Australian Gourmet Traveller - (02)February 2020 (1)

110 GOURMET TRAVELLER

1 largeeggplant

½ cuppitteddates

½ cuproastedwalnuts,

finelychopped

2 tbsproastedgarlicoil

1 tbsproastedgarlic,crushed

1 tbspfreshlysqueezed

lemonjuice

Toastedpita or focaccia,

to serve

1 Heata barbecue(preferably

woodfired)tohighandwipe

barbecuegrillgrateswithoil

topreventsticking. If usinga

woodfiredbarbecue,createa

two-zonefire.Yourhigh-heat

zoneshouldhaveembers

2.5cm-5cmfromthecooking

surface, with occasionalflames

Eggplant dip with grilled dates

SERVES6-8

“Eggplantusuallyonlytakes15-20minutestogetsoft

andsmoky,makingthisaneasyappetisertopulltogether

while you cook the rest of the meal,” saysEricWerner.

lickingit.Tocreateyour

medium-heatzone,nudge

theembers5cm-7.5cm

lowerthanthat.

2 Roasteggplantovermedium

heat, turningoccasionally,until

verysoft(15-20minutes). Halve

lengthwaysandscoopoutthe

fleshfromskin(discardskin).

Placefleshina strainerand

drainfora coupleofminutes.

3 Meanwhile, grilldatesover

highheat(about1 minuteeach

side).Finelychopandsetaside.

4 Placeeggplantina bowl

andmashwitha forkuntil

verysmooth.Seasontotaste

withsalt.Addremaining

ingredientsandmixwell.

Serve withtoastedpita.

2 chickens(1kg-1.8kg each)

¼ cupvinegar

3 tbsphoney,plusextrafor

brushingandtotaste

PICKLEDMUSTARDSEEDS

8 tbspeachyellowand

brownmustardseeds

(oruseallyellow)

2 cupsapplecider vinegar

3 tbsp honey

Butterfliedchicken with pickled

mustard seeds

SERVES6-8

“Mostofmyrecipesusingpickledmustardseedsusea littlefor

tangandtheircaviar-like‘pop’,”saysWerner.“Here,they’rethe

star.Withjusta fewingredientsbutmanifoldspicy-sour-sweet

flavours,it’sequally suited to weekdays and special occasions.”

Pictured p108.

1 Forpickledmustardseeds,

combineingredientsin a small

saucepanovermediumheat

andsimmer,stirringfrequently

andaddingwaterif liquid

evaporates(30minutes).

Cooltoroomtemperature.

Thisrecipemakes2 cupsand

willkeeprefrigerated forup

to3 months.

2 Heata barbecue(preferably

woodfired)tohighandwipe

barbecue grill grates withoil

topreventsticking. Your

high-heatzoneshouldhave

embers2.5cm-5cmfrom

thecookingsurface,with

occasionalflameslickingit.

3 To preparechicken, use

kitchenshearsandcutalong

bothsidesofthebackboneand

remove(yourbutchercanalso

dothisforyou).Place chicken,

skin-sideup, oncuttingboard

andapplyfirmpressureto the

breastbonetoflatten.

4 Add1 cupdrainedpickled

mustardseedstoa blender

withvinegar,1 tbsphoney

and2 tspsalt, andblenduntil

smooth.Tosschickenwith

marinadeandrefrigerate,

covered(atleast2 hoursor

overnight),thenremovechicken

andwipe offexcessmarinade.

5 Grillchickens,bone-side

down, over high heat(about

10 minutes). Flipchickens,

movetomediumheatand

cookuntilaninstant-read

meatthermometerplaced

inthethickestpartofthe

thighreads 74 °C (about

30 minutes; youcanflip

chickensoccasionallywhile

cookingtogiveanevencolour).

Duringthelast5 minutesof

cooking,brushchickenswith

extrahoney.Transferto a

cuttingboardandrestfor

10 minutesbeforeslicing.

6 Meanwhile,addremaining

pickledmustardseedsand

remaininghoneytoa blender

andblendtoa smoothpurée.

Addextrahoney and/or salt

totaste.

7 Toserve,smearpickled

mustardseedpurée over

a largeplatter(orindividual

plates) and top with chicken.