Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (August 2017) and taken from Syria: Recipes from Home by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi
Layering food on toasted bread with a yogurt sauce is a Syrian speciality. Bread is considered a sacred gift in the Arab world, and it’s a sin to waste it even after it has gone stale. That’s why ‘fetteh’ – literally ‘breadcrumbs’ – is so popular and it can be made with chickpeas, aubergines, chicken or lamb.
Serves 4, as part of Mezze
Ingredients:
3 aubergines
Olive oil, for roasting and drizzling
2 flatbreads or pittas
500g plain yogurt
2 small garlic cloves, crushed
2 tblsp lemon juice
Handful of parsley, roughly chopped, to serve
Handful of pomegranate seeds, to serve
50g pine nuts, toasted, to serve
Step One : Heat the oven to 180oC / 350oF / Gas Mark 4. Cut the aubergines into quarters lengthways, then slice them into 1cm chunks and place in a baking tray. Pour over a generous helping of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, then roast in the oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until the aubergines are soft.
Step Two : Brush the bread with olive oil and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, until nice and crispy. Then break it up into pieces. In a bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic and lemon juice.
Step Three : When the aubergines are ready, take them out of the oven and allow to cool. Place them in a shallow bowl, then pour the yogurt mix on top. When ready to serve, sprinkle with the crispy bread, parsley, pomegranate seeds and toasted pine nuts.