you have a gas range, Yotam says that you can char it using metal tongs over one of your burners, turning it until blackened all over and collapsed.

Once the eggplant is thoroughly roasted, remove from oven and set aside to cool. I split mine open with a knife to help it cool faster, but I was being impatient.

Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh away from the skin and set it into a colander to drain well. Yotam suggested leaving it to drain for 30 minutes, but I found mine was ready after about 10, as most of the eggplant juice had seeped out of the eggplant while it was still in the foil wrapped pan.

While the eggplant is draining, find a medium mixing bowl. Into that bowl measure the tahini paste, water, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper.

When the flesh has sufficiently cooled, add it to the bowl with the other ingredients. Whisk to combine. This resulting smooth paste can be used as a dip for vegetables or pita as is, or you can add the optional cucumber and/or tomato and turn it into something more robust. If you are adding the cucumber and/or tomato, you want them chopped fairly fine. For the cucumber, if using mini cucumbers, cut them lengthwise into quarters and then cut each quarter into 3/8-inch long pieces. If using a larger cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise and cut each half into quarters lengthwise as well. Dice into 3/8-inch pieces from there.

If adding cherry tomatoes, cutting them in half will be adequate. If you are using larger tomatoes like I did, cut them into slightly smaller-than-bite-sized pieces. Include the tomato guts for fullest flavour.

Once all of the ingredients are in place, give everything a thorough stir and adjust the seasoning as necessary to achieve a robust sour/slightly sweet flavour. To serve, spoon out into a shallow dish and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. If you have pomegranate seeds, sprinkle them on top and then serve.

This was really, really good. I advocate the use of the largest eggplant you can find - mine was just slightly more than a medium-sized one, and I felt the tahini was a little too present for my tastes, which could have easily been due to too little eggplant. I also very much recommend the inclusion of the cucumber and tomatoes as they seemed to liven up the dish and help it to taste very fresh. I think it would make an excellent dip for fresh veggies, and also a great filling for a wrap or sandwich, along the lines of an egg salad-type offering.