Ben Dearnley
“The cutting technique in this recipe is all about preserving the shape of the eggplant,” says Afik Gal. “Make sure to keep the stem on during the peeling, cutting and serving stages.”
Ingredients
Method
1.Preheat oven to as hot as it will go (about 250°C). Roast eggplant on an oven tray lined with baking paper until its skin turns black, hard, tight and shiny (50 minutes to 1 hour). Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
2.Spoon tahini onto a plate. Make a vertical slit in the eggplant skin with a sharp knife from the stalk down to reveal the flesh underneath. Gently pull the eggplant from its skin, removing the burnt skin from all sides. The flesh should come out in one piece and the skin should come away from the flesh like walls. Avoid removing the skin under the tap; if the eggplant gets wet it won’t separate easily. If it’s proving difficult use a knife to help. Place eggplant on top of the tahini and cut it with a precise piston-like motion, millimetre by millimetre from one end to the next with a metal scraper or a sharp knife until chopped, but with the eggplant shape still intact Season to taste with salt and drizzle with oil to serve.
