Smoked Brinjal and Yoghurt Purée

One of the most popular Turkish meze dishes, this garlic-flavoured purée varies from house to house and from region to region. It is sometimes made with a lot of garlic, with a kick of chilli, or with the fresh taste of dill, mint or parsley. The purée is heavenly when it is freshly made, served with chunks of warm crusty bread for scooping it up.

Ingredients:

2 large plump brinjals (aubergines)

30ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

Juice of 1 lemon

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

250g thick natural yoghurt – plain

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A few fresh dill fronds to garnish

Lemon wedges to serve

Method:

Put the brinjals directly on the gas flame on top of the stove, or under a grill, and turn them from time to time until the skin is charred on all sides and the flesh feels soft. Place the brinjals in a plastic bag and leave for a few minutes to soften the skin. Hold each brinjal by the stalk under cold running water and gently peel off the charred skin until you are left with just the smooth flesh. Squeeze the flesh between your hands to get rid of any excess water and place it on a chopping board.

Chop the brinjal flesh to a pulp, discarding the stalks. Put the flesh in a bowl and add 30ml oil, the lemon juice and garlic. Beat well to mix in the yoghurt and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with dill. Serve at room temperature, with lemon wedges for squeezing.

Pea Pancakes with Smoked Trout

Ingredients:

400g whole smoked trout

125ml plain flour

125ml self-raising flour

1.25ml bicarbonate of soda

160ml buttermilk

80ml milk

125ml frozen baby peas, thawed and drained

15ml finely chopped fresh parsley

30ml finely chopped fresh chives

1 egg white

60ml low-fat sour cream

Pickled Cucumber:

2 short cucumbers

1 small red capsicum, chopped finely

60ml water

60ml sugar

125ml white vinegar

Method:

Remove any skin and bones from the fish and break into large pieces.

Sift flours and bicarb into a large bowl. Combine the buttermilk, milk, peas, parsley and half the chives in a jug and gradually whisk in whisk this into the flour mixture to form a batter.

Beat egg white in a small bowl with an electric beater until soft peaks form; fold the egg white into the batter. Pour 60ml of the batter for each flapjack into a large heated oiled non-stick frying pan. Cook the flapjacks in batches until browned on each side.

Combine the sour cream and remaining chives in a small bowl. Serve warm flapjacks topped with fish, pickled cucumber and sour cream mixture.

Pickled Cucumber:

Using a vegetable peeler, slice the cucumbers into ribbons. Combine the cucumber with the capsicum in a medium sized bowl. Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add vinegar to the syrup and pour hot syrup over the cucumber mixture. Cover and store in the fridge to cool.