- 1 aubergine
- 1 red onion
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tomatoes
- ½ cucumber
- A large handful of baby leaf spinach
- A handful of thyme, leaves only
- 400g tin of green lentils
- 150g halloumi
- 1 garlic clove
- 40g tahini
- 1 tbsp dukkah
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1.
Heat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Halve the aubergine lengthways then cut each half into 4 wedges. Place the aubergine wedges in a large bowl. Pour over 1 tbsp olive oil and season. Toss together to coat the wedges. Place them on a baking tray. Roast for 25 mins, turning them over halfway through cooking.
- 2.
While the aubergine roasts, peel and chop the onion as finely as possible. Tip into a non-metallic bowl. Pour over 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and sprinkle in a little salt. Mix together well.
- 3.
Finely chop the tomatoes and place them on top of the onion (but don't mix them in). Halve the cucumber and slice 1 chunk in half lengthways. Run a teaspoon down the middle to scoop out the seeds. Slice the cucumber into long lengths, then chop into small chunks and place in the bowl on top of the tomatoes.
- 4.
Finely shred the spinach leaves. Pull the thyme leaves from the woody stalks and roughly chop them a little. Scatter on top of the veg, saving a pinch for later to garnish. Don't mix together – you just want the onion soaking in the vinegar marinade.
- 5.
Drain and rinse the lentils. Shake them dry. Tip into the bowl with the veg, thyme and spinach but still don't mix them together. Set aside to marinate.
- 6.
Peel and grate the garlic into a bowl. Add the tahini and mix with ½ tbsp olive oil to make a thick paste.
- 7.
Chop the halloumi into 8 slices. Place a frying pan on the heat. When warm, drizzle in ½ tbsp olive oil. Lay the halloumi slices in the pan and cook for 2-3 mins on each side till golden and slightly melted.
- 8.
While the halloumi is frying, remove the aubergine from the oven and drizzle over the tahini. Place back into the oven for 3 mins.
- 9.
Stir the lentils, veg, spinach, thyme and marinated onions together. Taste and season. Divide between 2 plates. Top with the tahini aubergine wedges and halloumi. Sprinkle over the reserved herbs and a generous shake of dukkah. Serve straight away.
- Tip
Half & half
You only need half a cucumber for this recipe. The other half will keep in the fridge for a few days. Try grating it, squeezing out as much water as possible and then stirring into yogurt with some crushed garlic, chopped mint and dried oregano. Serve on the side of grilled veg with flat breads and salad.
