Making Eggplant Dip with Goat Cheese, Honey & Thyme
A creamy roasted eggplant spread topped with toasted walnuts and a glossy beetroot–red wine drizzle. Smoky, rich, and just sweet enough to balance the tang of goat cheese.
The process is simple: roast the eggplants until their skins collapse, mash with butter and thyme, fold in goat cheese and honey, and finish with roasted nuts and reduction. It’s elegant enough for entertaining but earthy enough for everyday meals.
This recipe embodies the spirit of The Farming Chefs — letting whole ingredients and simple techniques create something extraordinary.
A velvety roasted eggplant dip layered with tangy goat cheese, floral honey, and earthy thyme — finished with the most stunning ruby drizzle of beetroot and red wine reduction. A dish that’s as beautiful as it is nourishing, full of antioxidants, healthy fats, and comforting, natural sweetness.
This is farm-to-table comfort food at its best: roasted, whipped, and drizzled with love.
Serves:
6 people
Time to Prepare:
10 min
Time to cook or cure:
40 min
Skill
Easy
Serves:
6 people
Time to Prepare:
10 min
Time to cook or cure:
40 min
Skills:
Easy
Roast patiently: Eggplants should be completely soft and collapsed — this is where the flavor and creaminess come from.
Use raw honey: It adds both sweetness and beneficial enzymes that support digestion.
Season while warm: Butter, garlic, and thyme bloom best when mixed into warm roasted eggplant.
Roast your walnuts fresh: It makes a huge difference in flavor — nutty, toasty, and aromatic.
The drizzle matters: The beetroot–red wine reduction is your showstopper — deep color, tangy sweetness, and antioxidants in every drop.
Preheat your oven to 220°C / 430°F. Place whole eggplants on a baking tray and roast for about 40 minutes, turning once, until their skins are wrinkled and the flesh is completely soft.
Let the eggplants cool slightly, then cut open and scoop out the flesh. Drain briefly in a sieve or colander to remove excess liquid — this keeps the dip creamy rather than watery.
First start by slicing the onions in half moons for frying until they are golden. This needs to be done in some olive oil, on a low heat for about 15 minutes stirring regularly. I want them to start to discolor, to prevent burning.
Then add in a little more than half the goat’s cheese roll, the rest will be used for decoration.
To add a little acidity to the dish, add the yoghurt
In a bowl, mash the warm flesh with yoghurt, thyme, salt, and pepper either with a wand blender, or with a fork. The warmth helps the flavors meld.
4. Assemble & finish
Place the dip in a nice serving bowl. Slice some of the goat cheese on top of the dip. Add the caramelized onions. Drizzle over the honey and the reduction and sprinkle over the toasted walnuts. Finish with some fresh thyme and coarse black pepper.
Enjoy warm or at room temperature with flatbread, sourdough bread, seed crackers or fresh vegetable sticks.
Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 6 days.
Freezer: Freeze portions (without the toppings) for up to 3 months.
Flavor tip: The dip tastes even better the next day after the ingredients have melded — perfect for meal prep or make-ahead entertaining.
A: Yes! It keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Reheat gently or serve at room temperature.
A: You can, but goat cheese brings a lighter, tangier flavor that perfectly balances the sweetness of honey and beetroot.
A: Bake at 170°C / 340°F for 8–10 minutes, shaking once halfway through. Let cool before using — they’ll crisp up as they rest.
A: Yes. Replace the goat cheese with cashew cream or soft vegan cheese.
A:Naturally! Just pair it with gluten-free crackers, crudités, or roasted root chips.
A: Absolutely. Charring them directly over a flame adds a deeper smokiness — perfect if you’re grilling outdoors.
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Our pastures are destroyed, many of our old olive trees, the young orchards, the irrigation systems, our most important tools, water pumps, and power setup—either melted or destroyed.
Our food and hay stores, the fences, and many of the stable buildings are either damaged or lost entirely.
What took years to build was reduced to ash in a single afternoon.
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