Burnt Onion and Aubergine Dip

I get many requests for this decidedly brown dip of silky savouriness, the first recipe in my chapter A Loving Defence of Brown Food in Cook, Eat, Repeat, so creamy that you would never guess it’s actually dairy-free and, indeed, vegan. True, anyone in the habit of changing nappies regularly might not find it the most appetising of sights, but one taste of it — full of rich, deep smokiness — and even those not immediately attracted come back for more.

I’ve called it a dip, but actually it lends itself as well to a spread on toast or a sauce for pasta; in this latter case, you’ll need to mix in some of the starchy pasta water when you toss the pasta with it, and I like to add some chilli flakes and a little extra squeeze of lemon, too. But as a dip, it is luscious, and if I have a lot of people round, I serve the Beetroot and Chickpea Dip and the Coriander and Jalapeño Salsa alongside; the pink, green and muted ochre like tonally-tinkered-with traffic lights on the table. But it’s a sensational solo act, so there is no need to add anything alongside save for some tortilla chips (if you can get blue corn ones, I urge you to) or whatever else you want to dip into it.

If you don't have a baking tray large enough for all the aubergines and onions and need to use two, then be prepared for the cooking time to be longer, and swap the trays around in the oven after about 40 minutes.

And if at all possible, I recommend using 3 aubergines as stipulated below, rather than say 2 that come to the same total weight. Obviously, if that choice isn't open to you, it does work with 2, but you will need to cut them into long quarters.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

I get many requests for this decidedly brown dip of silky savouriness, the first recipe in my chapter A Loving Defence of Brown Food in Cook, Eat, Repeat, so creamy that you would never guess it’s actually dairy-free and, indeed, vegan. True, anyone in the habit of changing nappies regularly might not find it the most appetising of sights, but one taste of it — full of rich, deep smokiness — and even those not immediately attracted come back for more.

I’ve called it a dip, but actually it lends itself as well to a spread on toast or a sauce for pasta; in this latter case, you’ll need to mix in some of the starchy pasta water when you toss the pasta with it, and I like to add some chilli flakes and a little extra squeeze of lemon, too. But as a dip, it is luscious, and if I have a lot of people round, I serve the Beetroot and Chickpea Dip and the Coriander and Jalapeño Salsa alongside; the pink, green and muted ochre like tonally-tinkered-with traffic lights on the table. But it’s a sensational solo act, so there is no need to add anything alongside save for some tortilla chips (if you can get blue corn ones, I urge you to) or whatever else you want to dip into it.

If you don't have a baking tray large enough for all the aubergines and onions and need to use two, then be prepared for the cooking time to be longer, and swap the trays around in the oven after about 40 minutes.

And if at all possible, I recommend using 3 aubergines as stipulated below, rather than say 2 that come to the same total weight. Obviously, if that choice isn't open to you, it does work with 2, but you will need to cut them into long quarters.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.