Aubergines with black garlic

Ingredients

3 medium aubergines, sliced width ways

300-400ml olive oil

8 large cloves black garlic (this can be purchased online)

200g Greek yoghurt

11/2tsp lemon juice

7 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

3 red chillies, sliced

handful of dill leaves

handful of basil leaves

handful of tarragon leaves

salt

black pepper

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to its highest setting.
2. Put the aubergines slices into a large bowl and coat generously with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lay them on a baking tray and cook until soft and golden-brown (this took a good hour in our oven).
3. Make the topping for the aubergines by mixing together the black garlic, salt, pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil, the yoghurt and the lemon juice in a food processor until you have a paste. Keep in the fridge until needed.
4. Heat 100ml olive oil in a small saucepan until hot, then add the garlic and chilli slices. Fry for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and put on kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil.
5. Assemble you dish by laying the aubergine slices flat, and topping with the black garlic paste and fried chilli and garlic. Sprinkle the fresh herbs over the top. Can be eaten immediately or allowed to cool to room temperature.

Serving suggestion:

Serve with brown rice and a pulse-based salad with a sharp lemony dressing. These flavours and textures provide a nice contrast.

The aubergines reheat quite well in a microwave too, making leftover lunch boxes more interesting.

This recipe tastes even better made with vegetables from Community Harvest Whetstone :)