The secret to cooking great tasting aubergine / eggplant at home is almost always to roast it longer than you think. That is definitely the case with this charred dip also known as Baba Ganoush. By roasting the aubergine until the skin is black and it has collapsed, you get lovely burnt tones, buttery soft flesh without any bitterness and a bit of umami complexity. If you like hummus and muhammara, you are going to love this.

Inspired by a courgette spread in

instagram story and a photo of a creme fraiche dip generously covered with furikake by Andy Barghani, we knew that we wanted to add a crunchy topping to our dip. So we made an aromatic oil with spices and seeds in it and used the oil for the spread and the seeds on top. We also stirred in some yogurt to give it a bright contrast. The crunch on top is what gives this traditional recipe a somewhat new twist and now I don't want it any other way. In fact, we should start implementing crunchy elements on all spreads. We used seeds here, but almonds or other nuts would also be great.

Now is the season to make spreads like these, not only because the first aubergines are in season, but also because there are many other tender vegetables in season that taste so good eaten raw and dunked in dips and spreads. Radishes, cucumbers and carrots are all classic dipping vegetables, but you should also try raw beetroot and sturdy greens. And of course,

would also be great.