Tom and I recently received a 'Nipper Kipper Smoker Oven' from his dad which I think may be one of the best gifts I have ever been given. As soon as we brought it home we used it to smoke the recent harvest of home grown eggplants as I wanted to recreate a smoked eggplant dip I tried down at The Farm Byron Bay, Three Blue Ducks restaurant. However, don't be fooled this recipe can still be created if you don't have a Nipper Kipper you can just use your average oven however your dip will definitely be lacking the smokey flavour!

Eggplants are rich in iron and calcium, as well as Vitamin K and bioflavonoids they are a great healthy heart food! It is best if you can consume the skin of the eggplant as they have such a high concentration of nutrients however unfortunately the skin doesn't blend to well in the dip and creates a tough texture and taste. Although add the leftover skins to your salads or roast them into chips.

Ingredients

2 large eggplants
2 tbsp tahini
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon juiced
1/4 cup parsley
2 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp cracked pepper

Method

Cut your eggplants in half (lengthways) and rub with a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt.
Smoke your eggplants in your Nipper Kipper if you're lucky enough to have one, if not then just roast them in your oven for 40 minutes in a baking tray.
Once smoked/roasted scoop out the inside flesh of the eggplant into your blender (if roasted properly it should be really easy to scoop out with a spoon).
Add all the leftover ingredients into the blender with the eggplant and blend.
Blend the mixture for a couple of minutes until it reaches a smooth and creamy texture (if it isn't blending to well add a little extra lemon juice or olive oil).
Once blended store in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for a week or two.

Tom and I eat the dip on my eggs in the morning, as a side with our meat and veg for dinner or as a dip for veggie sticks and crackers.