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Ingredients

• 450g tin of chickpeas
• 3 cloves of garlic; peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 large handfuls of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Juices and zest of a lime
• 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour, (otherwise plain flour)
• Malden salt 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying

Cooking instructions
Drain and rinse the chickpeas. With the exception of the frying oil, place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz into a thick paste. A few lumpy pieces of chickpeas are fine – they add something to the final texture. Then form the mixture into small balls – about 3cm and slightly flatten. Deep fry for four or five minutes at 350f until golden brown. 

To serve 
Serve with my Lebanese cucumber yoghurt in a grilled pitta. Alternatively – squash the balls flatter and eat them as burgers with tomato, black pepper and lettuce in wholemeal buns. 

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g cans chickpeas
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 3 – 5 tbsp olive oil
• 90g smooth peanut butter
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 4 – 6 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 2 tbsp peanuts, finely chopped, to serve
• 1 tsp smoked paprika, to serve

Method

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and put in a food processor with the garlic, 3 tablespoons olive oil, peanut butter, lemon juice, salt and cumin and blitz to a lumpy paste.

Add 4 tablespoons of Greek yoghurt and blitz until combined.  If the hummus is still thick add the extra yoghurt and oil.

Taste and season with the salt and lemon juice.

To serve, mix the chopped peanuts and paprika and sprinkle on top of the hummus.

Ingredients

• 2 medium courgettes
• 1 large aubergine
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 100g plain flour, seasoned
• Olive oil
• 200g tomato relish
• 2 buffalo mozzarella balls
• 75g shaved Parmesan
• Malden salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method
Slice the courgettes and aubergine lengthways, 4-5mm thick. Heat a ribbed griddle pan (or barbeque); brush courgette slices lightly with olive oil, season and grill – just 30 seconds a side to colour.

Heat a good centimetre of olive oil in a large frying pan. Dip the aubergine slices in seasoned flour, then into beaten egg, fry for 1 minute in the hot olive oil. With tongs, turn the aubergine slice and fry until light golden for a further minute. Drain slices on kitchen paper.

Slice the mozzarella balls 4-5mm thick. Lay a fried aubergine slice on a baking sheet, spread a 5mm layer of tomato relish, lay a couple of courgette slices on top. Some shaved Parmesan and sliced mozzarella on the courgette. Repeat the process again laying aubergine, tomato relish, courgette and finally a last generous layer of Parmesan and mozzarella.

The listed ingredients are sufficient for 2 Parmigiano stacks.

Bake in a pre-heated 180°C/350°F/Gas 4 oven for 30 minutes until the cheeses have melted and the tomato relish is bubbling.

Serve with roquette, basil, blushed tomato, olives and a little balsamic.

Ingredients

• Tomato relish – makes 200g
• 1kg ripe tomatoes
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• Olive oil
• Sugar, Malden salt, freshly ground black pepper.

Method
Skin the tomatoes by cutting a little cross in their bottoms then drop them into rapidly boiling water for 30 seconds. Fish them out – their skins will now easily slip off.

Quarter the tomatoes, remove the seeds, then roughly chop the quarters into 1cm squares. 
Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan on the hob. Gently soften the shallot and garlic, now add the chopped tomato and over a low heat, simmer for 10 minutes. Season with a pinch of sugar, salt and a few twists of black pepper.

Ingredients

• 3 large aubergines
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp toasted cumin seeds
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 3 heaped tsp tahini paste
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Malden salt, freshly ground pepper

Method
Prick the aubergines all over with a fork then scorch them over a grill, barbeque or hot flame. This is essential to give the smoky quality that lends such a distinctive note to Baba Ghanoush.

Cook the aubergines over a barbeque or bake them in an oven (20 minutes at a preheated 210°C). Make sure the skins are truly blackened and the flesh very soft.

Scrape the flesh from the charred skin and whisk with the crushed garlic, cumin, zest, lemon juice, tahini and olive oil and season to taste.

Baba Ghanoush, sometimes known as Moutabel or eggplant salad is a classic part of any mezze. Scooped up with warm flatbread – perfect outdoor food. At home we like dipping our lamb chop bones in it. Try scattering pomegranate seeds over.

At the Crooked Billet and London Street Brasserie we omit the olive oil to make a dryer paste, refrigerate the paste to set, roll the paste into gobstopper balls, breadcrumb and crispy fry – delicious with tzatziki.