Savoury Trifle Salad with Aubergines, Yoghurt and Pita
Like any good trifle, this salad is all about the layering: yoghurt for creaminess, pita for crunch, aubergines and chickpeas for substance; not too much of any, not too little of all. This is a bit epic for a salad, but you can prepare all the elements the day before, leaving you with just the layering on the day you want to serve it. Plus, it’s a pretty impressive-looking dish to serve at the table. You will find Lebanese pita bread in Middle Eastern stores, sometimes sold as khobez Lebnani.
Serves 4–6
For the vegetables
3 aubergines (eggplants), cut into 3–4cm (1 ¼ –1 ½ in) cubes (750g/1lb 10oz)
2 ½ tbsp olive oil
1 head of Cos (Romaine) lettuce, halved lengthways, cored, then thinly shredded
10g ( ¼ oz) mint leaves, picked
10g ( ¼ oz) parsley leaves, picked
1 tbsp lemon juice
250g (9oz) drained jarred chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
90g (3 ¼ oz) pomegranate seeds (about ½ large pomegranate)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the fried pita
400ml (14fl oz) sunflower or vegetable oil
2 Lebanese pitas, opened up then cut into 2.5cm (1in) cubes
For the yoghurt
400g (14oz) Greek yoghurt
1 ½ tsp dried mint
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp lemon juice
For the smoky oil
4 tbsp olive oil
30g (1oz) pine nuts
1 ½ tsp sesame seeds
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp urfa chilli
Preheat the oven to 210°C fan/230°C/450°F/Gas mark 8 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Spread out the aubergines on the lined tray and toss with the olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Roast for 30–35 minutes, stirring halfway through, until nicely browned and softened. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, line a tray with paper towels. Fry the pitas by adding the sunflower oil to a small, high-sided saucepan and placing it over a medium-high heat. Test the oil is hot enough by dropping in a cube of pita – it should start to sizzle but not brown immediately. Working in two batches, fry the pita cubes for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently with a slotted spoon, until golden. Transfer to the lined tray and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat with the second batch. Set aside to cool and crisp up completely (save the oil for another use).
For the yoghurt, add all the ingredients to a bowl with 6 tablespoons of water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk until smooth.
To make the smoky oil, add the olive oil and pine nuts to a small frying pan and place it over a medium-high heat. Cook for about 1 ½ minutes, until the pine nuts begin to colour, then stir in the sesame seeds and fry for 30 seconds. Off the heat, stir in the paprika, chilli and a tiny pinch of salt. Pour into a heatproof bowl to stop it from browning any further.
In a large bowl toss together the lettuce, herbs, lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper.
To layer the trifle, add half the lettuce mixture to the base of a 20cm (8in) trifle bowl and top with half the aubergine and half the chickpeas. Spoon over half the yoghurt and, using a spatula, gently spread it evenly over the top. Drizzle over half the smoky oil then sprinkle with half the pomegranate seeds and half the pita. Repeat the layers. Serve within an hour, to keep the pitas nice and crisp.
From Lugma by Noor Murad (Quadrille, $37.50), Photography © Matt Russell.
