Eggplant Caviar
This dish is so-called because you can mound it on pita bread (or crackers or bread) the way you would mound real caviar on toast points.. Makes about 3 cups, 8 to 10 servings


Ingredients:

2 small to medium eggplants, 11/2 to 2 pounds
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
1 small tomato, seeded, juiced, and diced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons flat Italian parsley, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Instructions:
1. Make a few slits in the eggplants and bake in a 450°F oven about 30 minutes or until they collapse and become soft. (This can also be done on a charcoal or gas grill.)

2. Cool.

3. Mince onion and garlic by hand or puree in a food processor.

4. Scrape out flesh from eggplant into a mixing bowl with onion and garlic, discarding skins.

5. Mash with a fork or puree in a food processor along with remaining ingredients.

6. Use as is for a dip.

7. To use as a sandwich spread (delicious on a baguette, sprinkled with creamy feta cheese), drain in a sieve for 15 minutes to remove excess moisture.

Cooking Tip
Unlike most versions of eggplant caviar or baba ganooj (as it's called in the Middle East) that use a fair amount of olive oil or tahini (sesame paste), this version uses sesame oil, which is so intensely flavored you can use a small amount.




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