Cocktail tomatoes with roasted aubergine, saffron yogurt, fresh herbs, and Za'atar
These are the ingredients you need
8 cocktail tomatoes, thickly sliced - 1 aubergine - small handful of fresh dill and coriander - 4 tbsp Greek yogurt - 0,05 g saffron - ½ clove grated garlic - 2 tbsp Za'atar - 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - coarse sea salt and pepper
Preparation
Soak the saffron* in 2 tbsp. of hot water and let this stand for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C. Peel the aubergine and cut into slices. Place the sliced aubergine on a sheet of greaseproof paper on a baking tray and roast them for approx. 15 minutes until golden brown. Allow the slices to cool.
Mix the saffron with the cooking liquid, yogurt, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Plate up half of the tomato slices, with a slice of roasted aubergine on top. Spoon the saffron yogurt over the aubergine, and then put another slice of tomato on top.
Garnish with fresh herbs and Za'atar**. Season with some coarse seal salt and ground pepper. Drizzle a quality olive oil over the dish.
Tip: Lay small tomatoes down on their sides when you slice them. The tomato slices will be much prettier for this!
It is a good idea, for this recipe, to cut off small slices from the top and bottom of the tomato, so that they will stay upright.
*Saffron is a spice that is harvested from the saffron crocus. The dried pistil and stigmas of this flower produce a wonderful flavour and yellow colour.
**Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice mix that contains, among other things, oregano, sesame seeds, and sumac.
Recipe by Restaurant Rossio
www.rossio.nl