caponata.

We've reached this point where I've started to realize that in just a few short weeks the tomatoes, corn, and zucchini that are currently ABUNDANT at the farmer's market, will be gone.

I am going to be so sad when they are gone.  

The plus side is right now we are experiencing that kind of epic weather that only ever exists during the first couple of weeks of September.  I live for this time of year.  When summer produce is still bountiful and things like turning on an oven doesn't break me out in a sweat.  I love being able to coerce new flavors out of summer ingredients through cooking and roasting and baking.  It allows the foods of summer to take on a whole new level of flavor.  

This caponata is the epitome of everything I want to eat right now. It's chock-full of all sorts of summer deliciousness (tomatoes! eggplant! zucchini!! peppers!) but when cooked together it takes on a whole new dimension.  Caponata is kind of like an Italian sweet and sour stew.  It's traditionally eaten as an anti-pasta (and I've been known to eat entire bowls of it like that) but it also makes for a great side to sausages or served over a bed of pasta. However you choose to eat it, you will find yourself returning for seconds.  

Caponata Modo Mio

Recipe adapted From Urban Italian

Serves 6 - 8

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced large
1 red pepper, diced large
1 yellow pepper, diced large
2 Japanese eggplants or 1 Italian eggplant, diced large
2 small or 1 large zucchini, diced large
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
½ cup raisins re-hydrated in 1 cup water

1 cup basic tomato sauce 

2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves 
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Basil for sprinkling

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onion, peppers, and eggplant. When the vegetables have softened a bit (about 5 minutes), add the zucchini. Season  with half the salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients together and continue to cook.

After ten 10 minutes, add the red pepper flakes and garlic. Cover and reduce the heat to medium, and let the steam roast the vegetables for 5 minutes.

Remove the raisins from the water and add to the pot with the tomato sauce.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until vegetables are soft but not falling apart and the sauce is well incorporated.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, Add the fresh oregano and season with remaining salt and pepper. Mix in vinegar. Serve in a large bowl with pine nuts sprinkled on top.

tomatoes with crisp fried eggplant and burrata.

Let's get this out of the way, ok? Panko crusted pan-fried eggplant is awesome.  

Good, now that we've established that, let's talk about this dish which I keep referring to as a deconstructed eggplant parmeasn and if we're being honest, I think it's better then eggplant parmesan.  

I've been on a hunt as of late for eggplant recipes because I tend to rely on my defaults i.e. smoky eggplant dip and this pizza (which is awesome I might add). I had lofty summer plans involving perfecting my eggplant caponata game and also re-imagining the eggplant pizza but as usual I got sidetracked (I am the worst).  This dish, which I discovered when browsing online for food-spiration (more specifically eggplant inspiration) ticked off all the boxes that I require to be ticked off this time of year - does not involve the oven!, involves tomatoes and burrata!, can be prepared in under 30 minutes!.  

My problem with eggplant parm has always been that it's a heavy wintery dish which is why this version is so incredible.  You get the flavors of eggplant parm but without the heaviness.  It's light and fresh!  The true star of the dish is the panko crusted eggplant which is seriously amazing.  Crispy and crunchy (eggplant parm lacks the crunch which is where this dish shines) and positively perfect with chopped tomatoes and creamy burrata.  This is the kind of thing you should be eating this week as the perfect summer send-off (though I will be eating it well into the beginning of fall).  

Tomatoes with Crisp Fried Eggplant and Burrata 

Recipe adapted (barely) from Lootie and Doof

Serves 2

All-purpose flour, for dredging

1 large egg, well beaten

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 Japanese eggplants (½ to ¾ pounds total), cut on the bias into ½ -inch-thick slices

8 ounces cherry tomatoes, preferably in a mix of colors (you can sub larger tomatoes that you cut into wedges)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, half of them torn

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

1 ball or about 6 ounces burrata cheese (you can use fresh mozzarella, but it won’t be as creamy and delicious)

Place flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate wide, shallow bowls. Working with 1 eggplant slice at a time, dredge in flour, then dip in egg and then breadcrumbs. Transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, halve tomatoes and toss with olive oil and torn basil. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat about 1/4 inch vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add enough eggplant slices to fill but not crowd skillet and fry, flipping once, until deep golden brown and crunchy, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. (Lower heat slightly, if necessary.) Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a clean wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet, and season with salt. Discard used oil and repeat process with fresh oil and remaining eggplant.

Arrange eggplant and tomato mixture on a platter. Cut burrata in half, place next to tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Scatter remaining basil on top.

eggplant with buttermilk sauce.

This past week, I’ve been able to embrace open windows and box fans, breezy evenings that leave my curtains fluttering, open knit sweaters and cut-off shorts, rooftop BBQ’s that require a jacket, and light weight light washed jeans with chambray button downs. 

This weather is summer perfection.   

I’ve also allowed myself to reacquaint myself with the oven since turning it on no longer feels as if I am standing at the gates of hell.   

I’ve missed it.

Eggplant is one of those vegetables the needs to be cooked in order to be eaten and the addition of heat (i.e. ovens and stoves and grills) is what turns eggplant into one of the most magical and versatile foods.  It can be meaty or creamy, soft or hard.  My preference lies with the soft and creamy form of eggplant, the version that results after a slow roast in a hot oven where the heat renders the meaty eggplant super tender.  This eggplant recipe does exactly that which is why I love it so. 

Yotam describes this dish as rustically elegant which is a pretty apt description.  The pomegranate seeds look like ruby jewels against the milky buttermilk sauce and the eggplant looks particularly earthy all roasted and charred.  I would describe this dish as a unique riff on eggplant dip.  The boy and I scooped spoonfuls of tender eggplant, creamy buttermilk sauce, and crunchy pomegranate seeds onto rounds of warm sourdough baguette, shoving each piece of bread into our mouth in quick succession.  We then scraped the interior of the eggplant clean, ensuring we got every last bite of roasted eggplant perfection because this is a pretty perfect dish.  

Eggplant with Buttermilk Sauce

Recipe via Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Eggplant

2 large and long eggplants

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tsp lemon thyme leaves, plus a few whole sprigs to garnish

Maldon sea salt and black pepper

1 pomegranate

1 tsp za'atar

Sauce

9 tbsp buttermilk

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, plus a drizzle to finish

1 small garlic clove, crushed

½ tsp Aleppo pepper

Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the eggplants in half lengthways, cutting straight through the green stalk (the stalk is for the look; don't eat it). Use a small sharp knife to make three or four parallel incisions in the cut side of each eggplant half, without cutting through to the skin. Repeat at a 45-degree angle to get a diamond-shaped pattern.

Place the eggplant halves, cut-side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush them with olive oil—keep on brushing until all of the oil has been absorbed by the flesh. Sprinkle with the lemon thyme leaves and some salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, at which point the flesh should be soft, flavorful and nicely browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down completely.

While the eggplants are in the oven, cut the pomegranate into two horizontally. Hold one half over a bowl, with the cut side against your palm, and use the back of a wooden spoon or a rolling pin to gently knock on the pomegranate skin. Continue beating with increasing power until the seeds start coming out naturally and falling through your fingers into the bowl. Once all are there, sift through the seeds to remove any bits of white skin or membrane.

To make the sauce. Whisk together all of the ingredients. Taste for seasoning, then keep cold until needed.

To serve, spoon plenty of buttermilk sauce over the eggplant halves without covering the stalks. Sprinkle za'atar and plenty of pomegranate seeds on top and garnish with lemon thyme. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

roasted vegetable pasta with fontina and basil.

With the sudden onslaught of cooler temperatures, I have had the strong desire to stand over my stove all day in order to make slow cooked tomato sauce or braised meats that emerge from the pot so tender that the slightest prod of a fork causes the chunks of meat to fall apart.  Most evenings I come home with barely enough time to make it to the gym, so unfortunately hour long cooking extravaganzas are regaled to the weekend.  This doesn’t stop me from constantly craving comfort foods.  When those moments arise, this is the pasta I reach for.  It allows me to use many of the vegetables still in abundance at the farmers market to create the kind of warm and cozy food people love.  The roasted vegetables give the pasta a sweet and smoky taste while the fontina gives it the perfect amount of cheesy goodness (because everyone loves cheesy goodness).  In all honesty, this doesn’t even need to be served with anything on the side which is what makes it a perfect weeknight meal (that and the fact that the leftovers make a wonderful lunch the next day). 

Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Fontina and Basil

Feel free to change the recipe and use zucchini instead of eggplant, or more tomatoes and no peppers.  This is the kind of dish where it’s impossible to go wrong, every vegetable works amazingly well. 

Serves 4

1 large eggplant, diced into ½ inch cubes

8 plum tomatoes, quartered

3 large roasted pepper (jarred is fine), diced

4 large garlic cloves, skins on

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

2 teaspoons pepper, plus more to taste

½ - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cups rigatoni or other pasta of your choice (I used fuselli bucatini)

1/3 pound fontina

¼ cup thinly sliced basil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, tomatoes and garlic, toss the vegetables with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons pepper, and the red pepper flakes.  Place vegetables on a baking sheet and place in the oven.  Roast the vegetables for about 25 minutes until the tomatoes are soft and the eggplant is lightly browned. 

While the vegetables are roasting, bring a large pot of water to boil.  When the water comes to boil, salt it and pour in the pasta.  Cook until pasta is al dente and then drain. Set aside.

When the vegetables are done, place them in the pot that you cooked the pasta in (make sure you squeeze the garlic out of the peel, it will be soft!), turn the heat to low and add the pasta and the roasted peppers to the pot.  Stir so the tomatoes get broken up and almost create a sauce.  Add the fontina and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary.  Serve with sprinkled basil.  

eggplant croquettes with garlic aioli.

There is something to be said about fried cheese.  Whether they are croquettes, mozzarella sticks, or fried raviolis, it seems that most everyone can’t resist gooey cheesy bites.  As a cheeseaholic, I am particularly drawn to all forms of fried cheese (and non fried cheese, I have never met a cheese I didn’t like), so when perusing my most recent cookbook addition Plenty and saw the recipe for eggplant croquettes with feta, I knew I had to make them (especially since they also involved eggplant!).  This is a healthy version of a croquette (or as healthy as fried cheese and vegetables can be) yet it still brings to mind bar food.  The chunks of smoky eggplant and creamy feta give a bit of texture to each bite and the parmesan gives the perfect amount of salty cheesiness.  The best part though is the garlic aioli.  It makes an unbelievable dipping sauce for the croquettes with the acidity of the aioli complementing the eggplant and feta perfectly.  I served mine with a green salad and it made for a lovely Sunday evening dinner. 

Eggplant Croquettes with Garlic Aioli

Recipe adapted from Plenty by Yottam Ottolenghi

I use one large eggplant instead of two medium ones, which was a big mistake (maybe not a big mistake but a mistake none the less).  When cooking these over the flame the big eggplant charred too fast on the outside before it could fully soften on the inside, so smaller eggplants are ideal.  Or you can just cook it in the oven and then it wouldn’t matter which size you use, they would just take longer to cook! Both instruction sets are below.

Serves  6 (or you can halve this as I did!)

4 medium sized eggplants

2 medium russet potatoes, cooked, peeled and smashed

1 large egg beaten

5 oz. feta, crumbled

¼ cup grated parmesan

½ teaspoon salt

Black pepper

About 1 ¾ cups breadcrumbs

Oil for frying

Garlic Aioli

1 egg yolk

2 small garlic clove diced

1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup grapeseed/vegetable oil

¼ cup olive oil

Burn the eggplants.  You can do this by cooking the eggplant over a medium flame on a gas stove, rotating the eggplant every few minutes until the eggplant is charred and collapsed.  This should take about 12 – 15 minutes. If you don’t have a gas oven you can cook the eggplant in the oven.  Stab the eggplant with a fork (make sure you stab all over) and roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour until tender.  When the eggplants are cool, make a slit along each eggplant and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh; try to avoid the black skin.  Place eggplant in a colander and discard the skin.  Leave to drain for 30 minutes to get rid of some of the liquid.  Once drained you should have about 1 ¼ pounds of eggplant flesh. Chop the eggplant flesh up so you don't have super big chunks of eggplant!

Place the eggplant flesh in a large bowl.  Add the potatoes, egg, feta, parmesan, salt, and some pepper.  Bring everything togther gently with a fork; you want to keep the mix quite rough.  Add about half the breadcrumbs, just enough so the mix is sufficiently solid to hold its shape but is still a little sticky.  Place the remainder of the breadcrumbs on a large plate.

Take small handfuls of the eggplant mixture and roll it into little logs in your hands (about 1 inch by 3 inches), then roll egg log into the breadcrumbs and place them on a baking sheet.  Repeat this until you have rolled all the eggplant mixture into logs.  Refrigerate the logs for at least 20 minutes but you can refrigerate for up to a day. 

Fill a large pot with oil.  Heat the oil on medium heat.  When the oil is hot, place some of the croquettes in (I did 5 at a time), cooking until golden brown in color (should only take a could of minutes).  Place the cooked croquettes on a paper towel while you cook the rest.  When finished cooking serve with the garlic aioli!

For the aioli: Combine the egg yolk, garlic cloves, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of water, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk all the ingredients together.  Slowly (and I mean very slowly) drizzle in the olive oil while you whisk (I usually dribble in a little and then whisk).  After drizzling in the olive oil, drizzle in the other oil (once again slowly). The whole process should take about 5 minutes.  Once done you should have a slightly thinned mayo. 

eggplant, green olive, and provolone pizza.

I’ve been drawn to fall colors as of late – deep emerald greens, navy that appears almost black, rich burgundies, and moody purples.  I thought I desired these colors only on clothing, (I have been eyeing several emerald items…) but I have found my color choices have dictated my produce choices as well.  Apparently, tomatoes are out and eggplant is in.  My heart seems to swell every time I see a beautiful deep purple eggplant and until the boy cringes at the site of them, I will continue to bring them home with a vengeance.  The latest eggplant incarnation involves pizza (apparently, I have yet to meet a vegetable I don’t like on pizza as evident here and here).  This is not a delicate pizza in anyway rather, its bold and substantial which is a nice change of pace from most of the pizzas I make.  The olives pair perfectly with the roasted eggplant; it gives the pizza a wonderful salty briny kick. The provolone gives a nice nuttiness to the dish and it also manages to hold the whole thing together which is necessary when there is no sauce!  Paired with a salad and a cold beer, you have a wonderful meal. 

Eggplant, Green Olive, and Provolone Pizza

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

I changed some things on this recipe.  I decided to cater this more towards people who maybe don’t have grills so I roasted the eggplant in chunks in the oven.  I found the eggplant needed a little more spice and heat so I roasted them with some red pepper flakes as well.  I also roasted the eggplant the night before and I did a slow rise pizza dough so the whole dish could be assembled the night before and the next night the only thing you need to do is bake it!  Cut into squares this also makes an excellent appetizer for a party (as I did this past weekend). 

For the Pizza

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup olive oil

1 large eggplant (around 2 pounds), cut into 1 inch cubes

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

5 ounces sliced provolone, cut into short thin matchsticks (1 ¼ cups)

18 pitted green olives, sliced (about 1/3 cup) – I also used an herbed olive

Pizza Dough (recipe below for the one I used or you could use store bought)

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the eggplant with the garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Pour the eggplant mixture onto a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes until the eggplant is soft and slightly charred looking.  (At this point the eggplant can be cooled and stored in the fridge until the next day.)

Increase the heat to 450 degrees (or if you are making this the next day preheat to 450 degrees.)  Stretch your pizza dough into a large round (if using a pizza pan) or into a 12 by 10 inch rectangle if using a baking sheet (grease the baking sheet!).  Top the pizza with the eggplant and olives and then scatter the provolone.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted. 

Pizza Dough

Recipe from Gourmet

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)

1 ¾ cups – 2 cups all purpose flour

¾ cup warm water divided (when you stick your finger it its not hot or cold)

1 teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon olive oil

Stir together the yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and ¼ cup warm water in a large bowl and let stand until the surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes.  (If it doesn’t appear creamy, discard and start over with new yeast.)

In a stand mixer with a dough hook, add the yeast mixture, 1 ½ cups flour, remaining ½ cup water, salt, and oil, and mix until smooth (this can be done in a bowl if you don’t have a mixer).  Stir in enough flour (about ½ cup) for dough to begin to pull away from side of bowl.  (Dough will be slightly wet.) 

Knead for about 8 minutes (can be done in mixer or by hand) until the dough appears smooth, soft, and elastic. Form into a ball, put in an oiled bowl, and dust with flour.  Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 ½ hours.  At this point you can roll out and use the dough or you can put it in the fridge (covered with plastic) and use it the next day.  Continue with the recipe above. 

soba noodles with eggplant and mango.

I live in a 600 square foot apartment with a boy who likes to find things that I may not need and bring them home to me, so we’ll just say space is a premium.  I have a soft spot in my heart for cookbooks but until I get the 1200 square foot apartment of my dreams, I need to be picky about what makes it on to the limited shelf space I have.  I recently purchased, after much deliberation Plenty, which was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  This is one of those beautiful cookbooks where each page makes you oh so hungry for vegetables.  Yes, vegetables.  This is a vegetarian cookbook and it’s all about making vegetables the center of your meal which is what I’ve done almost every meal this week.  I made the soba noodles with eggplant and mango the other night and it may have been one of the best things I’ve eaten in a while.  It’s spicy and sweet and it leaves you feeling full in the best possible way.  The best part of the dish is the handfuls of herbs you mix in; it makes the dish taste oh so fresh and summery.  Oh and it tastes even better the second day which means you will have a stellar lunch the next day. 

Soba Noodles with Eggplant and Mango

Recipie from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Serves 6

1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 fresh red Thai chile, finely chopped (or a generous tablespoon of Siracha)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 cup sunflower oil or vegetable oil
2 medium eggplants or 1 large, cut into 3/4-inch dice
8 ounces soba noodles
1 large ripe mango, cut into 3/8-inch dice
1 2/3 cup basil leaves, chopped (if you can get some use Thai basil, but much less of it)
2 1/2 cups cilantro leaves, chopped

In a small saucepan gently warm the vinegar, sugar and salt for up to 1 minute, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, chile (or Siracha) and sesame oil. Allow to cool, then add the lime zest and juice.

Heat up the oil in a large pan and shallow-fry the eggplant in three or four batches. Once golden brown remove to a colander, sprinkle liberally with salt and leave there to drain.

Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. They should take 5 to 8 minutes to become tender but still al dente. Drain and rise well under running cold water. Shake off as much of the excess water as possible.

In a mixing bowl toss the noodles with the dressing, mango, eggplant, half of the herbs. You can now leave this aside for 1 to 2 hours (but can eat immediately!). When ready to serve add the rest of the herbs and mix well, then pile on a plate or in a bowl.

smoky eggplant puree with pine nuts.

I’ve eaten the same food for lunch and dinner almost every day this past week.  I feel like that statement makes me sound so boring but I’m not, really! (I also feel like that statement sounds shocking coming from me considering I generally loath eating leftovers for more then one day.  On occasion, I have the ability to shock myself.)  It’s just that I happened to stumble upon a recipe for eggplant dip that sounded so simple and lovely.  I was envisioning it being eaten as an appetizer for a Middle Eastern dinner party.  We would slather it on triangles of warm pita and eat it with olives and chunks of feta.  I never ended up throwing a Middle Eastern themed party but I still wanted, no needed to make this dip as the recipe wouldn’t leave my mind until I bought an eggplant.

What happened after making the eggplant dip is that I realized I didn’t need to throw a party in order to enjoy it, because I enjoyed it, all by myself, for almost a week (let’s just say I made a lot of dip).  This dip is perfect in so many ways.  Its creamy but not in the I am so bad for you and your arteries are now crying because you ate some way.  It’s creamy because it’s blended eggplant and a teeny tiny bit of Greek yogurt – so really you’re eating just a vegetable which is the healthiest thing one can eat. (These are things I tell myself while eating to validate the fact that I have eaten three pitas and could eat two more.)  It also uses smoked sea salt, which is so wonderful that it validates the fact that it cost $16 for a container. (I consider this a steal since I saw it at two other stores for $26 -another mechanism I use to validate the fact I bought it.)  Smoked salt add a flavor to the dish that is hard to describe, it makes your food taste as if its been cooked over an open fire - its rather extraordinary and I plan on incorporating it into as many dishes I can.  I plan to make another batch of this tomorrow and I imagine if you did as well, you would be very happy. 

Smoky Eggplant Puree with Pine Nuts

Recipe adapted from Lottie and Doof

2 eggplants (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

1 tablepsoon salt

½ cup plain Greek yogurt (I used Fage 0% and it worked perfectly)

1 teaspoon smoked salt

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from ½ lemon)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus more for garnishing)

½ cup toasted pine nuts

2 teaspoons Urfa chilies (also known as Isot) or Aleppo or smoked Spanish paprika can be used

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water (big enough for all of the eggplant) to a boil.  Add the eggplant and the tablespoon of salt to the boiling water.  Lower the heat to medium and continue to cook at a brisk simmer.  Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the eggplant is soft and translucent.  You can use a pair of tongs to test the eggplant.  Drain into a colander. 

In a food processor puree the eggplant with the yogurt, smoked salt, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. 

Place the eggplant mixture into a bowl and stir in the pine nuts and chilies.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with some extra pine nuts and chilies for garnish and a drizzle of olive oil.  

roasted eggplant dip.

Last week I needed dried cherries for a recipe I was working on and decided since the weather was nice that I would walk down to Sahadis on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn Heights to pick some up.  Sahadis is a Middle Eastern market that sells pretty much everything.  I don’t allow myself to go very often because every time I do I end up with about 10 items more then I intended to buy (I have no restraint).  This trip was no exception - I found myself leaving with hummus, peppers, Spanish cheese, raw pecans, dark chocolate covered pretzel balls, and of course the dried cherries.  I stopped in Damascus Bakery afterwards for some fluffy pita bread to go with my hummus (and 6 pitas only cost 1 DOLLAR I couldn’t believe it, that was a dollar well spent) and then headed back to work. 

Dinner that night ended up being a wonderful hodgepodge of Middle Eastern foods and the best part of the meal was an eggplant dip I made.  Eggplant dip is one of my favorite things because it tastes richer than it really is – you feel like its an indulgent unhealthy dip but really your eating a vegetable! I made mine by roasting a halved eggplant (and some garlic) that I covered with rosemary, cumin, and red pepper flakes until the eggplant was soft as can be.  I combined it with some olive oil and other spices to make the perfect dip for slathering on warm pits with hummus.

Roasted Eggplant Dip

Recipe adapted from Gourmet

1 small to medium sized eggplant, halved long ways

2 cloves of unpeeled garlic (or more if you love roasted garlic)

¼ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

¼ teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne/red pepper flakes or other spicy pepper flake

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon parsley

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat over to 375 degrees.  Place halved eggplant in a baking dish cut side up. Make shallow half inch incisions all over cut side of the eggplant with the tip of a paring knife.  Add unpeeled garlic to the baking dish.  Sprinkle eggplant with the rosemary, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. 

Bake until garlic and eggplant are very tender (both took about 30 minutes for me but it may be longer.)  If the garlic appears to be cooking faster remove it from the pan and continue cooking the eggplant until fork tender. 

Transfer eggplant to a cutting board and let stand until cool enough to handle.  Scrape out flesh with a spoon and place in a bowl with the garlic cloves.  Add parsley and remaining olive oil, then stir until combines.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with warmed pita or baguette slices.