Fried Aubergine, Zhoug & Date Syrup
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 aubergines
- 1 tbsp Maldon salt
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 3 green chillis
- 1 bunch of coriander
- 300ml rapeseed oil
- 25ml lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Hawaij spice
- ½ tsp table salt
- 50ml date syrup
Method
Cut the aubergines into 2cm discs and toss in a bowl with the Maldon salt. Leave for 45 minutes, until the liquid has been drawn out.
In the meantime, make your zhoug by pulsing the garlic and chilli together in a blender. Roughly chop the coriander and add to the mixture. Pour the rapeseed oil into the blender in two stages, pulsing throughout – until the sauce is combined but not fully emulsified. Season with the lemon, Hawaij spice, and salt.
Rinse the aubergines and squeeze out any remaining moisture. Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a pan and deep fry in batches until golden. Transfer to a serving plate, and drizzle with the zhoug and date syrup.
Pumpkin Tirshy
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 Delica pumpkin
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely ground
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds, coarsely ground
- 1 tbsp cured lemon paste
- 2 tbsp rose harissa
- 200ml water
- 100g coriander, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Cut the pumpkin into 8 wedges, remove the seeds and toss with the olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Spread on a lined baking tray, and roast for 30 minutes or until golden. (A knife should pass easily through the flesh.) Allow to cool a little before peeling off the skin and discarding, then transfer the flesh to a blender. Add the remaining ingredients (except the coriander) to the blender along with a teaspoon of salt. Blend until combined. Stir through the coriander. Note, this mezze is lovely topped with finely chopped olives.
Falafel with Tahini
Makes approximately 12 falafel
Ingredients
- 125g dry chickpeas, soaked overnight
- 125g peeled onion, roughly chopped
- 1 clove of garlic
- 10g red chilli, roughly chopped
- 30g parsley, stalks removed and roughly chopped
- 75g coriander, roughly chopped
- 11g falafel spice mix (available from Farmdrop)
- 1 tsp table salt
- 8g baking powder
Method
Place all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until you have a relatively fine mix – it should have the texture of couscous. Add a little water to bind if necessary. Form the mix into 35g balls. Heat 3 inches of vegetable oil in a saucepan to 180 degrees Celsius. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can tell when the oil is hot enough by dropping in a little pinch of the mix – if it sizzles, you are ready to fry. Deep fry the balls in small batches until golden brown, around 2 to 3 minutes. Serve while hot.
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