Perfect summery bruschetta – with a garlicky Greek twist

Maple syrup-grilled aubergines and a thick layer of skordalia – garlicky Greek paste from heaven – makes this freewheeling vegetarian bruschetta recipe, says Joe Yonan

Skordalia, a garlicky Greek spread of nuts, bread and potatoes, anchors these hearty toasts (Scott Suchman/The Washington Post)

If you live somewhere that gets particularly hot in the summer – and that includes more and more of us, as July has been declared the hottest month in modern history – you may wonder why anyone would suggest that now’s the time to go outside and grill.

The calculation between indoor and outdoor cooking depends on how effective your air conditioning is (if you have any at all), how airtight and efficient your oven might be, and just what heights outdoor temperatures have hit. Where would you rather be?

In Washington DC, where the temperature as I write is 35C, the answer is clear. I’d rather stand over or near my stove, and save most of my grilling for the spring and fall. But that doesn’t mean I want to crank up the oven to 260C for an hour. Instead, I gravitate toward recipes that require little or no cooking, of course, but also toward those where the oven use is mercifully brief.

This bruschetta, from the Jane Goodall Institute’s new book of vegan recipes, employs some smart strategies to keep the oven from overheating your kitchen. You toast hazelnuts at a moderate 180C, then turn on the grill for a few minutes, just long enough to cook aubergine slices and toast bread.

After it’s broiled, the aubergine gets a dip in maple syrup and balsamic vinegar, and you pile it onto the bruschetta after smearing it with one of my favourite condiments: skordalia. This chunky Greek purée is traditionally made with potatoes, but here you make use of the ends of the bread instead, blitzing it in a food processor with those toasted hazelnuts, plus garlic, lemon juice, vinegar and water.

It’s a freewheeling dish – you can top the bruschetta instead with broiled bell peppers, courgette or other summer squash; or, for something even simpler, ripe in-season tomatoes. And if your heat tolerance differs from mine – maybe you live somewhere cooler outside and/or hotter inside – feel free to cook the aubergine, or anything else, on the grill. I’ll meet you there in September, maybe October.

Aubergine bruschetta with hazelnut skordalia

Serves: 4

Prep time: 30 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes

Skordalia, a garlicky Greek spread of nuts, bread and (traditionally) potatoes, anchors these hearty toasts. This version skips the potatoes and uses the ends of the same loaf of bread you’re turning into bruschetta. If you don’t like aubergine, this can work with all sorts of other vegetables: broiled bell peppers, courgette or other summer squash; or, for something even simpler, ripe in-season tomatoes. If you’d like, you can cook the aubergine, or other suggested vegetables, on a charcoal or gas grill instead of oven grilling.

Storage notes: The skordalia can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. The grilled, dressed aubergine can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The toasted bread can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Ingredients:

100g hazelnuts

One (450g) oblong loaf sourdough bread

180ml cup water

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

1½ tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp red wine vinegar

¾ tsp fine sea salt or table salt, divided, plus more to taste

450g small or baby aubergines, stemmed and cut lengthwise into 0.5cm slices

1½ tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp maple syrup

60g shredded radicchio or red lettuce

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Method:

Position one rack in the middle of the oven and another in the highest position and preheat to 180C.

Spread the hazelnuts onto a large, rimmed baking tray, and toast until fragrant and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. While the nuts are still hot, transfer them to a clean dish towel, fold the towel over the nuts, and vigorously rub them to loosen and remove as many of the skins as you can; don’t worry if some remain. Chop 40g cup of the nuts and reserve for serving. Transfer the remaining whole nuts to a food processor and process until finely ground.

Cut the rounded ends (about 170g total) off the bread and cut into 5cm pieces. Cut the remaining bread into 8 thick slices and reserve for the bruschetta.

Transfer the 5cm bread pieces to the food processor with the nuts and process until finely crumbled. Add the water, 4 tablespoons of the oil, garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and ½ teaspoon of the salt, and process until smooth. Taste, and season with more salt if needed.

Turn on the grill.

Brush the aubergine slices on both sides with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Transfer to the same baking tray you used for the hazelnuts and broil for about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup, and toss to coat. Leave the grill on.

Brush the bread slices on both sides with the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil. Transfer them to the same baking tray you used for the aubergine and broil until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Watch carefully to avoid burning.

To serve, spread the skordalia generously on the toasts. Top with aubergine slices, radicchio, reserved chopped hazelnut and lemon zest. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition per serving (2 toasts with toppings) | Calories: 625; total fat: 36g; saturated fat: 4g; cholesterol: 0mg; sodium: 685mg; carbohydrates: 68g; dietary fibre: 10g; sugar: 12g; protein: 13g.

Recipe adapted from ‘Eat Meat Less’ by the Jane Goodall Institute (Weldon Owen, 2021).

© The Washington Post