Roasted Eggplant Salad

Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS

Eggplant
2 large purple eggplants
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon each ground cumin and allspice
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne, optional
1⁄2 cup currants
finely grated zest and juice 1 orange
2 medium vine tomatoes, diced
1⁄4 cup roughly chopped mint or coriander

Dressing
1⁄4 cup plain yoghurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 piece preserved lemon
mint or coriander for garnish

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Eggplant: Cut the eggplant into 2cm pieces and place on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle over the cumin. Season and toss. Roast until golden and tender, turning occasionally. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Salad: Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and add the onion, garlic, spices and currants. Season, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the orange zest, juice and tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes. Tip the contents of the pan over the eggplant, add the chopped herbs and lightly crush everything together with a fork, leaving it a little chunky. Season and cool.

Dressing: Mix the yoghurt, olive oil and garlic in a bowl and season. Scrape the flesh from the lemon skin and discard. Slice the skin thinly.

To assemble: Put the eggplant salad into a serving dish and drizzle over the yoghurt. Scatter with the preserved lemon and herbs. Serve with mountain or pide breads for scooping up the salad.