Burnt Aubergine with Yoghurt, Pomegranate and Herbs

Ingredients

• 3 large aubergines
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 200g Greek yoghurt
• 3 tbsp tahini
• 1 small garlic clove, grated to a paste
• 1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 80g pomegranate seeds
• 15g fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
• 20g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 40g pine nuts
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper or sweet paprika
• flaky sea salt

Method

1. Get the fire properly hot — either a BBQ burned down to glowing coals with live flames licking up, or a gas hob ring on full whack. You want fire that actually touches the aubergine skin, not gentle heat. If you're nervous about mess on the hob, lay a sheet of foil under the burner first.
2. Prick each aubergine three or four times with a knife tip — this lets steam escape so they don't burst. Sit them directly on the hob flame or on the BBQ grate right over the fire. No oil yet.
3. Char hard, turning every 3-4 minutes with tongs, until the skin is blistered, blackened and flaking off all over and the aubergine has collapsed in on itself — about 15-20 minutes total. The flesh should feel completely soft when you press with the tongs, almost liquid inside the bag of skin. Underdone aubergine tastes spongy and bitter, so don't pull them early; you want them sagging and surrendered.
4. Transfer to a colander set over a bowl, slit each one open lengthways, and leave to drain for 10 minutes. This step matters — aubergine flesh holds a lot of bitter, watery liquid, and if you skip the drain your dip turns out loose and washed-out instead of rich.
5. While they drain, toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat, shaking constantly, until they turn deep gold — 2-3 minutes. They go from pale to burnt in about ten seconds, so don't walk away. Tip onto a plate the moment they colour.
6. Make the base: whisk the Greek yoghurt, tahini, grated garlic, lemon juice, cumin and salt in a wide bowl. The tahini will seize and go thick at first — keep whisking and it loosens into a silky cream. Taste; it should be sharp, nutty, and properly seasoned.
7. Scoop the drained aubergine flesh out of the blackened skins with a spoon, leaving any stubborn charred bits behind (a few flecks are good — that's the smoke). Roughly chop the flesh on a board — you want texture, not purée — then fold it through the yoghurt-tahini base. Don't overmix; streaks of pale yoghurt and dark smoky aubergine look beautiful.
8. Spread the mixture across a wide shallow plate, swooshing the back of a spoon through it to make valleys for the oil to pool in. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds, torn mint, parsley and toasted pine nuts. Drizzle generously with the extra virgin olive oil, dust with Aleppo pepper, and finish with flaky salt.
9. Warm the flatbreads directly over the dying flames for 20 seconds a side until pliable and lightly charred at the edges. Tear into pieces at the table.