Supper Club: Try out this delicious aubergine dip with smoked paprika

Aubergines are an obsession of mine. I just love that unctuously soft flesh and especially the rich dips that can be made from it. Forgive the “smoked” shortcut. I don’t have the patience to hover over a flame for 20 minutes, so have popped a little smoked paprika in, which goes some way to giving the dip that requisite flavour. Well, we all have our kitchen limitations, don’t we?

Smoked paprika aubergine dip

Ingredients

• oil, for greasing
• 2 aubergines
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 30ml extra virgin olive oil, plus
• extra for drizzling
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 50g tahini
• 30g fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly
• chopped, plus extra to garnish
• salt and freshly ground
• black pepper
• toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Oil a baking sheet. Slice the aubergines lengthways and place them on the baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the flesh is soft, turning them over halfway through.
2. Cover and cool completely before scooping out the flesh. Chop thoroughly with a knife and then mash with a fork, ensuring there are no lumps.
3. Pound the garlic and sea salt together using a pestle and mortar. Place the aubergine flesh in a bowl along with the crushed garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and smoked paprika. Mix thoroughly before stirring in the tahini and parsley.
4. Season to taste and serve topped with a generous drizzle of extra virgin oil, a little more parsley and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. This is lovely served with crispbreads, pitta, crudités or as a spread in sandwiches.

You can find this recipe and more in Keep it Vegan by Áine Carlin. Published by Kyle Books. Photography by Ali Allen.