This middle Eastern staple uses easy to find ingredients, keeps well and makes an interesting sauce when served hot. Use the big purple eggplant, not their slender asian cousins for this recipe, as they need to be roasted aggressively and the little ones will burn too easily. I like it on chips, pita crisps or scooped onto falafel sandwiches. My version is sweet and spicy; omit the peppers if heat is not your thing.
- Category: Sides
Ingredients
- 2 large purple eggplant, pricked a few times with a knife to avoid explosions
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- Generous portion fresh cilantro (leaves and stems)
- Fresh Serrano or Thai pepper, to taste (optional)
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 dash turmeric powder (optional)
- 2 lemons, juiced (zest reserved for another use)
- Sea salt, to taste
- Tahini (sesame paste) or olive oil, for adjusting texture as needed (use tahini or oil to thicken)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Drizzle eggplants with oil, wrap in foil, and roast until soft, about 30 minutes.
- While roasting eggplant, cook garlic in olive oil until translucent.
- Remove garlic before it browns, set aside and add onions and peppers, cooking slowly to caramelize and maximize sweetness.
- Remove eggplant from oven Let cool, unwrap and remove skin (optional, will make color of dip lighter) then transfer to blender or food processor, taking care to include any juices the eggplant exuded during roasting.
- Transfer cooked onions, garlic and peppers to blender and pulse, adding lemon juice and oil as necessary to form a paste that will adhere to the back of a spoon.
- Add cilantro and spices, taste for seasoning adjustments and add tahini to thicken or more lemon juice (or water) to thin.
- If used as a dip, chill or serve room temperature.
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