Eggplant salad

My favorite part of any Shabbat meal is the many different salatim/dips on the table — and eggplant is always the first one I gravitate toward.

Eggplant on its own is fairly plain tasting and needs salt and seasoning to bring out the flavor. I especially like tangy sumac paired with eggplant.

I love fried Israeli-style eggplant but I’m always shocked by the amount of oil it sucks up while frying. My cooking technique below is the healthiest way to prepare eggplant beyond cooking over a flame or on coals. You will get consistent results roasting it in the oven and you don’t have to watch it closely, so you can work on other projects in the kitchen while it’s cooking.

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I add fresh tomatoes to my eggplant salad and top it with a small amount of chopped nuts, but you can omit those if you have allergies.

Ingredients
Serves 3-4 for a dip/mezze; can be easily doubled or tripled

2 large eggplants, about 2 pounds
¾ cup cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1-2 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon sumac
¾ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon Aleppo Pepper or ¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika or cayenne pepper
Optional: 1 tablespoon walnuts or roasted pistachios, roughly chopped

Choosing the best vegetables is the most important factor in making any kind of salatim. Choose eggplants that are firm and heavy to the touch and that don’t have any bruising. You can use eggplant if the skin is just starting to wrinkle, so this is a great way to use up extra eggplant before it starts to turn.

Baking eggplant in the oven is easiest for both cooking and cleanup. Admittedly you won’t get the charred and smoky flavor of an eggplant roasted over coals, but you can add a pepper with a smoky hue to make up for that when you season the salad.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Line a baking pan with foil for easy cleanup.

Wash and pat dry each eggplant, leaving the stem attached.

Use a sharp knife to cut 7 small cuts, about 1 inch deep, in the top and sides of the eggplant.

Place in oven and turn them every 20 minutes for about an hour. Smaller eggplants will cook more quickly and very thick ones may take more time. You will know these are completely cooked when they start to deflate and when the texture feels very soft when you touch them with oven tongs. If you’re unsure, an extra 10 minutes of baking time won’t hurt the eggplant. When done, remove from the oven and cool until they are easy to handle. This is the method I use to cook eggplant for many different salatim.

Use a sharp knife to slice the eggplant lengthwise and scoop the flesh away from the skin. Discard the skin and stem.

Use a large knife to hand chop the eggplant on a cutting board. You should end up with 2 ½ to 3 cups of chopped eggplant.

Lightly sprinkle with salt.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to dress the eggplant for serving.
This is an incredibly flexible recipe so feel free to add your favorite spices.

Add the lemon juice, olive oil and remaining spices to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake it to combine; alternately you can whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.

Drizzle the eggplant with about half the dressing before adding the tomatoes and parsley. Make a well with the eggplant and put the tomatoes in the center before sprinkling with parsley, then add a little more of the dressing to the tomatoes.

Season to taste with extra sumac, salt or pepper. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pistachios for extra crunch and texture.

This is excellent with pita, olives and a slice of good feta cheese.

Leftovers can be mixed like a dip and served the following day.

Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.