Aubergine dip

For those of you who are doing Veganuary, and looking for a tasty snack, aubergine dip is delicious and insanely easy to make. Traditionally, you roast the aubergine in the oven, but for a quick dip, you can get away with microwaving it instead and, if you like a smoky flavour, you can char the skin on a gas hob beforehand ( see Notes).

Cut the stalk off a whole aubergine, put on a plate and microwave on high for about 8 minutes. The aubergine should look a bit collapsed when it's done.

Be careful, it's very hot, and when you piece it, steam will come out. Use tongs or a long handled fork to drop it into a mixing bowl. use a knife to break it open and roughly chop it in the bowl.

Add one clove of chopped garlic, a squeeze of lemon juice, four tablespoons of tahini (sesame seed paste), a glug of olive oil (ideally extra virgin olive oil), and a pinch of sea salt.

Blend with a stick blender until smooth. Taste and add more lemon juice , salt or pepper to taste. Tip into a serving dish and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

In my opinion, best served warm with pitta bread or other tasty flat bread or vegetable sticks. Yum!

Notes:

If you have a gas hob, you can scorch the skin of your aubergine before you microwave it, to give your dip a lovely smoky flavour. Just place the aubergine on top of the smallest burner, light the gas and heat on low for about 5 minutes, or until the skin starts to char. Don't leave it unattended!