Outrageous flavours, incredible textures and ready in just 20 minutes – this is a thing of beauty. Soft, smoky eggplant and sweet roasted tomatoes are heaped onto cool garlicky yoghurt sauce, then embellished with jewels of pomegranate, crushed pistachios and delicate soft herbs. Not only that, there are barbecue sesame flatbreads to scoop it all up, too!
Preheat the barbecue for direct cooking using high heat (260°C-290°C) for 15 minutes with the lid closed.
Cook the whole bulb of garlic in its skin on the warming rack with the lid closed for 15 minutes, or until softened, turning regularly, then remove. Cook the whole eggplants on the grill for 10 minutes, or until blackened and soft in the middle, turning regularly.
Meanwhile, grill the cherry tomatoes for 3 minutes, or until just blistered. Mix the honey with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper in a small barbecue-safe baking tray. Turn off the centre burners to create an indirect cooking zone, and place the tray in the middle of the grill. Use tongs to transfer the tomatoes into the tray, toss into the dressing and cook for 10 minutes with the lid down.
For the flatbreads, mix the flour with the yoghurt and a pinch of salt until it comes together as a dough. Knead for a couple of minutes, then leave to rest.
Squeeze most of the soft garlic cloves from their skins into a bowl, then mix with the yoghurt and season to perfection with salt. Spread onto the base of a large platter.
Once cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the blackened eggplant skin. Pull apart the soft flesh into long strips, season with a pinch of salt and drizzle with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil. Squeeze over half the lemon juice, pick over a few fresh herbs and drizzle with the tahini, and gently toss together. Arrange the eggplant on top of the yoghurt and drizzle with a little extra tahini, if you like. Use a fork to gently remove the tomatoes from their vines, then spoon over the aubergine, along with all the lovely juices from the tray.
Turn the middle burners up to high and pop the lid down until the barbecue has returned to a high heat (260°C-290°C).. Divide the flatbread dough into two equal pieces and roll into rough rounds, just under ½cm thick. Scatter over the sesame seeds, pressing them in, then grill for 4 minutes with the lid closed, or until crispy on one side and puffed up (or you can turn them halfway, if you like).
Crush the pistachios in a pestle and mortar and sprinkle over the top of the veg. Cut the pomegranate in half and bash so the seeds tumble out on top. Pick over the remaining herbs and serve with the warm sesame flatbreads, for scooping everything up.
