Aubergine spread with garlic, lemon & pomegranate seeds

Bojana was a really picky eater as a child. She has grown out of it but somehow, aubergine is stuck on the blacklist. She is on holiday with her friends for a week, so it’s time for me to catch up with these aubergine recipes and eat as much as I can.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

4 large aubergines (1.5kg before cooking; 550g after burning and draining the flesh) 

1 garlic cloves, crushed

grated zest of 1 lemon and 2 tbsp lemon juice 

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley 

2 tbsp chopped mint

80g pomegranate seeds

5 tbsp olive oil 

salt and black pepper 

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan

2. Sore the aubergine with a knife in a few places, a couple of centimetres deep. Place them on a baking sheet and put them into the oven. Bake them for about an hour even if they burst and break. 

3. Remove the aubergines from the heat and allow them to cool down slightly. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the soft flesh of each of them. Discard the skin. 

4. Drain the flesh in a colander for an hour, to get rid of as much water as possible. 

5. Place the aubergine in a blender. Add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, ½ a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Blitz it into a smooth paste and marinate it in the fridge for an hour. 

6. When you are ready to serve, mix in most of the herbs and taste for seasoning. Pile high on a serving plate, scatter on the pomegranate seeds and garnish with the remaining herbs.