Roasted eggplant & garlic dip

Prep 25 mins | Cook 40 mins | Makes 1½ cups

This dip is excellent served with grilled bread and sliced ripe tomatoes or barbecued meats, fish and chicken.

800g (about 2) medium eggplant, trimmed and halved lengthways
Olive oil cooking spray
8 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 tbs tahini
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil + extra to serve
1 green onion (shallot), trimmed and thinly sliced
Coriander and mint leaves and sliced green onions, to serve
2 tsp pomegranate molasses*, to serve (optional)

Step 1 Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Spray eggplant with oil and place cut-side down onto a large baking tray lined with baking paper. Add garlic to tray. Roast for 35-40 minutes until eggplant is very tender. Remove from oven and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Step 2 Scoop eggplant flesh (discard skin) into a sieve and set aside for 5 minutes to drain to remove excess liquid. Squeeze garlic flesh from the cloves into a food processor and add drained eggplant (discard juice). Add tahini, lemon juice and oil. Process until smooth. Season to taste. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, spoon eggplant into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with coriander and mint leaves and green onion. Drizzle with pomegranate molasses if liked and serve.

* Pomegranate molasses is a sticky sweet syrup made from pomegranate juice. It’s available at some greengrocers and large supermarkets.

Good for you ... Eggplant

A good source of dietary fibre, which contributes to normal bowel function.

A good source of vitamin B6 that plays a role in hundreds of biochemical reactions in the body, including contributing to energy metabolism.

The purple skin is a rich source of antioxidants