I threw this recipe together last summer when I had lots of eggplant, lots of tomatoes, and lots of herbs. This summer, I am anticipating the day that the eggplant is ready and I can make this dip again. It is really great on crostini. I also think it would be great stuffed in a pita with a bit of roast chicken. It is best served at room temperature.
Rustic Roasted Eggplant Dip with Fresh Herbs
3 Chinese or Japanese eggplants (slender variety)
1 sweet pepper, stemmed and seeded
3 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup finely diced Roma tomatoes
3 Tbs. onion, minced
1-1/2 tsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. red-wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano or marjoram
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh basil
1 mint leaf, chopped
1 t. sea salt
1/2 t. ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and cut stems off eggplants. Rub eggplants and pepper with 2 T. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes.
Peel away the charred skin from the eggplant, coarsely chop the flesh and transfer it to a medium bowl. Add the remaining 1 T. of olive oil and the tomato, onion, parsley, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano or marjoram, thyme, mint, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve cool or at room temperature with fresh pita wedges or toasted pita chips.
The sweet pepper varieties that I love are Corno di Toro Red and Marconi (either giant or golden or purple), but any sweet type will work. If you don’t have a fresh lemon, use a bit of Champagne vinegar (about 1/2 t.). In fact, you might like that even better—experiment. (HMMM—I was just thinking about crumbling a bit of feta on top—might be tasty.)
This looks seriously delicious! Thanks for sending me the link, Eliot.
Question: Do you roast the pepper, too, or chop it raw for the crunch?
I used it raw, but you bring up an interesting modification!