Eggplant with soy garlicky tahini dressing and pickles on top

An upgraded, pretty, baba ganoush

Eggplant with soy garlicky tahini dressing and pickles on top

Eggplant is poised to be the next big trend in vegetables. It’s such a versatile veggie, and its time has come, yet it continues to be a polarizing dish – when I tell my guests that there’s eggplant in a dish a few will just skip it. Some of the bias must be due to bad experiences: eggplant, especially old, over mature and refrigerated for a while can be overly bitter and not very tasty, and eggplant preparation requires some know-how. The other part is looks. Although eggplant is very pretty when it’s whole, its roasted puree is grayish and unexciting - indeed a matter of taste, but I for one am not drawn to gray foods. The esthetics, however, are easy to address. In this recipe, which is sort of a deconstructed and upgraded baba ganouch, the roasted eggplant is topped with a flavorful garlicky tahini, and a few colorful toppings.

A note about selecting good eggplants

Choose eggplants with tight, shiny skins, the greener the stem the better. It should feel a little heavy, and have a little bit of give when squeezed – not mushy but also not too hard.

And another about storing eggplants

First of all, try not to. Eggplants don’t keep well, so use them as soon as possible.

If you thought the best place to keep them is the fridge you’re not alone, many of us have experienced the cold injuries the fridge inflicts on eggplants. Eggplants, like cucumbers, don’t like it cold, and cool room temperature is best if you’re keeping them for a day or two – keep away from direct sunlight. When stored under 41 °F, (5°C) eggplants develop pitting, surface bronzing, browning of the seeds and the pulp tissue after a few days.

Ingredients

For the roasted eggplant

·      2 large eggplants

·      2 tablespoons olive oil

·      Salt and pepper to taste

For the tahini sauce

·      1/3 cup tahini

·      2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely grated

·      1 tablespoon soy sauce

·      1 tablespoon rice vinegar

·      1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave

·      Water as needed

Garnish

·      A handful of pickled cucumbers (quick pickle or kosher dill pickles), or the pickles of your choice, chopped

·      A sprinkle of nigella or black sesame seeds (optional)

To serve

·      A few slices of good bread or pita

Preparation

1.     Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2.     Cut the eggplants lengthwise, cut deep cross hatches in the inner side of the eggplants, drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on a baking sheet, cut side up. Roast in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until dark brown.

3.     Remove the eggplant from the oven and place in a heatproof bowl, cover the bowl with nylon wrap, and let cool – this helps further soften the eggplant and makes removing the skin easier.

4.     While the eggplant is cooling, make the tahini. You can place all the ingredients in a food processor and process, while adding some water, one teaspoon at a time, until you get a thick sauce that can still be drizzled. You can also whisk it by hand.

5.     Remove the eggplant flesh from the bowl, discarding the skins and the eggplant juices, mash it with a fork, add salt and pepper as needed, and spread on a serving platter.

6.     Drizzle the tahini sauce on top, in a decorative way, sprinkle the pickles and the nigella seeds.