Recipe for Small Varied Sauces

Cucumber and herb yogurt: Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds with a spoon. Grate the flesh of the cucumber to make a puree. Strain the puree through a sieve to let the water drain. You will notice that surprisingly little flesh remains. Chop the garlic clove and finely chop the herbs. Mix everything well, and add pepper and salt to taste.

Eggplant and Cumin Yogurt: Poke a few holes in the eggplant with a large needle and place it in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 45 minutes. Once cooked, cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Pour a little olive oil into a pan and heat over moderate heat, sprinkle in the cumin seeds and let them sweat for a few minutes to release their aroma. Add the cooked eggplant flesh and let everything sweat for a moment. Mix well. If it dries out, you may add a little more olive oil. Mix in the yogurt and let it sweat until the liquid evaporates. Season with pepper and salt. Finally, add a little olive oil and the cumin seeds.

Yogurt with harissa: I like not to mix all the harissa into the yogurt. Everyone can choose whether or not they like a very spicy sauce. The harissa and the yogurt make an ideal combination. The yogurt literally tones down the strong flavor of the harissa.

To finish, harissa is easy to find, but it is also nice to make it yourself: • dehydrated red peppers • 4 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped • 6 tablespoons of olive oil • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin • 1 teaspoon of sea salt Soak the peppers in hot water for at least 30 minutes. Open them and remove the seeds and stems. Put them in a blender with the other ingredients and blend everything until you obtain a smooth paste.