Hot Dogs with Middle Eastern Inspired Toppings
I love putting a twist on a classic, and sadly we don't have access to a BBQ in our London flat so in the summer we're craving all sorts of barbeque food. The smoked bockwurst in this recipe is a satisfying substitute for the real deal.
Ingredients
4 smoked bockwurst
4 hotdog buns (preferably smaller in length than the dogs)
Crispy chickpeas, crushed
For the baba ganoush
1 aubergine
Olive oil
1 ½ tbsp tahini
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
10g parsley
For the harissa ketchup
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 ¼ tsp Harissa paste
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp lemon juice
For the herby yoghurt
75g low fat natural yoghurt
½ tsp dried mint
¼ tsp lemon juice
Pinch table salt
Pinch of ground white pepper
For the pickled onions
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 small red onion
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp table salt
1 tbsp water
Method
For the pickled onions, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt together and stir until everything has dissolved. Slice the onion into very thin half moons and add to the pickle liquor. Stir and set aside. The longer you leave these the better - a minimum of an hour I reckon.
Pre-heat the grill and line an oven tray with baking paper.
Slice the aubergines in half length ways and rub with a little oil then place skin side up on the oven tray. Place under the grill for about 30-40 minute until soft. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Once cool, scoop out the filling and place in a sieve to drain the excess liquid. Transfer the aubergine to a chopping board and chop the mixture into a paste. You could choose to do this in a blender but I enjoy the chunkier texture of the baba ganoush in this dish.
In a bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients for the baba ganoush. Add the aubergines in and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning then set to one side.
For the harissa ketchup, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside. If you can add the sauce to an empty ketchup bottle you'll be able to apply your sauce easier. If you don't have one of these bottles it doesn't matter – they'll still taste just as good.
For the herby yoghurt , measure the yoghurt into a bowl (or bottle), then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Season and set aside. I've specified table salt and white pepper here but any salt and pepper will do. Whilst I usually prefer sea salt i think the fine grain salt works better here and the white pepper is really just an aesthetic thing.
Grill/fry/boil the bockwurst according to package instructions.
When you're ready to serve, slice the buns along the top and add a layer of baba ganoush to the bottom of the buns. Place the bockwurst on top then drizzle with the sauces and top with pickled onions and crushed crispy chickpeas
