Zucchini, Garlic Confit & Goat Cheese “Ganoush”

1. First, prepare the garlic confit (recipe follows).
2. Next, prepare the “ganoush” (recipe follows).
3. Right before serving, prepare the naan bread (recipe follows).
4. To begin assembly, spoon 170g of the prepared zucchini and goat cheese “ganoush” on the right side of a medium round plate, ensuring that the ganoush has a bit of height on the plate.
5. Using the back of the spoon, create an indent in the middle of the “ganoush”. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with za’atar. Arrange the dill sprigs on top of the “ganoush”.
6. Place the prepared naan bread on the left side of the plate with the pointed tips facing up and serve immediately.

Garlic Confit Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 250’F.
2. Place garlic cloves, kosher salt and oil in a small saucepan (garlic should be covered in oil, add more oil if necessary). Cover the saucepan with foil and bake in the oven for 1 to 2 hours until garlic is golden and tender.
3. Let cool at room temperature.
4. Strain oil and reserve for other recipes.

“Ganoush” Preparation:

1. Wash zucchini and pat dry. Season evenly with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Place onto a very hot grill and allow excess oil to drip down into the flames causing the outsides of the zucchini to char.
2. Cook while turning every few minutes until the entire exterior of the zucchinis are charred, approximately 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. While the charred zucchini is cooling, use a knife to make one long slit, about 1’’ deep, across the length of each zucchini to allow the steam and heat to escape.
4. As the zucchini cools, place garlic confit, garlic oil, tahini paste, lemon juice, lemon zest, espelette pepper, kosher salt, honey, and spicy chile sauce into a robot coupe and blend for 30 seconds until incorporated into a paste.
5. Carefully scoop the inside of the zucchini making sure not to capture any of the charred bits. Transfer the zucchini to the robot coupe. Repeat with remaining zucchini. Discard the charred zucchini skins,
6. Blend the mixture for 30 seconds or until incorporated with the other ingredients. Add the softened goat cheese to the robot coupe and blend until a smooth consistency is reached.
7. Remove from robot coupe and place into an appropriate container.
8. Cover and refrigerate the “ganoush”.

Naan Bread Preparation:

1. Brush the naan bread with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle each side with za’atar spice.
2. Place the seasoned naan bread onto a hot grill and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side until lightly charred and golden brown.
3. Remove from heat and cut into triangles.