Roasted Eggplant with Saffron Yogurt

This recipe comes straight from Yotam Ottolenghi himself. It's a beautiful dish that not only looks great on the table but tastes amazing too.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium eggplants, cut into 1.5 cm rounds
• salt
• 80 ml olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 70 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
• small handful roughly chopped parsley
• small handful roughly chopped mint
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• large pinch saffron threads
• 150g Greek yogurt
• salt and black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C fan.
2. Lay the eggplant rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and leave for at least 30 minutes to allow the salt to draw out excess moisture.
3. Meanwhile, mix together the olive oil, cumin, paprikas, chilli flakes, cinnamon, garlic and lemon juice until you have a smooth marinade.
4. Pat the eggplant rounds dry and toss them with the marinade until evenly coated.
5. Roast the eggplant for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender and completely cooked through.
6. While the eggplant is cooking, prepare the saffron yogurt. Put the small garlic clove and saffron threads into a mortar and use a pestle to grind them into a smooth paste. Add the Greek yogurt, a pinch of salt and some black pepper and whisk until everything is combined.
7. To serve, arrange the eggplant rounds on a platter and top with generous spoonfuls of the saffron yogurt. Garnish with fresh herbs.

Enjoy!