Moroccan Spiced Eggplant and Tomato with Minted Yogurt Dressing

The trick to these spiced skewers is to cook the aubergine and tomato separately, as they have different cooking times. In edible terms, there is little worse than undercooked aubergine – be sure to get them cooking first so they have a head start.

Charred by Genevieve Taylor

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds, toasted

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• juice of 1 lemon

• 16 cherry tomatoes

• 1 large aubergine (eggplant), about 350g (12oz), cut into 2–3cm ( ¾ - 1 ¼ inch) cubes

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the minted yoghurt

• 4 tbsp natural yoghurt

• 2–3 sprigs of mint, leaves picked and chopped

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed

To serve
cooked couscous
a little chopped coriander (cilantro)

You also need
6 kebab skewers, preferably metal ones

Directions

Tip the toasted cumin and coriander seeds into a pestle and mortar or a spice mill and roughly grind. Transfer the ground spices to a mixing bowl and add the olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika and cinnamon. Add the lemon juice, along with a little salt and pepper, stirring together to make a paste.

Add the tomatoes and aubergine to the spice paste and toss until evenly coated. Set aside to marinate for an hour or so, or up to 12 hours in the fridge.

While the vegetables are marinating, make the dressing by stirring together the yoghurt, mint and garlic in a small bowl. Season with a little salt and pepper and chill until needed.

When you are ready to cook, fire up the barbecue ready for direct grilling or preheat a griddle pan on the hob.

Thread the aubergine pieces on to four of the skewers, spacing them out so the heat can penetrate the pieces. Lay them on the grill or griddle and cook for around 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Thread the tomatoes on to the last two skewers and lay them alongside the aubergines. Grill for another 10–15 minutes, until both are tender, rotating a few times as they cook.

To serve, slide the cooked vegetables off the skewers on to a bed of couscous. Scatter over a little coriander and top with a generous spoon of the dressing.