Smoky courgette dip with pine nut, chilli and mint salsa

Name: Smoky courgette dip with pine nut, chilli and mint salsa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 500 g courgette; 1 clove/s garlic, finely grated; 3 sprig/s mint (20 leaves), finely chopped, more to taste if needed; 2 tbsp Cooks’ Ingredients Tahini; ½ lemon, juice, more to taste if needed; 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, more to taste if needed; ¼ tsp ground cumin; 200 g pack The Levantine Table 2 Roasted Garlic Flatbreads (or use pittas if vegan), warmed, to serve

Elly Curshen has swapped the traditional aubergine in a baba ganoush for courgette for her leftovers recipe. You can serve this as part of a mezze spread with the flatbreads – perfect for a sunny lunch with friends.

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VegetarianHealthyLow in saturated fat1 of your 5 a day

Serves4
CourseSnack
Prepare15 mins
Cook45 mins
Total time1 hr
PlusPreparation time 15 minutes + cooling and draining

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500g courgette
1 clove/s garlic, finely grated
3 sprig/s mint (20 leaves), finely chopped, more to taste if needed
2 tbsp Cooks’ Ingredients Tahini
½ lemon, juice, more to taste if needed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, more to taste if needed
¼ tsp ground cumin
200g pack The Levantine Table 2 Roasted Garlic Flatbreads (or use pittas if vegan), warmed, to serve

For the chilli & mint salsa

3 tbsp pine nuts
1 clove/s garlic clove
¼ red chilli, deseeded
3 sprig/s mint (20 mint leaves), finely chopped
½ x 25g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar

Preheat the grill to high. Wash and dry the courgettes and place on a baking tray lined with lightly oiled foil or a silicone baking mat, and grill for 40-45 minutes, turning 2-3 times during cooking, until the skin crisps and browns on all sides. Remove from the grill and, once cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the skin and stalk ends. Don’t worry if some of the blackened skin gets in – it adds to the smoky flavour. Set the flesh aside in a sieve to drain for 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix together the garlic, chopped mint, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and cumin with a fork. Tip the drained courgette in. Mash together with the fork. Don’t mash the texture out of the courgette – it should be slightly lumpy. Season generously with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Add a little more lemon juice or olive oil or mint, if needed. Spread onto a serving dish, then set aside while you make the salsa. Discard the juice.
Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden and aromatic. Cool. Place the garlic and chilli in the bowl of a mini chopper, food processor, or a blender with a small cup, and process until finely chopped. You can do this by hand if you prefer. Add the mint and parsley, then process until finely chopped, scraping the sides of the processor bowl as needed.
Combine the lemon juice, olive oil and vinegar in a bowl, add sea salt flakes to taste, then add the chopped herb mixture and toasted pine nuts. Mix well to combine. Serve the salsa on top of the courgette dip, with wedges of flatbread alongside.

Cook’s tip

You could also add delicious things such as falafel, stuffed vine leaves and tabouleh. If you have chickpeas to use up, you can blend both into the recipe.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe