A rich vegetarian dish that is made all the more flavoursome by cooking the aubergines over flames. Mark Moriarty: Cook Like a Chef airs Wednesdays at 8pm on RTÉ One.
Ingredients
Serves 4
For the baba ghanoush:
- 4 large aubergines
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 5 tbsp good quality olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 tbsp yoghurt
- Juice and zest of half a lemon
- Ripped mint leaves, to garnish
For the focaccia:
Part 1:
- 14g dried yeast
- 90ml lukewarm water
- 10g sugar
- 110g strong flour
Part 2:
- 240g lukewarm water
- 110g olive oil
- 20g sugar
- 10g salt
- 430g strong flour
- 300ml good quality olive oil
To finish:
- 200ml water
- 10g fine sea salt
- Rosemary stalks
Method
- Place the aubergines on the barbecue for 15-20 minutes over a high flame until the skin is blistered and the interior soft throughout.
- Remove the pulp from inside the skin, place in a bowl, and let cool in the fridge.
- In a small pot, add the garlic, cumin, coriander and chilli along with the olive oil. Cook over a medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the garlic and sesame seeds have turned a golden brown. Allow this to cool, then mix with the aubergine and yoghurt until a chunky paste is formed. Season with salt, lemon juice and zest and set aside.
- Now to the focaccia. Preheat the oven to 230c. Set up a mixer and add all the ingredients from part 1. Mix with the dough hook attachment at a medium speed for 5 mins. Leave the dough in the bowl it was mixed in and cover with a wet towel. Leave in a warm place to double in size.
- Once the dough has doubled, add the ingredients from part 2 into the same bowl and mix for a further 10 minutes with the dough hook at a high speed until the dough has cleaned the bowl.
- At this point, get your baking tray ready. Use a metal rectangular tray (that is approx. 1.5-2 inches deep) and fill it with the 300ml of olive oil. Pour the dough into the tray and roll it in the oil, using your fingers to flatten the dough and fill all the corners of the tray. Cover again with a wet cloth and leave in a warm place to double in size; this takes about 45 minutes.
- You'll know the dough is ready when it is smooth and slightly domed in shape. At this point it is nearly ready for the oven. Whisk the 10g of fine sea salt into the water. Pick the rosemary leaves off the stalks. Finally, use your fingers to punch holes in the dough, right to the base tray; they should be punched all across the dough. Pour the salted water across the dough so it fills the holes. Sprinkle the rosemary leaves across the top and carefully place in the oven.
- Bake for 40 minutes until dark brown and crispy then remove and place on a wire rack.
- Once cool, slice the bread into long strips and grill on the barbecue until charred. Serve with the baba ghanoush. Garnish with the mint leaves.
