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Eggplant with Spiced Tomatoes, Pine Nuts & Garlicky Yogurt
One of my favorite dishes to enjoy every summer in Turkey. I took some liberties with this deconstructed version, and it makes for a perfectly warming and hearty vegetarian side dish or main for you’re upcoming holiday tables!!
Eggplant with Spiced Tomatoes, Pine Nuts & Garlicky Yogurt
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
For the Pan Fried Eggplant:
4 Japanese eggplant, sliced in half and scored
Olive oil
For the Spiced Tomatoes with Pine Nuts:
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon coriander
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 vine ripened tomatoes, cored, sliced in half and quartered, divided
1 28-oz can fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup pinenuts, toasted, divided
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
For the Garlicky Yogurt:
1 cup full fat Greek or Turkish yogurt
2 garlic cloves, creamed or pressed
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt to taste
Garnish:
Best quality olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
½ cup pomegranate arils (seeds)
Flaky Salt
* Hint: eggplants act like sponges and will drink up any oil in the pan, so better to use a sparing amount and wipe down between batches for the best flavor and lightest results.
INSTRUCTIONS
•Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with just enough olive oil to coat the surface. Pat the eggplant surface dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
•Once oil is shimmering, place the eggplant scored side down onto the hot oil, making sure not to overcrowd the pan and risk steaming. After 2-3 minutes, eggplant should be crisped and golden brown and easy to flip. If it does not easily release, reduce heat and cook another minute and repeat. Flip eggplant and cook another 2-3 minutes so both sides are golden brown and interior flesh is soft and creamy. Keep in mind, timing will vary on size and thickness of eggplant. If you have thicker slices, you may wish to flip again and continue cooking to ensure interior is hot and nicely soft. Remove cooked eggplant to a paper towel lined tray or cookie rack to cool while you make the tomato sauce. Work in batches to cook all eggplant slices.
•Wipe out the pan and add a fresh slick of olive oil just to cover the base of the pan. Add onions and cook until translucent, 2 minutes. Add a splash more olive oil, spices and a good pinch of salt and continue to cook another 5 minutes until onions have developed a wonderfully deep golden color and spices have bloomed. Add tomato paste and cook one minute more, then add half the fresh tomatoes and stir to combine and coat. Cook 2 minutes to allow fresh tomatoes to soften, then add canned tomatoes plus ¼ cup water to deglaze the pan. Bring to a boil then drop to a simmer and cook 5 minutes until mixture is thick and reduced. Add remaining fresh tomatoes and cook another 3 minutes until just softened and heated through. Stir in half of the toasted pinenuts.
•Meanwhile, to a medium bowl, add yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice and zest, and mix well to combine and aerate. Season with salt and set aside to allow flavors to meld
•When ready to serve, ladle Spiced Tomatoes into the base of your serving dish and arrange Pan Fried Eggplant on top. Dollop Garlicky Yogurt over the eggplant, drizzle with best quality olive oil, and sprinkle generously with fresh herbs, remaining pinenuts, pomegranate arils and flaky salt. Enjoy!
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