Barbecued adjapsandal with adjika yoghurt dressing

Servings: 4
Adjapsandal is one of my fave Georgian go-tos, no matter the season. Its more traditional form is broody and stewy, designed to burble away on the winter stove like ratatouille, but with more fresh herbs. In summer, while the barbecue’s on and veg like these are va-va-voom, it makes sense to just chuck ’em on the barbie instead. Team with a spicy shortcut adjika paste, using a jar of roasted peppers. Piquillo are the best if you can find them, but you can use the ones from the deli counter too, with a splash more red wine vin to balance the acidity, tasting as you go. You could also do this on a griddle inside if it’s not barbecue weather – make sure to get it smoking hot and open a window!
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Ingredients 

  • 1 large or 2 medium eggplants (aubergines), about 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) sliced into 1 cm (3/8 inch) discs
  • 2 large zucchini (courgette), about 400 g (14 oz) sliced into 1 cm (3/8 inch) discs
  • 1 large red onion, about 250 g (9 oz) sliced into 1 cm (3/8 inch) rings
  • 4 large truss tomatoes, about 400 g (14 oz) quartered vertically
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil plus extra for brushing

ADJIKA

  • 4 garlic cloves peeled
  • ¼ cup (40 g) sundried tomatoes drained
  • 1 cup drained piquillo peppers, about 250 g (9 oz)
  • ¼ tsp mild chilli flakes
  • 15 g coriander (cilantro) stems leaves reserved
  • 15 g parsley stems and leaves
  • 15 g holy basil or Thai basil leaves or young regular basil plus extra for garnish
  • 30 ml (1 fl oz) neutral oil I like sunflower or grapeseed here
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp salt flakes
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp pepper

FINAL BITS & BOBS

  • 1 cup (230 g) natural yoghurt

Instructions 

  • Preheat the barbecue or grill plate until smoking.
  • Pop eggplant and zucchini on one tray and onion and tomato on another. Brush the eggplant generously with olive oil (you can use an olive oil spray if you like). The zucchini doesn’t need as much oil – the residual oil on the grill is plenty.
  • Place the eggplant on the open grill side of the barbecue for 10–15 minutes, turning halfway, until cooked through and with defined char marks (more is more with eggplant, really). Transfer the cooked eggplant slices to the upper rack to keep warm (if you don’t have an upper rack, pop them back onto the tray and loosely cover with foil). Grill the zucchini for 6–8 minutes, flipping halfway.
  • Repeat with the tomato and onion, until they are slightly blackened and blistered and seeping out juice. As each item is cooked, introduce them to the eggplant on the upper rack (or in the loosely covered tray) to keep warm too.
  • Make the adjika by putting all of the ingredients into a small blender and whizzing until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  • When ready to serve, blob the yoghurt and the adjika together on a large serving platter, schmearing with a flexible spatula or the back of a spoon to create a marbled pattern. Put the warm grilled vegetables on top and finish with extra olive oil, reserved coriander leaves and extra basil leaves.

Notes

Recipe from Salad for Days (Murdoch Books)

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