Roasted Eggplant Dish

(recipe loosely adapted from the book Arabesques - a taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon by Claudia Roden)

It's summer and the big plump eggplants are on sale for $1.15 each. So I bought three. I have made this eggplant dish before and couldn't believe how easy to make. And it is delicious with pita bread. You can eat it any time of the day as a snack or an appetizer with dinner.

All I did was prick the eggplants with a paring knife so they don't explode in the oven. Put them in the pre-heated oven (475 degree) for about an hour. Turn over once or twice in between so they cook evenly. To cool down, put them in a big cooking pot with lid covered for about half hour or so.

The cookbook said to peel and drop them in a bowl of water with a little lemon juice to keep the flesh pale. And drain them in a strainer and press out the juice. I skipped all that. I just cut them in half and scooped out the flesh. I did have to take out the seeds carefully. They are like big fish eggs only not in a sag. I don't like any seeds in my food - not even in tomatoes and chili pepper. The liquid just came out by itself and I just discarded them. It's a little tangy sweet and a little bitter. I don't want to save it for anything else.

I sauteed the chopped shallots and garlics with oil in a pan. I added half a teaspoon of salt, paprika and cumin. Then I just added back the eggplant and mixed them up together. I didn't have to mash them as the book said. They are so soft already - guaranteed to melt in your mouth. You can garnish it with olives and parsley. You can do the same with tomatoes and peppers. Mix all together. Enjoy!