Eggplant And Tomato Salad With Tahini-Yoghurt Dressing

These days many different varieties of tomatoes are readily available. I like to use a selection of heirloom varieties in salads, such as black Russian, green tiger, and beef tomatoes. Flavoursome vine-ripened or ‘truss’ tomatoes will also do well.Most people are acquainted with tahini — the Middle Eastern paste made from crushed sesame seeds — through its use in popular dips such as hummus and baba ghanoush. But it is also common to find it thinned down with water and used as a base for sauces. In this, its simplest form, it can often be a little bitter for Western palates. But partnered with creamy yoghurt, and flavoured with a little garlic and lemon juice, it becomes divinely smooth and creamy, with a mysterious earthy flavour.Tahini-yoghurt dressings are frequently served with cold baked fish, or with grilled meats or even falafel. In this substantial salad, the rich oiliness of eggplant (aubergine) is matched with the dark flavours of nutty tahini, and sharpened by the lemony-sourness of yoghurt. — Greg and Lucy Malouf, authors of Moorish