Sephardic Eggplant Relish

Eggplants relishes and salads are delicious, easy to make, and very popular across North Africa, the Middle East and in the originating countries of Spain and Portugal. Eggplant is roasted or sautéed, spicy or milk, puréed or textured. In other words, make this how you like it!! I roasted the eggplant and chopped the eggplant by hand, as I like a little texture in the relish. I used Roma tomatoes, as they looked great in the produce department. Chose the tomatoes of your choosing, including cherry tomatoes, a bit sweeter.

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Sephardic Eggplant Salad

#appetizer, #side #tapas #vegan #eggplant #Sephardic

Servings: 8

3 large eggplants

Dressing

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

2 cups fresh parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced

3 roasted peppers, diced (you can use jarred)

Preheat oven to 450°F (200C).
Pierce the eggplants with a toothpick. Place the eggplants on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and brush with olive oil.
Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning midway in the baking. Bake until eggplants are tender and collapsed. Cool..
Cut open one side of the eggplant. Peel eggplants, discard seeds and dice. Place in colander. Dice tomatoes and and roasted red bell pepper. Add to colander and drain.
Add scallions, garlic, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes and 1 cup of the parsley to a food processor. Pulse. Add vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. Purée until smooth and thickened. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
Add drained eggplant, tomatoes, bell pepper and additional chopped parsley to a bowl. Add dressing and toss.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve on crackers

Adapted from Andrew Zimmern’s Kitchen Adventures on foodandwine.com

Expandthetable suggestions

Add a bit of tang: Add 2 tablespoons drained, rinsed and chopped capers.

Have extra? Use on top of pasta as a great sauce!

Ingredients