Aubergine, Date and Sheep’s Cheese Salad

This is a more robust dish than aubergine classics such as baba ganoush, and more elegant than the traditional Catalan escalivada for a lunch or dinner party. It goes wonderfully with grilled lamb, botifarra, mackerel and swordfish if you’re having a barbecue—indeed, you could grill the aubergines on the barbecue instead of doing them in the oven. In that case, cook until the skin is blackened on all sides and proceed as per the recipe below. It's also hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian main course, which makes it an extremely useful dish to put on the menu. It’s best served at room temperature rather than straight from the fridge, but you can easily make it in advance.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6 as a starter)

• 6 medium-sized aubergines
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp smoked pimentón (Spanish paprika)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed to a paste with a little salt
• 2 Tbsp runny honey
• 1 mild red chili, seeds removed, thinly sliced
• 200 g cooked chickpeas
• 12 dates, pitted and halved
• 100 g strong sheep’s cheese, roughly chopped
• 50 g toasted almonds
• Large handful mint leaves
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 220ºC.
2. Pierce aubergines on both sides then bake in oven for 25 minutes, turn and bake for another 25 minutes until they are blackened on all sides. Remove and place in a plastic bag to steam until cool enough to handle.
3. Split aubergines in two, then cut in half and scoop out the middles. Drain the flesh in a colander to get rid of any bitter juices.
4. Place the aubergine in a bowl and add the pimentón, garlic paste, honey, lemon juice, half the lemon zest, half the sliced chili and enough olive oil to give it a creamy texture. Season well with salt and pepper.
5. Gently toss through the chickpeas, dates and sheep’s cheese and arrange on a platter.
6. Drizzle with a little olive oil, garnish with the rest of the lemon zest and chilies, toasted almonds and plenty of mint leaves.
7. Serve scooped onto warm pita or flatbread.

Tara Stevens is a food writer and cook who splits her time between Barcelona and her little cooking school in the Fez Medina. Passionate about Spanish and Moroccan cuisine, she takes traditional recipes and gives them a modern makeover using local and seasonal ingredients. Follow Tara on Instagram @courtyardkitchenfez and Twitter @taralstevens.