Name: Aubergine with black garlic
Ingredients: 3 medium aubergines, sliced widthways into 1.5cm rounds (900g); 200ml olive oil; 8 large or 16 small black garlic cloves (35g); 200g greek yoghurt; 1½ tsp lemon juice; 7 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced (30g); 3 red chillies, stalks removed and sliced on the diagonal into 3mm rounds; 5g dill leaves; 5g basil, roughly torn; 5g tarragon leaves; salt and black pepper

Salad Vegetarian

Serves 4

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Black garlic should be more widely available: its taste is reminiscent of molasses and tamarind and it gives an unexpected depth of flavour to dishes. You can simply slice a few thin slivers and add these to crunchy salads or creamy risottos – it’s mellow enough to not dominate – or use it in sauces, dips and purées, as here, to enliven (and challenge the rank of) old favourites, like aubergine.

Ingredients

3	medium aubergines, sliced widthways into 1.5cm rounds (900g)
200ml	olive oil
8 large or 16 small	black garlic cloves (35g)
200g	greek yoghurt
1½ tsp	lemon juice
7	large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced (30g)
3	red chillies, stalks removed and sliced on the diagonal into 3mm rounds
5g	dill leaves
5g	basil, roughly torn
5g	tarragon leaves
	salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 250C/480F (or to its highest setting).
Place the aubergine in a large bowl with 60ml of the olive oil, 1½ teaspoons of salt and a good grind of black pepper.
Mix well and spread out on 2 large baking trays lined with greaseproof paper. Roast in the oven until golden-brown and completely soft – about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Place the black garlic cloves in the small bowl of a food processor with a third of a teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 tablespoons of yoghurt and the lemon juice. Blitz for a minute, to form a rough paste, and then transfer to a medium bowl. Mix through the rest of the yoghurt and keep in the fridge until needed.
Heat the remaining 110ml of oil in a small saucepan on a high heat. Add the garlic and chilli slices, reduce the heat to medium and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the garlic is golden-brown and the chilli is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic and chilli on to a kitchen paper-lined plate.
Arrange the aubergine slices, overlapping, on a platter. Spoon the yoghurt sauce on top, sprinkle over the chilli and garlic and finish with the herbs.