This Russian eggplant caviar recipe for ikra – also known as the ‘poor man’s caviar’ during the Soviet period – makes a deliciously-rich version of this traditional Russian dip, spread or side dish that’s somewhere in between the ikra my baboushka made that was sumptuous and velvety and that popularised during the Soviet era that more closely resembled a diced salad. You can serve your ikra as a dip or appetiser with toasted baguette slices or spoon it onto a plate as a side, as my baba did, with chicken cutlets or pelmeni or vareneki.