Our Head Chef’s Veganuary recipe

Method

For the base

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Slice the aubergine in half, lengthways, and then score through the flesh, leaving the skin intact.
3. Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 25 minutes or until tender.
5. Cut six large 1-inch cubes from a butternut squash and ‘bar mark’ on the grill.
6. Bake in the oven on 160 degrees for 20 minutes until tender but with minimal colour.
7. Slice two 1cm-thick slices from a block of firm tofu and ‘bar mark’, then cut each slice into three.
8. Place the butternut squash and tofu slices onto the flesh of the baked aubergine.

For the tahini dressing

1. Blitz the silken tofu with the tahini, ground coriander, lemon zest and fresh parsley until it resembles a smooth, thick green sauce.
2. Drizzle over the cooked aubergine.

For the Sichuan spiced butternut puree

1. Toast the Sichuan pepper in a hot, dry pan and set aside to cool.
2. Peel and roast half a butternut squash with a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning.
3. Blitz the roasted squash in a blender until it resembles a smooth puree, seasoning with the roasted Sichuan pepper.

The finishing touches…

Garnish the finished dish with a teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, pomegranate seeds and some kale. Enjoy!